Beidi

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Beidi" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Beidi
Zhou geography: Huaxia surrounded by the Four Barbarians—Northern (Beidi), Southern (Nanman), Eastern (Dongyi), and Western (Xirong).
Chinese	北狄
Literal meaning	Northern barbarians
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Běidí Wade–Giles Pei3-ti2

The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese (Huaxia) realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and hunting economy and were distinguished from the nomads of the Eurasian steppe who lived to their north. Chinese historical accounts describe the Di inhabiting the upper Ordos Loop and gradually migrating eastward to northern Shanxi and northern Hebei, where they eventually created their own states like Zhongshan and Dai. Other groups of Di seem to have lived interspersed between the Chinese states before their eventual conquest or sinicization.