Türküt, > Middle Chinese as 突厥: early *dwət-kuɑt > late *tɦut-kyat > Mandarin Tūjué or Tújué) is ultimately derived from the Old-Turkic migration-term[12][13][14] 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰰 Türük/Törük,[15] which means 'created, born',[16] from the Old Turkic word root *türi-/töri- 'tribal root, (mythic) ancestry; take shape, to be born, be created, arise, spring up' and derived with the Old Turkic suffix 𐰰 (-ik), perhaps from Proto-Turkic *türi-k 'lineage, ancestry',[15][17] (compare also the Proto-Turkic word root *töre- to be born, originate').

[22] Hungarian scholar András Róna-Tas (1991) pointed to a Khotanese-Saka word, tturakä 'lid', semantically stretchable to 'helmet', as a possible source for this folk etymology, yet Golden thinks this connection requires more data.

David Christian says that the first dated mention of 'Turk' appears in Chinese annals in 542 when they made annual raids across the Yellow River when it froze over.

In 545 the future Bumin Qaghan was negotiating directly with the Western Wei (535–57) without regard to his Rouran overlords.

Bumin took a bride from the Western Wei, defeated the Rouran ruler in Jehol and took the royal title of Khagan (552).

Strictly speaking, the politonym Kök Tür(ü)k "Blue ~ Heavenly Turks", found on the Orkhon inscriptions, only denotes the Eastern Turks,[25] as Old Turkic kök means "heaven, blue" and signifies the cardinal direction east.

[26] The Uyghurs, another people contemporary to Eastern Turks' Latter Göktürk successors, were also Turkic speakers yet used Türük to denote Latter Göktürks, not themselves.

[27] Chinese chroniclers used 突厥 Tūjué or Tújué to denote First Turkic Khaganate, the Eastern Turks, as well as peoples politically associated with Eastern Turks such as: the "Wooden-Horse Tujue" (including the Tuvans,[28] whom Book of Sui and History of the Northern Dynasties listed as a Tiele tribe),[29][30] the Tujue Sijie 突厥思結[31][32] (a tribe who were also members of the Tiele and later Toquz Oghuz), as well as the Shatuo Tujue 沙陀突厥 and Khazars (突厥曷薩 Tūjué Hésà or Tújué Hésà; 突厥可薩部 Tūjué Kěsà bù or Tújué Kěsà bù), as well as the Shatuo's and Khazars' predecessors, the Western Turks 西突厥 Xī Tūjué or Xī Tújué, who were not named as Türük, but On-Ok "Ten Arrows, Ten Tribes" in the Orkhon inscriptions.

Muqan Khagan (553–72) finished off the remaining Rouran, who resisted until 555, pushed the Kitans east and controlled the Yenisei Kirghiz.

The Eastern Turks extracted a large amount of booty and tribute from the Western Wei (535–57) and Northern Zhou (557–581) dynasties, including 100,000 rolls of silk annually, which they tried to sell in Central Asia.

In 584 Ishbara attacked Apa and drove him west to Bumin's brother Tardush, who ruled what was becoming the Western Khaganate.

As the Sui dynasty's power waned, some individuals agreed to become vassals of Shibi Qaghan (609–19) and adopted Turkic-style titles, as well as the Khaganate's wolf's-head banners.

In 617, when tens of thousands of Turks reached Taiyuan, they found the gates open and the city suspiciously quiet.

Li Yuan's deception had been successful and he quickly pressed his advantage offering the Turks "prisoners of war, women, jade and silks" in return for their friendship.

The Turks declined, demanding instead that Li Yuan become a "Son of Heaven" and accept a Turkic title and banner.

In 639, after an Ashina assassination attempt, Taizong made them live between the Yellow River and Gobi under Qilibi Khan (639–43) as a buffer state between China and the Xueyantuo.