You didnt answer my question. I asked what is the meaning of the words "Xiong Nu"? Does it have a meaning in Chinese? Is this a name given to this group of people with purpose, identifying them?

In Chinese, the word "Xiong" means ferocious. The word "Nu" means slave.

Yes, it does have a meaning in Chinese and as addressed above by warhead, it literally means ferocious slaves.

It was probably based on an original Xiongnu name for themselves, but the Chinese have a penchant to either render the foreign name to suit their own phonetics or purposefully denigrate their enemies.  The same was true of the Ruruan, the eventual successors of the Xiongnu.  The Chinese characters translate to "the unpleasantly wriggling insects". 

Perhaps behind the Chinese name Xiongnu, lies an Altaic name, Khun, meaning "subject peoples".  As Chinese sources attest, the core of the Xiongnu was a tribe from earlier in their history known as the Xianyun which conquered many other tribes and thus became the ruling horde of many subject tribes known collectively as the "subject peoples".   Earlier, still, the Chinese knew of the Hu.  However, it is rather hazardous to try to make precise ethnic affiliations at such a remote a period, and the term Hu essentially became the Chinese word for "barbarian", (i.e. any or all peoples of non-Han origin). 

china="zhongguo"= the central kingdom or the middle kingdom

"xiongnu" = "xiong"+slave     xiongyali=hungary (That is partly why common chinese people think there must be relationship between hun and xiongnu)

ancient japan=wedoo="wonu"="wo"+slave(from about 200-300 AD)

"xianbei"=xian +lower race

(negative meaning of nation names)

The rulers of ancient chinese dynasties are very proud of the culture of and prosperity and military force of china, they always use bad names for those nations who disobey the orders of tributing system or show some kind of independence and ignorance of chinese power.

chosun=chaoxian=moist (200-100 B.C)(first recorded in <shiji>

korea=gaoli=tall and beautiful

american="meilijian"=pretty+profit+tough

english="yinjili"="yin"+good luck

french="falanxi"="fa"+good smell flower  

italy='yi da li"="yi"+very high profit 

(Those good meaning in chinese of country names are obliged to by military force in the 19 century)

infact, not only the xiongnu, the japanese were also called "weinu", literally meaning "short" = wei, "nu" = slaves.

doesn't matter whether or not you agree that's the truth about what the chinese regarded the barbarians.

besides, you are not in a very good position to disagree given the fact that you don't know the chinese language.

according to han records, the xiongnu tribe was recorded as a normadic people that were uncivilized, ruthless, good at riding horse with no writing.

All of them look like just repetition of the original sound of the name. Don't you think the positive meaning is only a coincidence?

For Xiong nu name's disscusion I assume this text could be interesting:

"[However, in spite of Pulleyblank’s arguments, it must be admitted that the name Xiongnu carries strongly derogatory connotations, and was unlikely to have been used by the people themselves.
          The first character 匈 xiong nowadays means ‘thorax’ or ‘chest,’ the seat of intelligence and emotions; but originally it had the meaning of ‘evil hidden within the man’ – see GR No. 4593. The second character, 奴 nu means simply ‘slave’ or ‘serf’. I believe the answer lies in the fact that they did not refer to themselves as Xiongnu but, rather, used other terms ore or less closely related in sound but without the derogatory overtones. The clues may be found, I believe, in the following passage from Yu (2000), p. 180 which apparently lists transcriptions of some of the names the Xiongnu tribes may have used for themselves:

“Of the tribes of the Xiongnu 匈奴as seen in the Shiji 史記, ch. 110, there was a Hunyu 渾庾 and a Hunxie 渾邪, which may have derived from the Kunwu 昆吾. This is because the Hunyu 渾庾 [kuən-jio], Hunxie 渾邪 [kuən-zya] and Kunwu 昆吾[kuən-nga] can be regarded as different transcriptions of the same name.”

