遼代的斡魯朵,其內涵是皇帝遊徙中所居"行宮";它還有廣闊的外延,即一支直屬於皇帝的力量和管理這支力量的機構與制度。這支力量由數以十萬計的人戶以及由這些人戶所出的騎軍構成。斡魯朵下屬的宮分戶由石烈、抹里、瓦里、閘撒等基層機構管理,它們的上級部門是提轄司。後者有固定駐地,負責對斡魯朵所屬人戶的日常管理,使斡魯朵體系得以順利運作。斡魯朵下轄機構與人戶的空間分布,在遼代有一個南移的過程,表明斡魯朵之主要功能漸由"制內"轉向"防外",與部族、州縣等在功能上趨同。但是,直至遼末,斡魯朵仍然在皇帝的掌控之中,並未與兩樞密院統管的政府體系合流。

In the Liao Dynasty,Ordo denoted the Emperor's travelling palace during his seasonal progress across the realm.However,the word can also connote a military force directly under the Emperor and all its managerial organizations and institutions.This force could be made up of hundreds of thousands of households,including cavalry.It was administered through a variety of units known as Shilie(石烈),Moli(抹里),Wali(瓦里),Zhasa(閘撒),etc.,all of which were subject to the Tixiasi(提轄司 Commandant).The Commandant,who had a fixed residence,was responsible for routine maintenance of all households under the Ordo and ensured the system's smooth operation.In the Liao Dynasty,the administrative organs and households under the Ordo underwent a process of relocation to the south,indicating a shift in the Ordo's main function from "control of the interior" to "defense against external threats." However,right to the end of the Liao Dynasty,the Ordo never belonged to the governmental system headed by the two Bureaus of Military Affairs-it remained under the direct control of the Emperor.