Modu - Revision history

Soranin at 13:54, 6 May 2026

2026-05-06T13:54:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:54, 6 May 2026
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	'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>		'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>

	The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''~~{{Wiki~~\|Records of the Grand Historian}}'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Record of the Grand Historian\|Records of the Grand Historian]]'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>

	The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>

imported>Darman36: Whoops, had copied over full Character infobox from Cao Mo, forgot to correct

2024-08-18T02:30:16Z

Whoops, had copied over full Character infobox from Cao Mo, forgot to correct

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:30, 18 August 2024
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	\|species=[[Human]]		\|species=[[Human]]
	\|database=		\|database=
	\|affiliates=~~{{Wiki\|Lu (state)\|State of Lu}}<br>~~		\|affiliates=
	~~[[Assassins]] {{c\|posthumously}}~~
	*[[Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins\|Chinese Brotherhood]]
	}}		}}
	'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">{{Wiki\|Mark Edward Lewis\|Lewis, Mark Edward}}. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">{{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank\|Pulleyblank, Edwin G.}} (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">{{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith\|Beckwith, Christopher I.}} (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{Wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{Wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007"/> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">{{Cite web\|url=https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan\|title=太史公書: 匈奴列傳\|transtitle=Record of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the Xiongnu\|archiveurl=\|archivedate=\|author=Sima Qian\|date=94 BCE\|publisher=''{{Wiki\|Chinese Text Project}}''\|accessdate=4 August 2023\|language=Chinese}}</ref>		'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">{{Wiki\|Mark Edward Lewis\|Lewis, Mark Edward}}. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">{{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank\|Pulleyblank, Edwin G.}} (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">{{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith\|Beckwith, Christopher I.}} (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{Wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{Wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007"/> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">{{Cite web\|url=https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan\|title=太史公書: 匈奴列傳\|transtitle=Record of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the Xiongnu\|archiveurl=\|archivedate=\|author=Sima Qian\|date=94 BCE\|publisher=''{{Wiki\|Chinese Text Project}}''\|accessdate=4 August 2023\|language=Chinese}}</ref>
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	[[Category:Regicides]]		[[Category:Regicides]]
	[[Category:Patricides]]		[[Category:Patricides]]
	~~[[Category:Assassins]]~~
	~~[[Category:Chinese Assassins]]~~

imported>IchigoGa14: Adding categories

2024-08-18T01:58:34Z

Adding categories

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:58, 18 August 2024
Line 54:		Line 54:
	[[Category:Regicides]]		[[Category:Regicides]]
	[[Category:Patricides]]		[[Category:Patricides]]
			[[Category:Assassins]]
			[[Category:Chinese Assassins]]

imported>Sol Pacificus: I disagree with linking to the AC article when discussing the real-world work

2024-08-17T15:44:09Z

I disagree with linking to the AC article when discussing the real-world work

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:44, 17 August 2024
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	'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>		'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>

	The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''~~[[Record~~ of the Grand Historian]]'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''{{Wiki\|Records of the Grand Historian}}'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>

	The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>
Line 37:		Line 37:
	In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="A Modest Invitation"/> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="The Exile's Plan"/>		In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="A Modest Invitation"/> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="The Exile's Plan"/>

	Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to Sima Qian's ''~~Record~~ of the Grand Historian'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{Wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{Wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian"/>		Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Historian'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{Wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{Wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian"/>

	Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian"/> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].		Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian"/> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].

imported>Darman36: Blog post has live archive link...but text/pics are not saved. Should prob be written internally somewhere

2024-08-17T02:22:11Z

Blog post has live archive link...but text/pics are not saved. Should prob be written internally somewhere

Show changes

imported>Soranin at 15:31, 2 December 2023

2023-12-02T15:31:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:31, 2 December 2023
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	{{Era\|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL\|Modu Chanyu}}		{{Era\|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL\|Modu Chanyu}}
	{{Pre-release}}		{{Pre-release\|[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]}}
	~~{{Imageneed~~}}
	{{Character Infobox		{{Character Infobox
	\|image =		\|image =

imported>Sol Pacificus: I'm not comfortable with you picking this obscure detail off of Wikipedia. As messy as Jade beta's story is, it also implies Modu's tribe split from Touman's, making clan affiliation hazy.

