Four Barbarians is the common English translation of the Chinese term sìyí 四夷 for various peoples living outside the borders of ancient China, namely, the Dōngyí 東夷 "Eastern Barbarians", Nánmán 南蠻 "Southern Barbarians", Xīróng 西戎 "Western Barbarians", and Běidí 北狄 "Northern Barbarians". Ultimately, the four barbarian groups were either partly assimilated through Sinicization and absorbed into the Chinese Civilization in the later Chinese Dynasties or emigrated away from the Chinese heartland.