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The Chuge (w=Ch'u-ko), also known as Xiuchuge (w=Hsiu-ch'u-ko)In most cases, the pronunciation of the character "屠" is "tú"; the "chú" pronunciation is an exceptional case. or Xiuchu (w=Hsiu-ch'u) were a Xiongnu tribe and later ethnic group that lived in ancient China. They were described as the most influential among the Xiongnu tribes that resettled within the Great Wall, and a branch of them, the Liu clan, founded the Han-Zhao in 304 AD during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. The Chuge's influence were as such that by the 4th century, they were seen as a distinct ethnic group from the rest of the Xiongnu, and continued to appear in history until the late Northern Wei period of the 6th century. Their name can also be transcribed as Tuge, Xiutuge, and Xiutu.
One common theory among modern Chinese historians is that the Chuge were descendants of the Xiutu (休屠), also transcribed as Xiuchu, who lived around Wuwei in the Hexi Corridor and were among the earliest of the Xiongnu to surrender to the Han dynasty in 121 BC. The Xiuchu were relocated into Longxi and Beidi Commandery commanderies as well as the three commanderies of Shang Commandery, Shuofang and Yunzhong in the Hetao region of Bingzhou. The tribes that lived in Longxi and Beidi retained the "Xiuchu" name, while those living in Bing eventually added the "ge" (各) suffix, perhaps as a result of a language habit of the regional dialect at the time. They thus became known as the "Xiuchuge" (休屠各), and their name was then shortened to "Chuge" (屠各). After the Southern Xiongnu surrendered to the Han and became a vassal state in 48 AD, the Xiuchuge lived alongside them in Bing.Chen, Yong (August 2009). 《汉赵史论稿——匈奴屠各建国的政治史考察 》(in Chinese). Shanghai: Commercial Press. .(北狄以部落爲類，其入居塞者有 屠各種、鮮支種、寇頭種、烏譚種、赤勒種、捍蛭種、黑狼種、赤沙種、鬱鞞種、萎莎種、禿童種、勃蔑種、羌渠種、賀賴種、鐘跂種、大樓種、雍屈種、真樹種、力羯種，凡十九種，皆有部落，不相雜錯。 屠各最豪貴，故得爲單于，統領諸種。) Jin Shu, vol.97
In 188, the Xiuchuge rebelled again, invading Xihe Commandery in Bing and killing the local administrator, Xing Ji. A few months later, the Xiuchuge defeated and killed the Inspector of Bing, Zhang Yi. At the time, many of the Southern Xiongnu tribes were disgruntled with the chanyu government as they were insistently being sent to fight against rebellions for the Han. Seeing the success of the Xiuchuge's rebellion, the Xiluo clan of the Southern Xiongnu Right Division allied with the Xiuchuge and killed the chanyu, Qiangqu. Though the Han court appointed Qiangqu's son, Yufuluo as the new chanyu, the Xiuchuge and their allies rejected him, forcing Yufuluo into exile east of the Fen River and electing a marquis from the Xubu clan in his place.
After the Marquis of Xubu's death, the chanyu position was abolished and a nominal king was installed instead in the rebel's territory, although Yufuluo still claimed the title in exile. The Southern Xiongnu began to disintegrate, but while the other tribes distanced themselves from the chaos of the ongoing Han civil war, the Xiuchuge were drawn into the conflicts instead. In the 190s, the Xiuchuge, who became known as the Chuge around this time, allied with Zhang Yan of the Heishan bandits in the Taihang Mountains and later killed Gongsun Xu, the son of the defeated Jizhou warlord, Gongsun Zan.Rafe De Crespigny (1984). 9780867844108, Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 9780867844108
The Chuge later retreated west as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao established control in the north. In 214, they were attacked and defeated at Gaoping County (present-day Guyuan, Ningxia) by Cao Cao's general Xiahou Yuan. Due to the hostile tribes and their remoteness from the imperial court, a number of commanderies in Bing, including Shang, Shuofang and Yunzhong, were abolished and essentially abandoned. In 216, Huchuquan, Yufuluo's brother and successor, was detained at Ye by Cao Cao, who then had the last vestiges of the Southern Xiongnu rearranged into the Five Divisions around Taiyuan Commandery in Bing.
Official history states that Liu Yuan was a direct descendant of the ruling Luandi of the Xiongnu through his grandfather, Yufuluo and was thus a descendant of the Han dynasty, since the chanyus used to marry Han princesses through heqin. However, several passages in contemporary records refer to Liu Yuan, his family and members of the Five Divisions as "Chuge". Modern scholars such as Tang Changru doubt Liu Yuan's lineage from the Southern Xiongnu chanyus and believe it to be a fabrication for legitimacy.Tang, Changru (December 2010). "〈魏晋杂胡考 一 屠各〉". 《魏晋南北朝史论丛》 (in Chinese). Beijing: Commercial Press. .
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