Pulleyblank’s EMC reconstructions for these characters are: hunyu 渾庾 – ɣwən-juã; hunxie 渾邪 – ɣwən-zia or ɣwən-yé; kunwu 昆吾 – kwən-ŋ¿.
          Although the question of a connection between some branch of the Xiongnu and the Huns who invaded Europe in the 4th century remains unproven, it does seem likely, and is accepted by many scholars. The strong possibility of phonetic connections between these names and the later names for the ‘Huns’ who invaded Europe is clear. This can be easily seen by looking at the forms of the names for the later Huns in various languages given in Partridge (1958), p. 299.>>

“Hun, whence Hunnian, Hunnic, Hunnish.
Hun is a b/f from OE Hüne or Hünas, the Huns, itself prob. From LL Hūni (ML, usu Hunni), with less correct var Chūni or Chunni, prob from Ch Han (var Hiong-nu); cf. Skt Huṇa, Gr Ounnoi or Khounoi, and also ON Hūnar and OHG Hūni (G Hunnen). These invaders from Asia overran and terrorized Europe c372-453 A.D., Attila dying in the latter year. Cf the G derivative Hune, MHG hiune, a giant (Walshe).” ]"  John E. Hill, The People of the West. http://www.depts.washington.edu/uwch/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html - http://www.depts.washington.edu/uwch/silkroad/texts/weilue/w eilue.html

>> 

i would say it's kinda both.

when these names were translated into chinese, the chinese tried to give them some positive meanings while fitting the sound of these names in english.

the japanese however did otherwise.

since "rice" and "beautiful" sound similar (min or mei) in chinese and i suppose it's similar in japanese as well, the short form of the usa is called "beautiful" country in china but it's called "rice" country in japan. both "beautiful and rice" can be used but the chinese picked "beautiful" to give it a more possitive name.

this is ridiculously wrong. the first character of bush's name can mean "fabric". the second character can mean "special".  when they are put together, they don't have any meaning and are not structurally meaningful. i am not sure but i believe in china and taiwan, they use different chinese characters for bush's name from the ones used in hong kong because mandarin sounds kind of different from cantonese. but as far as i know, it does not have any meaning either.

for bush, it's just the sound that matters.

for xiongnu, wa japanese, they do have some meanings when the characters are put together. japan was called "wei nu" which can be translated as "short / poor slave". please note that "nu" definitely doesn't sound anything close to japan. "nu" (slave) was used to name both the xiongnu and the japanese.

there are some names that have meanings. such as the name of the usa, which literally means "beautiful country". the chinese name of "usa" sounds a little different in cantonese from it does in mandarin. the sound is not always the reason why the name is made this way. in some cases, it does, while in some others, it does not. a lot of times, they consider both the sound factor and the meaning.

for the case of xiongnu, it sounds nothing from what the xiongnu people call themselves and does have a meaning of "slave" and inferior. please read the article above or what i quoted for you below.

i dunno where u got that "wet diaper" idea from but may i repeat it once more: ur not in a very good position to justify what the chinese know about their language when you don't know it yourself. and you are not gonna look so good.

you obviously haven't read the above quote made by another member and here you go:

"However, in spite of Pulleyblank¡¯s arguments, it must be admitted that the name Xiongnu carries strongly derogatory connotations, and was unlikely to have been used by the people themselves.
          The first character ÐÙ xiong nowadays means ¡®thorax¡¯ or ¡®chest,¡¯ the seat of intelligence and emotions; but originally it had the meaning of ¡®evil hidden within the man¡¯ ¨C see GR No. 4593. The second character, Å« nu means simply ¡®slave¡¯ or ¡®serf¡¯. I believe the answer lies in the fact that they did not refer to themselves as Xiongnu but, rather, used other terms ore or less closely related in sound but without the derogatory overtones. The clues may be found, I believe, in the following passage from Yu (2000), p. 180 which apparently lists transcriptions of some of the names the Xiongnu tribes may have used for themselves"

"Xiong-nu" derive from Hunnu "related to Huns" in Turkic.

"Alpu" related to Alps etc...

 Alpu is a small town in the district of Ankara !

It's already posted here that Xiongnu means "Ferocious Slaves" in Modern/Mandarin Chinese. However, the character ™± Xiong was pronounced as "Hong" in Ancient Chinese so the name was Hongnu (Hung-nu in Wade-Giles transcription), which must have been a Chinese transcription/corruption of the name Hun/Khun/Qun.

it is still pronouced as hon in modern cantonese.

doesn't matter what it sounds like cause all chinese dialects are the same in writing. the word "xiong" means "ferocious" it sounds hong in cantonese, xiong in mandarin but it's the same character with the same meaning.

some say ancient chinese actually spoke cantonese in court other than mandarin.

to be more precise, it's "hown".

i was under an impression that the hungarians are descendants of attila, the huns.

if not, who were their ancestors?

yes but it's not what they called themselves, nor what their neighbours called them like.

This is an excellent knowledge Imperator, even many Turkish historians fail in this issue. Man I am greatly impressed by your knowledge.

Likewise he said, Hungary is a modification/change of Onogur...