Moduo Daguan was a young man in the army of the Yabgu Khan of the western Göktürks. He had lived for several years in Chang’an and knew Chinese well.[1] The biography of the pilgrim Xuanzang names him as the interpreter and guide whom the khan gave the pilgrim for the road to India.[1] The khan is taken for Tong Yabgu.[2]
During Xuanzang’s stay at the khan’s camp, the khan tried to keep him from going on to India.[1] When the pilgrim insisted, the khan had his army searched for a man who understood Chinese and the languages of other countries.[1] They found the young man.[1] The khan gave him the title Moduo Daguan and had him write letters to the countries on the way.[1] Then he sent him with the pilgrim as far as Kapisa.[1] Kapisa was the southern limit of the khan’s lands.[3] Nothing more is recorded of Moduo. His own name before the appointment is not given.
Name
- 摩咄達官ChineseLife of Xuanzang 2
- Mo-to-ta-kwanEnglish
- Mo-duo TarkanTurkish
The biography writes 摩咄達官 at the appointment and afterwards calls him Moduo alone.[1] The second part, daguan, means “high official”.[4] One modern study renders the title as Mo-duo Tarkan and so identifies daguan with tarkhan.[5] The English translation gives the whole as Mo-to-ta-kwan.[6]
References
Sources
- Life of Xuanzang, juan 2
Literature
- Samuel Beal (trans.), The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang by the Shaman Hwui Li (1911)
- Édouard Chavannes, Documents sur les Tou-Kiue (Turcs) occidentaux (1903)
- Liu Mau-tsai, Çin Kaynaklarına Göre Doğu Türkleri (1958, Turkish edition)
- Tursynkhan Zakonuly Kaiyrken; Abdulvahap Kara, Xuan Zang'ın Seyahat Notlarında Batı Göktürk Kağanı Tong Yabgu'nun Devlet Adamı Portresi (2026)
What links here2
- Battles & Events
- Xuanzang's visit to Tong Yabgu
- Institutions and Titles
- Daguan
Cite this article
Yavuz, Emre-E. “Moduo Daguan.” Turkic Atlas, revised 8 November 2026. https://turkicatlas.org/persons/moduo-daguan/
Last revised: 8 November 2026
