ASIAPAC CULTURE Compiled by Lim SK Illustrated by Fu Chunjiang Translated by Choong Joo Ling & Chua Wei Lin
Contents Part 1: 100 Family Names 1 Part 2: Chinese Surnames 61 1. The genesis of surnames 61 2. How surnames were created 71 3. Bestowal and alteration of surnames 74 4. Classification of surnames 85 5. Major surnames 92 Part 3: Chinese Given Names 97 1. Origins of given names 98 2. Naming traditions 99 3. How names are chosen 106 4. Names of commoners in ancient times 115 5. The emperor and names 117 6. Imperial examinations and names 118 7. Childhood names 119 8. Interesting names 120 9. Names and fortune 122 10. National and family name taboos 125 11. Customs of naming 130 12. Name repetition 132
Part 4: Courtesy Names and Other Types of Names 133 1. Courtesy names 133 2. Pseudonyms and nicknames 136 3. Pen names and stage names 139 Part 5: The Chinese Way of Addressing 141 1. Ways of calling Chinese names 142 2. Self-referential and referential 143 3. Forms of address from ancient to modern times 146 Appendices A Brief Chronology of Chinese History 147 Index of Chinese Family Names 148
Part One: 100 Family Names Welcome to the Chinese household! There are more than 8,000 Chinese family names, with 200 to 300 being more common. Based on the research conducted by the China Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in 2006, a list consisting of the 100 most common family names in China was featured in descending order: Li, Wang,Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Huang, Zhao,Zhou,Wu,Xu,Sun,Zhu,Ma,Hu, Guo, Lin, He, Gao, Liang, Zheng, Luo, Song, Xie, Tang, Han, Cao, Xu, Deng, Xiao, Feng, Zeng, Cheng, Cai, Peng, Pan, Yuan, Yu, Dong, Yu, Su, Ye, Lü, Wei, Jiang, Tian, Du, Ding, Shen, Jiang, Fan, Jiang, Fu, Zhong, Lu, Wang, Dai, Cui, Ren, Lu,Liao, Yao,Fang, Jin,Qiu, Xia, Tan,Wei,Jia,Zou,Shi,Xiong,Meng,Qin, Yan, Xue, Hou, Lei, Bai, Long, Duan, Hao, Kong, Shao, Shi, Mao, Chang, Wan, Gu, Lai, Wu, Kang,He,Yan,Yin, Qian Shi Niu Hong Gong. Is your family name in the list? If so, you belong to the largest 100 Chinese households! My surname is Li. I m number 1 on the list! My surname is not featured. I m really rare and special! 1
We begin this book by telling you the story of your family name! For quick reference, simply check the appendix on pages 148-149 to locate your family name. Now, it s time you told your family and relatives about your origins. Then, in subsequent chapters, we will take you on a journey to discover the origins of surnames, appreciate the basis for the bestowal of given names, as well as understand the use of courtesy names, pseudonymns and the sophisticated ways of addressing in Chinese social etiquette. Now for the vital bit of your family history in the following pages... Surnames of Overseas Chinese As the saying goes, all surnames are of the same root. Most Chinese surnames originated from the Central Plains, although many surname branches have gone through the coastal regions such as Fujian and Guangdong provinces and moved outwards, taking root abroad and expanding in size. In Taiwan, the Chen and Lin surnames are widespread, and the surnames of Huang and Zheng are quite common. Other commonly-knownchinesesurnames intaiwan include:zhang,li,wang,wu,cai,liu,yang,xu,xie,guo, Lai,Zeng,Hong,Qiu,Zhou,Ye,Liao,Xu, Zhuang,Su,Jiang andhe. There are about 300 Chinese surnames used in Singapore, of which the commonlyknownones arechen,lin,huang,li,wang, Zhang,Wu,Cai,Liu andyang. 2
Now let s look at the origins of some common Chinese surnames. Origins of the Surname Li The origins of Li can be traced to the late Shang Dynasty and early Zhou Dynasty. Its original form was (Li) and was first used by Gaoyao. He served King Yao as a senior justice official. The position was named Dali. His descendants inherited his post. By the Shang Dynasty, it was the norm for the names of official positions to be used as the surname. Thus his descendants adopted the surname Li. King Zhou of the late Shang Dynasty was a tyrant. One of Gaoyao s descendants, Li Zheng, boldly pointed out his mistakes, and urged him to mend his ways. King Zhou was furious and killed him. Li Zheng s wife fled with her young son Li Lizhen to the west of Henan. 3
