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The Murong (; LHC: * mɑC-joŋ;Schuessler, Axel. (2007) An Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese. University of Hawaii Press. p. 502, 259, 290 Middle Chinese: * mɔh-juawŋPulleyblank. Edwin G. (1991) Lexicon of Reconstructed Pronunciation: in Early Middle Chinese, Late Middle Chinese, and Early Mandarin Vancouver: University of British Columbia p. 220, 297) or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (). Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the MongolsТаскин В. С. (1984). Материалы по истории древних кочевых народов группы дунху. Москва: Наука. p. 5. In Russian: "Мы в настоящей работе не имеем возможности из-за огромного по объему материала остановиться на монголоязычных племенах мужун и тоба."Таскин В. С. (1992) Материалы по истории кочевых народов в Китае III–V вв. Выпуск 3. Мужуны. Москва: Наука. p. 4. In Russian: "Мужуны по традиции относятся к этнической группе дунху, включавшей различные монголоязычные племена. Выбранные из достоверных исторических источников, сведения о мужунах дают ценный материал для изучения этногенеза современных монголов, их обычаев и культуры." p. 16: "Хотя сяньбийские племена мужун, цифу и туфа пользовались сюннускими титулами, около десятка слов из бытовой лексики, сохранившихся в источниках, с успехом могут быть отождествлены с соответствующими монгольскими словами. А ведь язык наиболее показательный этнический признак, и возможность отождествления говорит о том, что сяньбийцы относились к монголоязычным племенам." nomadic confederation in Central Asia. The Former Yan (337–370), Later Yan (384–409), Western Yan (384–394), Southern Yan (398–410) dynasties as well as Tuyuhun (285–670) were all founded by Murong peoples.
Murong is also a surname, predominantly used by people of Xianbei descent. Prominent individuals who bear the surname include the Emperors and family of Former Yan and Later Yan, Murong Ke, Murong Long, Murong Sanzang (慕容三藏), Murong Yanzhao (慕容延钊), Murong Yanchao, Murong Nong, Murong Han, Murong Chuqiang (慕容楚强), Murong Haoran (慕容浩然), and the fictional character Murong Fu (慕容復). When Han peoples during the reign of Yuwen Tai were forced to change their surnames, Murong was one of three officially mandated Xianbei surnames. This policy was reversed by Emperor Wen of Sui, but some Han people retained the Murong surname.
Tanshihuai's Xianbei state to which the Murong belonged fragmented following the fall of Budugen (222–234), who was the younger brother of Kuitou (). Kuitou was the nephew of Tanshihuai's incapable son and successor Helian (). The Murong consequently broke off and submitted to the Cao Wei dynasty, settling in the Liaoxi Province area. The Murong ruler at this time was Mohuba, a descendant of the chieftain Murong. Murong Mohuba actively supported Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign in 238, leading an auxiliary Murong force. Mohuba was succeeded in 246 by his son Muyan (木延) who also aided the Cao Wei campaign against the Goguryeo that same year.
Muyan's son Shegui (涉歸), fought against the Jin dynasty (266–420), and was pushed back to the upper Liao River region. Shegui died in 283, and his younger brother Shan (刪) usurped the leadership. Murong Shan was killed in 285, and the people proclaimed Shegui's son Murong Hui () as their chieftain. Hui attacked the Buyeo kingdom in 285, capturing ten thousand prisoners. He launched an attack on the agricultural area of the Liao River basin in 286 that had been occupied by Han Chinese settlers after Emperor Wu of Han's conquest of Old Chosŏn in 108 BC.
Hui founded a new capital nearby the modern-day city of Chaoyang, Liaoning in 294. In 284, an internal feud developed between Murong Hui and his older brother, Tuyuhun, which folktales explained as being caused by a horse race but which was in fact caused by disputes over the position of khan. As a result of the dispute, Murong Tuyuhun led his people and undertook a long westward journey passing through the Ordos Loop all the way to Qinghai Lake.
Some Murong members live in a town in Guangdong. Zhaoqing is the area where they lived since they moved from north to south. They practice no aspect of Xianbei culture or identity. The move to southern China from the north is described in their genealogical records. They are descended from Murong Bao. They moved to southern China after the foundation of the Ming dynasty.
The Dunhuang Documents, P. 1283 (in Tibetan) records a very important piece of information about the Khitan and Murong:
The Khitan language is widely recognized as Mongolic. Mongolic, Turkic and Tungusic are mutually unintelligible, although they share significant loan-vocabulary.
The title khagan was first seen in a speech between 283 and 289, when the Xianbei chief Murong Tuyuhun (son of Murong Shegui by an illegitimate wife) tried to escape from his younger stepbrother Murong Hui, and began his route from Liaodong to the areas of Ordos Desert. One of Murong's generals called Yinalou addressed him as kěhán (可寒, later 可汗), some sources suggests that Tuyuhun might also have used the title after settling at Koko Nor in the 3rd century.Zhou 1985, p. 3–6. Some suggest that the titles Khan and Khagan were originally Mongolic.
The Song of the Xianbei Brother is a popular song of the Xianbei people composed by Murong Hui in 285 AD. It is preserved in Chinese translation and is about the Xianbei chief's regrets for having sent his brother Tuyuhun away to the West. The original Chinese translation left the Xianbei word for elder brother (A-kan) in the title, which is identical to the Mongolic word for elder brother (Aqan or Aghan). The same word exists in Turkic and Tungusic languages, but the Xianbei are generally considered Mongolic peoples. This would make the song one of the earliest attestations of a Mongolic language.
The modern day minority of White Mongols or Monguor people are regarded as the culturally and ethnically-distinct descendants of the Murong.Hu, Alex J.(2010) 'An overview of the history and culture of the Xianbei ('Monguor'/'Tu')', Asian Ethnicity, 11: 1, 95–164.
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