2023-11-02T20:37:59Z

I'm not comfortable with you picking this obscure detail off of Wikipedia. As messy as Jade beta's story is, it also implies Modu's tribe split from Touman's, making clan affiliation hazy.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:37, 2 November 2023
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	\|death = 174 BCE		\|death = 174 BCE
	\|species = [[Human]]		\|species = [[Human]]
	\|affiliates = ~~{{Wiki\|Luandi}}~~		\|affiliates =
	}}		}}
	'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">Lewis, Mark Edward. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">Beckwith, Chrisopher I. (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007" /> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of the Xiongnu". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan.</ref>		'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">Lewis, Mark Edward. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">Beckwith, Chrisopher I. (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007" /> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of the Xiongnu". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan.</ref>

imported>VilkaIsBack at 09:45, 2 November 2023

2023-11-02T09:45:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:45, 2 November 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Era\|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL\|Modu Chanyu}}		{{Era\|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL\|Modu Chanyu}}
	{{Pre-release}}		{{Pre-release}}
			{{Imageneed}}
			{{Character Infobox
			\|image =
			\|birth = c. 234 BCE<br>[[Xiongnu\|Xiongnu Empire]]
			\|death = 174 BCE
			\|species = [[Human]]
			\|affiliates = {{Wiki\|Luandi}}
			}}
	'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">Lewis, Mark Edward. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">Beckwith, Chrisopher I. (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007" /> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of the Xiongnu". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan.</ref>		'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">Lewis, Mark Edward. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">Beckwith, Chrisopher I. (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007" /> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of the Xiongnu". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan.</ref>

imported>Sol Pacificus: /* Behind the scenes */

2023-09-26T00:33:30Z

Behind the scenes

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 26 September 2023
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	'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{wiki\|baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009" /> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>		'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{wiki\|baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009" /> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>

	The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on the ''Records of the Grand ~~Histtorian~~'', the Tang-era historian {{wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />		The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on the ''{{wiki\|Records of the Grand Historian}}'', the Tang-era historian {{wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />

	The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />		The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />
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	In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The Exile's Plan" />		In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The Exile's Plan" />

	Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to {{wiki\|Sima Qian}}'s ''~~{{wiki\|~~Records of the Grand ~~Hisorian}}~~'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian" />		Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to {{wiki\|Sima Qian}}'s ''Records of the Grand Historian'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian" />

	Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian" /> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].		Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian" /> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].

imported>Sol Pacificus: More typos

2023-09-22T23:45:03Z

More typos

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:45, 23 September 2023
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	{{Era\|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL\|Modu Chanyu}}		{{Era\|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL\|Modu Chanyu}}
	{{Pre-release}}		{{Pre-release}}
	'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">Lewis, Mark Edward. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. ~~Vermont~~: Ashgate, PP. ~~519–520~~.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">Beckwith, Chrisopher I. (2009). "Endnotes". ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. ~~387~~.</ref> was the ''{{wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007" /> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of the Xiongnu". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan.</ref>		'''Modu''' (冒頓; c. 234 BCE – 174 BCE), or '''Modun''',<ref name="Lewis 2007">Lewis, Mark Edward. (2007). "The Outer World". In ''The Early Empires: Qin and Han''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 128–154.</ref><ref name="Pulleyblank 2002">Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2002). "Ji Hu: The Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi". In ''Central Asia and Non-Chinese Peoples of Ancient China''. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. V 499–531.</ref><ref name="Beckwith 2009">Beckwith, Chrisopher I. (2009). "Endnotes". In ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 385–426, nb. 8.</ref> was the ''{{wiki\|chanyu}}'' of the [[Xiongnu]] who was chiefly responsible for their rise to power as a nomadic empire on the {{wiki\|Eurasian Steppe\|steppes}} north of [[China]].<ref name="Lewis 2007" /> Years prior to his ascension, he was sent to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] as a political hostage amidst the Xiongnu incursions into [[China]]. He succeeded his father [[Touman]] after having him [[Assassination\|assassinated]] on a [[hunting]] trip.<ref name="Sima Qian">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of the Xiongnu". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/xiong-nu-lie-zhuan.</ref>