Mother and son arrived at the ruins of the Yi tribe settlement at the Yi River basin. They were hungry and thirsty. Mother, can we eat this wild fruit? Sure, muzi can quench your thirst and sate your hunger. They lived on muzi and survived. Grateful for the wild fruit, and also to avoid King Zhou s persecution, Li Lizhen combined the two characters of muzi to create the character li. He used that as his surname. This is how surname Li came about. Famous Li figures: Li was the surname of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty Li Bai was the name Li Er was the of the famous Tang poet name of Laozi, the great philosopher who lived during thespring and Autumn period 4
Origins of the Surname Wang The Wangs ancestors were all descendants of the royal families from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Hence people would call them wangjia (royal family). Their later generations then used Wang as their surname. King Ling of Zhou had a bright crown prince named Jin.Jin once had some disagreement with King Ling on the issue of river regulating, and was stripped of his title. Since you go against me, I shall strip you of your title. Jin went to live in Langya in Shandong. As he was a descendant of Zhou kings, the locals thus called him wangjia. There were other nationalities...... that bore the surname Wang. Wang Kon was the founder of Korea s Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) and Wang Xiong was the ancestor of those surnamed Kepin during the Western Jin Dynasty. Famous Wang figures: Wang Zhaojun (one of the Four Beauties of China ), the great Eastern Jin calligrapher Wang Xizhi,Northern Song premier Wang Anshi,Tang poets Wang Wei,Wang Changling,Wang Zhihuan,Wang Bo,Northern Song medical scientist Wang Weiyi and the Yuan author of Romance of the Western Chamber, Wang Shifu. 5
Origins of the Surname Zhang Huangdi s descendant Hui was said to have invented the bow. Bow and arrow are the most vital weapons. I ll make you Supervisor of Bow and Arrow Makers. Your surname shall be Zhang. The old script of Zhang resembles that of a man drawing his bow. That is how the surname Zhang came about. Famous Zhang figures: Zhang Qian, the diplomat who opened the Silk Road Zhang Heng,a scientist during the Eastern Han Dynasty 6
Origins of the Surname Liu King Yao s surname was said to be Yiqi. A branch of his descendants adopted Qi as their surname. They were given land in Liuguo. Famous Liu figures: Liu was the surname of Han Dynasty emperors. Liu Lei,adescendant of the Qi branch, supposedly acquired the knowledge of rearing dragons from Huanlong. Liu Lei failed to keep the dragons alive and fled with his family to Lu county. All his descendants bore the surname Liu. Liu Bowen was a famous military tactician of the Ming Dynasty. 7
Origins of the Surname Chen After King Wu of Zhou toppled the Shang Dynasty, he conferred titles and land on the descendants of good officials. On finding King Shun s descendant Gui Man, King Wu married his eldest daughter, Yuanji, to him and gave him the title Marquis Chen. Yao married his two daughters to Shun and let them settle down by Guirui River. Their descendants who remained by there used the surname Gui. His descendants adopted the surname Chen. Famous Chen figures: Tang poet Chen Zi ang Chinese patriot in modern times, Chen Jiageng (Tan Kah Kee) 8
Origins of the Surname Yang Shangfu,the son of Zhou King Xuan, was appointed as the feudal state ruler of Yang (today s Xiangyang, Hubei). His descendants then adopted Yang as their surname. Famous Yang figures: Eastern Han governor Yangzhen, also known as Confucius of Guanxi. Founder of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian (Sui Wendi). One of the Four Beauties of China Yang Guifei. Song Dynasty general Yang Ye,famous for driving out the Jin invaders. 9
Origins of the Surname Huang Boyi had rendered agreat service to Great Yu by regulating rivers, hence Emperor Shun conferred the surname of Ying on him. Boyi gave some land to some who shared his surname. Among them, some were given the Huang region (today s western Huangchuan, Henan). They established the state of Huang, with descendants having surname Huang. Famous Huang figures: Dutiful son Huang Xiang during the Eastern Han Dynasty Northern Song Dynasty poet Huang Tingjian Yuan Dynasty female weaver Huang Daopo Ming Dynasty Neo-Confucian philosopher Huang Zongxi 10
Origins of the Surname Zhao Zaofu was a carriage driver serving King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty. One day, King Mu headed west and went hunting in a carriage drawn by swift steeds. Upon arriving at Mt Kunlun, he drank and sang with the Queen Mother of the West and forgot to return. At this time, Duke Xuyan in the southeast rebelled. Zaofu s driving skills were fully displayed as he travelled thousands of li in just a day. They returned in time. 11