Wu Hu

Wu Hu ( Chinese五胡; pinyin Wǔ Hú; literally "five Hu") is a collective name for various non-Chinese steppe peoples who temporarily migrated over the Chinese national territory during the Han Dynasty to the Northern Dynasties .

The Chinese word “Hu” (胡) means “difficult to understand” and means the non-Chinese speaking peoples of the steppe areas. The word "Wu" means "five". Originally the five tribes of equestrian nomads on the northern border of China were named: Xiongnu (匈奴), Xianbei (鮮卑), Di (氐), Qiang (羌), and Jie (羯). The most powerful of the tribes were the Xiongnu, who were sometimes referred to as "Hu". The term "Hu" was later applied as a collective term to all equestrian peoples living north of the Chinese borders.