384 Murong Chui joins Dingling chief Zhai Bin and establishes the Later Yan. He captures many cities in the eastern empire, but Yecheng and Luoyand hold out against him.

Murong Hong gathers Xianbei solders and rebels in Guangzhong, establishing the Western Yan.

After Former Qin generals Fu Rui and Yao Chang fail to stem Murong Hong's rebellion, Fú Jiān reacts badly, and Yao Chang flees with Qiang soldiers and establishes the Later Qin in eastern Gansu.

The Western Yan and Later Qin attack Chang'an. Fu Hui abandons Luoyang to aid Chang'an, and all of the eastern empire is lost apart from Yecheng.

385 Jin recaptures Shichuan, Chongqing and southern Shaanxi as well as much Former Qin territory south of the Yellow river.

Chang'an falls to Murong Chong. Fú Jiān is taken prisoner by Later Qin forces and is later killed.

After Fu Jian's death, the Former Qin relocate from Shaanxi to Gansu, then Qinghai. Qifu Guoren, a former Former Qin vassal, founds the Western Qin.

386 Lü Guang, formerly a Former Qin general, founds the Later Liang in western Gansu.

Tuoba Gui revives the Dai as the Northern Wei.

388 Zhai Liao, an ethnic Dingling leader, founds the Zhai Wei, wedged between the Later Yan, Western Yan and Eastern Jin.

392 The Later Yan conquer the Zhai Wei.

394 The Later Qin conquers the Former Qin.

The Later Yan conquer the Western Yan, but lose ground to the Northern Wei.

397 Later Liang splits into Northern and Southern Liang. The former was founded in Zhangye, Gansu by Han Duan Ye with the support of Qiongnu Juqu Mengxun; the latter by Tufa Wugu, in Ledu, Quinghai.

Northern Wei capture Hebei and split the Later Yan in two.

398 Murong Bao moves the Later Yan capital to Liaoning, but Murong De refuses to move north and found the Southern Yan in Henan and Shandong.

By now, the Northern Wei have captured Shanxi and Hebei from the Former Yan, and Henan from the Liu Song. They move their capital to Pincheng (Datong).

400 The Later Qin conquers the Western Qin.