Qin and Han · Xiongnu chanyu and expansionist ruler

Modu 冒頓

Mòdú

Attested BC 209 - BC 174

Passages: 22
Chapters: 11
Histories: 5

Overview

Modu was a Xiongnu chanyu and expansionist ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Modun	冒顿	Modun

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 209 to BC 174 冒頓之後
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 101, passage 50
BC 209 to BC 174 冒頓可汗
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 63, passage 10
BC 200 冒頓單于…圍漢高帝於白登七日
Directly stated · History of Liao 41, passage 57
BC 209 to BC 174 冒頓為匈奴單于
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 75, passage 231
BC 209 to BC 174 冒顿
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 51
BC 200 to BC 180 匈奴冒頓…來為邊害
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 104, passages 20, 33

Show 4 more source-backed claims

BC 209 to BC 174 匈奴冒頓
Directly stated · Book of Han 46, passage 114
BC 200 漢七年後
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 99, passage 49
BC 201 漢六年秋，冒頓圍馬邑
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 42, passage 135
BC 201 秋，匈奴冒頓大圍信
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 19

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Commoner girl titled eldest princess (家人子)
wife 妻 · BC 198 和親
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 99, passages 69-70
Spouse of Modu's consort (閼氏)
Chanyu's consort 閼氏
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 29
Spouse of Yanzhi (閼氏)
consort 閼氏
Directly stated · Book of Han 42, passages 148-149
Ancestor of Liu Yuanhai (劉元海)
descendant 之後
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 50
Child of Father of Modu (冒頓之父)
son 子
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 99, passage 52
Spouse of Han princess married to Modun (漢宗女公主)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 54

Kinship Role father-widows · Count 2 · 群母: plural; exact count not stated
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 99, passage 52

Key source chapters

Origins and identity

Xiongnu 匈奴
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 104, passage 33

Places and affiliations

Xiongnu 匈奴
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 99, passage 49
Polity Xiongnu 匈奴 · Relation Ruled
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 75, passage 231
Polity Xiongnu 匈奴 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · History of Liao 41, passage 57
Polity Xiongnu · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 51

Events and relationships

Besieged Han Gaodi at Baideng for seven days
Military · Commander · With Emperor Gaodi of Han (漢高帝) · At Baideng 白登
Directly stated · History of Liao 41, passage 57
Destroyed the Eastern Hu
Military · Participant
Directly stated · History of Liao 63, passage 10
Encircled Gaozu at Baideng
BC 200 漢七年 · Military · Commander
Directly stated · Book of Han 42, passages 146, 149
Raided Han frontier after subjugating northern tribes
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 104, passage 33
Repeatedly harmed Han borders
Military · Aggressor
Directly stated · Book of Han 75, passage 231
Modun overran Gewutu and his people.
Military opponent · Person Gewutu (葛烏菟)
Directly stated · History of Liao 63, passage 10

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Relation Covenant brothers with · Person Emperor Gaozu of Han (漢高祖)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 54

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Han 75, passage 231
descendants adopted Liu surname after brother-covenant with Han Gaozu
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 54

References in the histories

Search passages

History

22 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 42Volume 33: Wei Bao, Tian Dan and Hán Xin (King of Han) · 4 passages

秋，匈奴冒頓大入圍信，信數使使胡求和解。 That autumn, Modu of the Xiongnu made a major incursion and besieged Xin, who repeatedly sent envoys to seek peace with the Hu.

與其將白土人曼丘臣、王黃立趙苗裔趙利為王，復收信散兵，而與信及冒頓謀攻漢。 Xin's generals Manqiu Chen of Baitu and Wang Huang established Zhao Li, a descendant of the Zhao royal house, as king. They regrouped Xin's scattered troops and joined Xin and Modu in plotting an attack on Han.

聞冒頓居代谷，上居晉陽，使人視冒頓，還報曰「可擊」。 Hearing that Modu was at Daigu, the emperor remained at Jinyang and sent scouts to observe him. They returned and reported, "He can be attacked."

閼氏說冒頓曰：「今得漢地，猶不能居，且兩主不相厄。」 The consort persuaded Modu, saying, "Even if we now gain Han territory, we still cannot hold it. Moreover, two rulers should not drive each other to extremes."

Book of Han, Chapter 46Volume 37: Ji Bu, Luan Bu and Tian Shu · 1 passage

漢與楚相距，士卒罷敝，而匈奴冒頓新服北夷，來為邊寇，孟舒知士卒罷敝，不忍出言，士爭臨城死敵，如子為父，以故死者數百人，孟舒豈敺之哉！ Han and Chu were deadlocked and the army was on its last legs, while Modun had just bent the northern tribes to his will and unleashed them on the frontier. Meng Shu knew his men were too spent to bear another order to battle—yet they stormed the walls like sons defending a father, and hundreds died. That was not Meng Shu driving them to their deaths.