	==Biography==		==Biography==
	The eldest son of Touman Chanyu, Modu was not favoured as a successor to the Xiongnu throne. When Touman was defeated in a war against the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] general [[Meng Tian]], he offered Modu to the Qin as a political hostage in exchange for peace, thereby "kill[ing] two [[bird]]s with one stone", while creating Modu's youngest brother heir.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu">''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[Nobility of the Xiongnu]]</ref> Not content with this, in 215 BCE,<ref name="Primer">Ubisoft. (12 June 2023). "[https://www.assassinscreedcodenamejade.com/newsdetail.html?content_id=8f474258a5ce4a441baabeda9a5387cc0a37 Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade – A Primer for the Mobile Adventure]". ''Assassin's Creed Codename Jade'' Official Website. Accessed 22 September 2023.</ref> Touman Chanyu renewed his attack on the Qin by [[raid]]ing a section of the [[Great Wall of China\|Great Wall]] then under construction.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="General on the Great Wall">''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[The General on the Great Wall]]</ref> By violating the truce, he sought to incite the Qin into executing Modu and eliminating him as a threat forever.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation">''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[A Modest Invitation]]</ref>		The eldest son of Touman Chanyu, Modu was not favoured as a successor to the Xiongnu throne. When Touman was defeated in a war against the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] general [[Meng Tian]], he offered Modu to the Qin as a political hostage in exchange for peace, thereby "kill[ing] two [[bird]]s with one stone", while creating Modu's youngest brother heir.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu">''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[Nobility of the Xiongnu]]</ref> Not content with this, in 215 BCE,<ref name="Primer">Ubisoft. (12 June 2023). "[https://www.assassinscreedcodenamejade.com/newsdetail.html?content_id=8f474258a5ce4a441baabeda9a5387cc0a37 Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade – A Primer for the Mobile Adventure]". ''Assassin's Creed Codename Jade'' Official Website. Accessed 22 September 2023.</ref> Touman Chanyu renewed his attack on the Qin by [[raid]]ing a section of the [[Great Wall of China\|Great Wall]] then under construction.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The General on the Great Wall">''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[The General on the Great Wall]]</ref> By violating the truce, he sought to incite the Qin into executing Modu and eliminating him as a threat forever.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation">''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[A Modest Invitation]]</ref>

	Modu was rounded up with other Xiongnu hostages in [[Yangzhou City]] by Meng Tian's [[soldier]]s and moved to the [[Yangzhou Prison\|local prison]], where they awaited their death.<ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> By chance, two ''[[youxia]]'' were in the city investigating the whereabouts of [[Yang Duanhe]],<ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> the commander of a new military department called the [[Department of Immortality]] that was antagonistic towards Meng Tian.<ref name="General on the Great Wall" /> Meng Tian suspected correctly that Duanhe was secretly collaborating with Touman and tipped off [[Wei Yu's disciple\|one of the ''youxia'']] that they could find a lead in the Xiongnu prisoners.<ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> Armed with this information, the ''youxia'' broke Modu out of jail while he was being [[Interrogation\|interrogated]] with the intent of enlisting his aid as a guide in Xiongnu lands.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" />		Modu was rounded up with other Xiongnu hostages in [[Yangzhou City]] by Meng Tian's [[soldier]]s and moved to the [[Yangzhou Prison\|local prison]], where they awaited their death.<ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> By chance, two ''[[youxia]]'' were in the city investigating the whereabouts of [[Yang Duanhe]],<ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> the commander of a new military department called the [[Department of Immortality]] that was antagonistic towards Meng Tian.<ref name="The General on the Great Wall" /> Meng Tian suspected correctly that Duanhe was secretly collaborating with Touman and tipped off [[Wei Yu's disciple\|one of the ''youxia'']] that they could find a lead in the Xiongnu prisoners.<ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> Armed with this information, the ''youxia'' broke Modu out of jail while he was being [[Interrogation\|interrogated]] with the intent of enlisting his aid as a guide in Xiongnu lands.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" />

