Xianbei (鮮卑
pinyin xian1 bei1), can also be written as
Hsien-Pi (
Wade-Giles) and other variations with an hyphen or space between the two syllables of any of the two transliterations, was a significant tribe residing in today
Manchuria and eastern portion of
Mongolia before migrating into areas of today provinces of
Shanxi,
Shaanxi,
Gansu,
Qinghai,
Hebei,
Inner Mongolia and
Liaoning.
See also: