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Helian Ding (; died 432), nickname Zhifen (直獖), was the third and last emperor of the Xiongnu-led Chinese Hu Xia dynasty. He was a son of the founding emperor Helian Bobo (Emperor Wulie) and a younger brother of his predecessor Helian Chang. After Helian Chang was captured by Northern Wei's army in 428, Helian Ding took the throne himself and for several years tried to resist Northern Wei attacks, but by 430 he had lost nearly his entire territory. In 431, he attempted to head west to try to attack Northern Liang and seize its territory, but on the way, he was intercepted by Tuyuhun's khan Murong Mugui and captured, ending Hu Xia. In 432, Murong Mugui turned him over to the Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, who had him executed.
Meanwhile, knowing that Helian Ding was occupied, Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei made an attack on Tongwan, and Helian Chang initially wanted to recall Helian Ding from Chang'an; instead, Helian Ding advised him to defend Tongwan securely to wear out Northern Wei's forces, and then he, after capturing Chang'an, could then return and attack Northern Wei's forces on two sides. Helian Chang agreed and did not engage Northern Wei's forces. However, subsequently, receiving false information that Northern Wei forces had run out of food, he attacked Northern Wei's forces and was soundly defeated, and he fled to Shanggui (in modern Tianshui, Gansu). Northern Wei captured Tongwan. Upon hearing the news of Tongwayn's fall, Helian Ding abandoned his campaign against Daxi and joined Helian Chang at Shanggui. Daxi gave chase, intending to destroy Xia. It might have been at this time that Helian Chang promoted Helian Ding to the title of Prince of Pingyuan.
In early 428, after initially withdrawing further from Shanggui to Pingliang (in modern Pingliang, Gansu), Helian Chang went back on the offensive and besieged Daxi's army, which was then afflicted by illnesses, at Anding (in modern Pingliang). However, during the siege, the Northern Wei officers Anchi Jia and Yuchi Juan made a surprise attack on him, and he fell off his horse and was captured. Helian Ding gathered the remaining troops and withdrew to Pingliang. He took the throne himself.
In mid 428, Helian Ding sent an embassy to Northern Wei requesting peace. Instead, Northern Wei's Emperor Taiwu issued an edict ordering him to surrender, which he did not do. On a hunt at which he could see the old capital Tongwan from a distance, Helian Ding lamented that if Helian Bobo had made him crown prince, Tongwan would not have fallen. However, he himself did not try to recapture Tongwan.
In early 430, Liu Song launched a major attack against Northern Wei, and Northern Wei in response temporarily abandoned its territory south of the Yellow River. Helian Ding then entered into an alliance with Emperor Wen of Liu Song against Northern Wei, agreeing to destroy Northern Wei and divide its territory north of the Yellow River—with provinces east of the Taihang Mountains going to Liu Song and west of Taihang going to Xia. However, neither party actually intended to attack Northern Wei's territory north of the Yellow River first, waiting for the other to act, and Northern Wei's Emperor Taiwu took advantage of this and decided to try to destroy Helian Ding first. In late 430, he personally launched a direct assault on Pingliang.
Meanwhile, Western Qin's prince Qifu Mumo, unable to stand pressures from Northern Liang and Tuyuhun, sought to surrender to Northern Wei, and with Northern Wei promising to give Xia's Pingliang and Anding Commanderies to him as his domain, he abandoned his capital Fuhan (in modern Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu) and headed east, intending to join Northern Wei forces at Shanggui. Upon hearing this, Helian Ding personally tried to intercept Qifu Mumo, who was forced to stop at Nan'an (in modern Longxi, Gansu), with his territory having otherwise all fallen to Tuyuhun.
By this time, though, Northern Wei's emperor had arrived at Pingliang, and, with Helian Chang (whom he had made Prince of Qin) with him, he had Helian Chang to try to persuade the defender of Pingliang, Helian Ding's younger brother Helian Shegan, the Duke of Shanggu to surrender. Helian Shegan initially refused. Helian Ding, hearing that Pingliang was under attack, tried to return to Pingliang to relieve it, but on the way he encountered the Northern Wei general Tuxi Bi, who tricked him by pretending to be a weak force, drawing an attack from him. Tuxi then defeated Helian Ding, who was then forced to withdraw to Chungu Plains (in modern Pingliang). Northern Wei forces surrounded him, and his army became hungry and thirsty. After several days, he forcibly fought his way out of the siege, but his forces mostly collapsed, and he himself was badly injured. He gathered the remaining forces and fled to Shanggui.
Around the new year of 431, Helian Shegan and another brother, Helian Duluogu, the Duke of Guangyang, surrendered Pignliang to Northern Wei, and Anding fell as well. Northern Wei's emperor seized Helian Ding's empress and gave her to his general Doudai Tian as a concubine. The other Xia cities' defenders also fled or were captured, allowing Northern Wei to take those cities. Helian Ding himself felt he could not hold Shanggui much further, sent his uncle Helian Weifa, the Duke of Beiping to attack Western Qin's only remaining city, Nan'an. The people of Nan'an were starving and engaged in cannibalism. Qifu Mumo, unable to do anything else, surrendered. Helian Weifa delivered Qifu Mumo to Shanggui, and Helian Ding executed Qifu Mumo and his clan.
Helian Ding then headed west and crossed the Yellow River at Zhicheng (in modern Linxia), intending to attack Northern Liang and seize its territory. However, the khan of Tuyuhun, Murong Mugui, had anticipated this and sent his brothers Murong Muliyan and Murong Shiqian to intercept Helian Ding, and as the Xia army was crossing the river, Tuyuhun forces attacked and captured Helian Ding, ending Xia.
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