Most Chinese have only a vague idea of who the Mongols are, but in fact the Mongol tribes form a complex system. The largest tribes are the Khalkha Mongols, the Oirats and the Buriats. The Torghuts, the main subject of this article, belong to the Oirat nation.
對古代中國的漢人而言，「蒙古」只是一個概稱，但其實，蒙古部族支系繁多，其中最大的要算是喀爾喀蒙古、衛拉特蒙古（Oirat）以及布里雅特蒙古。