	Modu agreed to honour this debt to the ''youxia'' but initially hid the fact he was a a prince and contender for the Xiongnu throne. He reconvened with the two ''youxia'' at the northernmost watchtower that looked out onto the steppe beyond the Great Wall. There, he advised them to wait at [[Mu Us Village]] while he searched for his tribe. The ''youxia'' were mistrustful that he would bother to meet with them again once he had returned to his tribe, but he convinced them that they could not accompany him in his search without slowing him down to the extent that they would never be able to catch up to his tribe's movements. In fact, Modu's tribe was encamped at Mu Us Village at that very moment. When the ''youxia'' who rescued him earlier was caught in a fight with his tribe, he intervened to stop his men and finally revealed his background to the ''youxia''. He claimed that his father had "installed [his] youngest brother as the next puppet king" and sold some of their own people into [[slavery]]. The ''youxia'' in turn opened up about their investigation, and Modu saw that their goals aligned, having also suspected collusion between Touman and the Qin.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" />		Modu agreed to honour this debt to the ''youxia'' but initially hid the fact he was a a prince and contender for the Xiongnu throne. He reconvened with the two ''youxia'' at the northernmost watchtower that looked out onto the steppe beyond the Great Wall. There, he advised them to wait at [[Mu Us Village]] while he searched for his tribe. The ''youxia'' were mistrustful that he would bother to meet with them again once he had returned to his tribe, but he convinced them that they could not accompany him in his search without slowing him down to the extent that they would never be able to catch up to his tribe's movements. In fact, Modu's tribe was encamped at Mu Us Village at that very moment. When the ''youxia'' who rescued him earlier was caught in a fight with his tribe, he intervened to stop his men and finally revealed his background to the ''youxia''. He claimed that his father had "installed [his] youngest brother as the next puppet king" and sold some of their own people into [[slavery]]. The ''youxia'' in turn opened up about their investigation, and Modu saw that their goals aligned, having also suspected collusion between Touman and the Qin.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" />
Line 25:		Line 25:
	In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The Exile's Plan" />		In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The Exile's Plan" />

	Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to {{wiki\|Sima Qian}}'s ''{{wiki\|Records of the Grand Hisorian}}'', with the notable difference ~~between~~ that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian" />		Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to {{wiki\|Sima Qian}}'s ''{{wiki\|Records of the Grand Hisorian}}'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian" />

	Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to ~~simultaneously~~ unleash ~~their~~ arrows at a target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ~~signalling~~ the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian" /> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].		Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian" /> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].

	==Appearances==		==Appearances==

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:54, 6 May 2026
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	'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>		'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>

	The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''~~{{Wiki~~\|Records of the Grand Historian}}'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Record of the Grand Historian\|Records of the Grand Historian]]'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>

	The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:44, 17 August 2024
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	'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>		'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{Wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{Wiki\|Baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009"/> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>

	The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''~~[[Record~~ of the Grand Historian]]'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{Wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{Wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{Wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{Wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on [[Sima Qian]]'s ''{{Wiki\|Records of the Grand Historian}}'', the Tang-era historian {{Wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>

	The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>		The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{Wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{Wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002"/>
Line 37:		Line 37:
	In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="A Modest Invitation"/> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="The Exile's Plan"/>		In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="A Modest Invitation"/> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu"/><ref name="The Exile's Plan"/>

	Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to Sima Qian's ''~~Record~~ of the Grand Historian'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{Wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{Wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian"/>		Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Historian'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{Wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{Wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian"/>

	Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian"/> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].		Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian"/> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 26 September 2023
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	'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{wiki\|baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009" /> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>		'''Modu''' is the romanization and pronunciation chosen for the name of the historical ''chanyu'' in ''Assassin's Creed: Jade''. Written in Chinese characters as 冒頓, there has been uncertainty on the closest contemporary pronunciation of the name since at least as early as the [[Tang dynasty\|Tang]] period.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> According to a specialist on Central Eurasian studies, {{wiki\|Christopher I. Beckwith}}, the name itself is a phonetic transcription of a Xiongnu name that likely later evolved into the word ''{{wiki\|baghatur\|baγatur}}'', meaning 'hero',<ref name="Beckwith 2009" /> while Chinese historian Luo Xin (罗新) argues that it was actually an appellation to the title of ''chanyu'' as opposed to a personal name in its own right.<ref>Luo Xin, ''A Study on the Xiongnu Chanyu title,'' ed.Luo Xin, ''Inner Asian Origin: A study on title and name of Medieval northern people,''(Social Sciences Academic Press 2022), 31-2 [罗新：《匈奴单于号研究》，《内亚渊源：中古北族名号研究》，社会科学文献出版社2022年版，31-32页。]</ref>

