匈奴与两汉、突厥与隋唐，还有中间作为过渡的鲜卑帝国，各自实践了不同的帝国形态，中国开始了帝国模式的新尝试。匈奴是北方游牧帝国的原初形态；突厥则是其生长形态。西汉是爆发式的，由内而外将中国的范围前所未有地扩展开来；东汉是内敛型的，皇帝和贵族通过分享权力维持帝国守成的局面。而隋唐是融合型的，将北方游牧和南方农耕成功结合起来，成为一个典型的大一统中国。

The Huns and Han Dynasty, Turks and Sui and Tang Dynasties, as well as the Xianbei Empire as a transition in the middle, each practiced a different empire form, and China began a new attempt at the empire model. The Huns are the original form of the northern nomadic empire. Turks are its growth form. The Western Han Dynasty was explosive, expanding the scope of China from the inside out as never before; the Eastern Han Dynasty was introverted, and the emperor and aristocracy shared power to maintain the empire. The Sui and Tang dynasties were fusion-type, successfully combining northern nomadic and southern farming, and became a typical unified China.