Book of Han, Chapter 75Volume 64b: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 2 · 1 passage

乃探平城之事，錄冒頓以來數為邊害，籍兵厲馬，因富民以攘服之。 He brooded on the humiliation of Pingcheng, reviewed how Modu and his heirs had ravaged the frontier, mobilized armies and bred horses, and drew on the wealthy to fund conquest until the steppe submitted.

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 1 passage

方今四夷賓服，皆為臣妾，北無薰粥冒頓之患，南無趙佗、呂嘉之難，三垂晏然，靡有兵革之警。 The barbarians are all tributary; the north holds no Xiongnu threat like Modun's day, the south no rebellion like Zhao Tuo or Lu Jia; the frontiers are calm and no call to arms sounds.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 89Volume 80a: Biographies of Writers 1 · 1 passage

是时，孝武因其余财府帑之蓄，始有钩深图远之意，探冒顿之罪，校平城之仇。 Then Emperor Wu, drawing on overflowing treasuries, first dreamed of distant schemes—to reckon Modun's offenses and settle scores for the humiliation at Pingcheng.

Book of Jin, Chapter 101Volume 101 Records 1: Liu Yuanhai and Liu Xuan · 2 passages

劉元海，新興匈奴人，冒頓之後也。 Liu Yuan was a Xiongnu from Xinxing, descended from Modun Shanyu.

初，漢高祖以宗女為公主，以妻冒頓，約為兄弟，故其子孫遂冒姓劉氏。 Han Gaozu married a house princess to Modu as brother sovereigns, so the chanyu's house adopted the Liu surname.

History of Liao, Chapter 41Volume 41 Treatises 11: Geography 5 · 1 passage

冒頓單于縱精騎三十餘萬圍漢高帝於白登七日，即此。 Here the Xiongnu chanyu Modu with over three hundred thousand picked horsemen besieged Han Emperor Gaodi at Baideng for seven days.

History of Liao, Chapter 63Volume 63 Tables 1: Lineage · 2 passages

蓋炎帝之裔曰葛烏菟者，世雄朔陲，後為冒頓可汗所襲，保鮮卑山以居，號鮮卑氏。 A scion of the Flame Emperor named Gewu-tu had long dominated the northern marches; Modun, the Xiongnu chanyu, later overran him, and his people sheltered on the Xianbei Mountains and took the name Xianbei.

冒頓可汗以兵襲東胡，滅之。餘衆保鮮卑山，因號鮮卑。 Chanyu Modun struck the Eastern Hu with his army and wiped them out. The survivors sheltered on the Xianbei Mountains and took the name Xianbei.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 93Biographies of Han Xin (King of Han) and Lu Wan · 4 passages

秋，匈奴冒頓大圍信，信數使使胡求和解。 That autumn, the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu besieged Xin with a massive force. Xin sent envoy after envoy to the Xiongnu to negotiate peace.

（與）其與白土人曼丘臣、王黃等立趙苗裔趙利為王，復收信敗散兵，而與信及冒頓謀攻漢。 Together with Manqiu Chen and Wang Huang, men of Baitu, they set up Zhao Li, a scion of the Zhao royal house, as king. They rallied Xin's defeated and scattered troops and, together with Xin and Modu, plotted to attack Han.

匈奴常敗走，漢乘勝追北，聞冒頓居代（上）谷，高皇帝居晉陽，使人視冒頓，還報曰「可擊」。 The Xiongnu suffered defeat after defeat and retreated. Han pressed its advantage and pursued northward. Hearing that Modu was encamped in the Dai Valley, the High Emperor, based at Jinyang, sent scouts to assess his forces. They returned and reported: 'He can be attacked.'

閼氏乃說冒頓曰：「今得漢地，猶不能居； The consort persuaded Modu, saying: 'Even if you were to seize the Han lands, you could not hold them.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 99Biographies of Liu Jing and Shusun Tong · 4 passages

當是時，冒頓為單于，兵彊，控弦三十萬，數苦北邊。 At that time, Modu was the Chanyu. His forces were formidable—he commanded three hundred thousand mounted archers and repeatedly ravaged the northern frontier.

冒頓殺父代立，妻群母，以力為威，未可以仁義說也。 Modu killed his father and seized the throne, took his father's widows as wives, and rules by force and intimidation—he cannot be won over with benevolence and righteousness.

冒頓在，固為子婿； While Modun is present, he firmly serves as son-in-law;

上竟不能遣長公主，而取家人子名為長公主，妻單于。 In the end, the Emperor could not bring himself to send the eldest princess. Instead, he took a girl from a common family, bestowed on her the title of eldest princess, and married her to the Chanyu.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 104Biography of Tian Shu · 1 passage

匈奴冒頓新服北夷，來為邊害，孟舒知士卒罷敝，不忍出言，士爭臨城死敵，如子為父，弟為兄，以故死者數百人。 The Xiongnu under Modu Chanyu, having recently subjugated the northern tribes, came to raid the frontier. Meng Shu knew his soldiers were utterly spent and could not bring himself to order them out to battle. Yet the men fought of their own accord, mounting the walls and throwing themselves at the enemy as sons would for their fathers and younger brothers for their elders. For this reason several hundred perished.