Book of Han, Western Regions
The Scythian shelf already has Assyrian marriage diplomacy with Bartatua. This Han Shu passage gives the eastern counterpart: a princess, horses, fear of Xiongnu attack, and a frontier alliance built through marriage.
The point is not to identify Wusun with Scythians by force. The point is to place the same political grammar on the shelf: steppe kings, imperial courts, daughters in marriage, horse tribute, and alliance against a greater nomad power.
The translation below is from the Classical Chinese text of the Western Regions account.
Translation
The Xiongnu heard that Wusun had established communication with Han and were angry, wishing to strike them. Moreover, when Han envoys went through Wusun, they went out by its south and reached Dawan and the Yuezhi; the chain of contact did not cease. Wusun therefore became afraid. It sent envoys to offer horses and asked to receive a Han princess in marriage, so that they might become brothers.
The Son of Heaven asked the assembled ministers. They debated and agreed, saying: A betrothal gift must first be brought in; only afterward should a daughter be sent. Wusun offered one thousand horses as the betrothal gift.
In the Yuanfeng period of Han, the court sent Xijun, daughter of Jian, king of Jiangdu, as princess and gave her to him as wife. It bestowed carriages, clothing, imperial objects, and prepared officials, eunuchs, attendants, and several hundred servants. The sending gifts were exceedingly abundant. The Wusun Kunmo made her his Right Lady. The Xiongnu also sent a daughter to marry Kunmo, and he made her his Left Lady.
Colophon
This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Scythian shelf by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the source text printed below. The English is an independent rendering from the source-language Chinese, with existing public translations used only as controls for difficult or conventional passages.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: Han Shu, Western Regions, Wusun Marriage
Classical Chinese source text from the Han Shu. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
匈奴闻其与汉通，怒欲击之。又汉使乌孙，乃出其南，抵大宛、月氏，相属不绝。乌孙于是恐，使使献马，愿得尚汉公主，为昆弟。天子问群臣，议许，曰：“必先内聘，然后遣女。”乌孙以马千匹聘。汉元封中，遣江都王建女细君为公主，以妻焉。赐乘舆服御物，为备官属宦官侍御数百人，赠送甚盛。乌孙昆莫以为右夫人。匈奴亦遣女妻昆莫，昆莫以为左夫人。
Source Colophon
Classical Chinese text inspected from Chinese Text Project, Han Shu, Western Regions, Part 2, paragraph 5. The English rendering above is newly prepared from the Chinese, with the CTP English display used only as a control.
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