Jie (ethnic group)

The Jié (Chinese: 羯; Wade–Giles: Chieh; Middle Chinese: [ki̯at]) were members of a small tribe in North China in the 4th century. Chinese sources state that the Jie originated among the Yuezhi. Under Shi Le, they established the Later Zhao state. The Jie were completely exterminated by Ran Min in the Wei–Jie war in 350 CE following the fall of the Later Zhao.

According to the Book of Wei, their name derives from the Jiéshì area (羯室, modern Yushe County in Shanxi province) where they reside. The Chinese graphic pejorative 羯 literally means "wether" (i.e. a castrated male sheep). The dynastic surname of the state Later Zhao was Shi (石) ("stone") from a tribe Tsiantszüy (< khiang-gio). The tribe Tsiantszüy was one of 19 tribes of the southern Xiongnu but were Yuezhi in origin and were a part of the tribal group with a common name (羯 ) Tsze ( Jie) (< kiat). The existence of certain ties of the Tsze (Jie) tribes with the Central Asian princedoms Kangar(Kangju) is traceable: the names Tsyanizui and Kantszui are synonyms. To the same conclusion came Pulleyblank(using H.Bailey's consultation).

The Jie are known for one phrase that reached us in their native language, uttered by the Kuchan Buddhist monk and missionary Fotudeng and recorded in the Book of Jin as 秀支 替戾剛 僕谷 劬禿當 in connection with Shi Le's fight against Liu Yao in 328 CE. The phrase was glossed with Chinese translation (Middle Chinese pronunciation provided below follows Pulleyblank):

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