	The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on the ''Records of the Grand ~~Histtorian~~'', the Tang-era historian {{wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />		The character [[wikt:冒\|冒]], meaning 'to cover', is commonly read in modern {{wiki\|Mandarin Chinese\|Mandarin}} as ''mào'' and in {{wiki\|Cantonese}} as ''mou''<sup>6</sup>, with the corresponding {{wiki\|Middle Chinese}} pronunciation being reconstructed by sinologist {{wiki\|Edwin G. Pulleyblank}} as ''məw''<sup>h</sup>.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" /> However, it has a less common reading of ''mò'' in Mandarin and ''mak''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese when meaning 'covetous', whose corresponding Middle Chinese pronunciation Pulleyblank reconstructs as ''mək''. The confusion stems from not knowing which of the two would correspond closer to the way it was pronounced in the ''chanyu''{{'}}s lifetime. In contrast, the second character [[wikt:頓\|頓]] only has one Middle Chinese reading, ''twən'', corresponding to Mandarin ''dùn'' and Cantonese ''deon''<sup>6</sup>. In his 8th-century commentary on the ''{{wiki\|Records of the Grand Historian}}'', the Tang-era historian {{wiki\|Sima Zhen}} glosses the reading of the name as the same as if it were written [[wikt:墨\|墨]]頓 ''mək-twən'', for which reason scholars today choose the Mandarin reading '''Modun''' over '''Maodun'''.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />

	The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />		The confusion has been further compounded by an alternative reading of the name as '''Modu'''. This convention has only been traced back no further than the 11th century historian {{wiki\|Song Qi}}. He glossed the pronunciation of the second syllable 頓 as homophonic to [[wikt:毒\|毒]], meaning 'poison' and pronounced *''duok'' in Middle Chinese. On this basis, some modern Chinese historians have taken to pronouncing the second syllable as the same as they would the Chinese word for ''poison'', i.e. ''dú'' in Mandarin and ''duk''<sup>6</sup> in Cantonese, yielding the full reading of the name in Mandarin as Modu. This entered the mainstream with the [[Qing dynasty\|Qing]]-era ''{{wiki\|Kangxi Dictionary}}''. According to Pulleyblank, there is no source or reasoning supporting Song Qi's unconventional reading of the second syllable 頓 and therefore the pronunciation Modu is incorrect.<ref name="Pulleyblank 2002" />
Line 25:		Line 25:
	In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The Exile's Plan" />		In his backstory for closed beta test for the game, Modu was given over to the [[Qin dynasty\|Qin]] by his father [[Touman\|Touman Chanyu]] to serve as a political hostage, a form of human collateral, for the cessation of hostilities between the [[Xiongnu]] and the Qin. In hopes of getting Modu killed, Touman then renews his attacks on the Qin, legally triggering the condition for Modu's execution, but Modu is rescued just in time by the protagonist.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="A Modest Invitation" /> He then resumes his rebellion against Touman for leadership of the ''chanyu'' and is portrayed as a righteous saviour to his people whom his father exploits and sells into slavery.<ref name="Nobility of the Xiongnu" /><ref name="The Exile's Plan" />

	Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to {{wiki\|Sima Qian}}'s ''~~{{wiki\|~~Records of the Grand ~~Hisorian}}~~'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian" />		Historically, a similar course of events occurred between Touman and Modu according to {{wiki\|Sima Qian}}'s ''Records of the Grand Historian'', with the notable difference being that Touman had sent Modu as a hostage to the {{wiki\|Yuezhi}} instead of the Qin. Touman then launched an attack on the Yuezhi with the intention of either inciting Modu's execution or causing his demise in the {{wiki\|fog of war}}, but Modu conducted a daring escape on [[horse]]back that impressed Touman enough for him to reinstate him as a commander with 10,000 warriors to call his own.<ref name="Sima Qian" />

	Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian" /> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].		Having never forgiven his father, however, Modu continued to conspire his usurpation, inventing the whistling [[arrow]] for the plot. The whistling arrow emitted a signature noise while in flight, and Modu brutally trained his troops to synchronistically unleash arrows at any target designated by his whistling arrow without hesitation. He tested their unflinching obedience by ordering the deaths of his favourite horse and one of his most beloved wives in this way and executing all who refused. Finally, when his troops had been thoroughly conditioned as such, he assassinated Touman on a hunting trip by targeting him with his whistling arrow, signalling his men to ambush him with a hail of arrows.<ref name="Sima Qian" /> The whistling arrow was alluded to in the closed beta test of ''Assassin's Creed: Jade'' with the [[Whistler (bow)\|Whistler]] [[bow]].