The Origin of Hundred Surnames-Where do I come from?
Original title:
All China people don't know "former Sun Zhaoli, Zhou Wang Zheng Wu", and probably don't know that these eight words come from "hundreds of surnames". Everyone seems to be familiar with it as soon as they speak. For example, the last four words "Zhou Wuwang" have actually become a common saying, such as: "Why are you dressed as Zhou Wuwang today?" The famous actor Chen used his lines in the movie Tangshan Earthquake.
However, today, we often encounter such a dilemma: especially for traditional things, it is often "fake familiarity is really strange." If you don't believe me, how about answering these questions first?
1. What kind of book is Hundred Family Names?
A: Hundreds of surnames, three, and money are also called the three books of enlightenment, so they are called "three thousand". Hundred Family Names is a literate book with China's surname as its four-character rhyme. Rhyme, catchy.
2. Did it have any books about hundreds of surnames before? Why is it so popular?
Answer: There are many. Before the hundred surnames, the written records of surnames can be traced back to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, the Book of the World compiled by historians recorded the surname, lineage and residence of princes and doctors from the Yellow Emperor to the Spring and Autumn Period. It is very precious, but it has gradually dissipated in the Song Dynasty. The Chinese nation has always attached great importance to surnames. Since then, there have been many such books, many of which have been preserved to this day. However, none of them have become enlightenment books, so it is naturally impossible to spread, influence and become a household name as widely as hundreds of surnames. Since then, there have been many adaptations, the most famous of which is "Hundreds of Surnames in Ming Taizu", which starts with Zhu's surname, and "Hundreds of Surnames in the Royal Family", which starts with Confucius and ends with Meng, which is not as popular as what we want to talk about. In addition, there are ethnic minority translations such as "Hundreds of Surnames in Mongolian" and "Hundreds of Surnames in Jurchen". And the popularity is even worse.
3. When was Hundred Family Names written?
Answer: Song Dynasty. The seventh poem of Lu You's Autumn in the Suburb notes: "In October, farmers send their children to school, which is called winter school. The miscellaneous words you read, such as hundreds of surnames, are called village books. " This is clearly recorded in Volume 25 of Historical Manuscripts. It can be seen that Hundred Family Names was very popular before Lu You and became a "village book". We also believe that "hundreds of surnames" existed in the early Song Dynasty, for reasons that will be explained later.
4. Who wrote Hundred Family Names?
A: I don't know. The poet of the Song Dynasty wrote a new record of jade photos: "This was written by Wang, and Qian's family is in Zhejiang." . In other words, the author is the king of Wu Yueguo, a little-known scholar. Wang Mingqing said this because: "His name is Qian Sun Zhao Li, Gai Qian is Zhengshuo, and Zhao Nai is Chao Guo, so money is second." Wu Yueguo was a relatively stable and prosperous separatist regime during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which was established by Qian Liu. What is rare is that Qian Liu has repeatedly warned future generations that if there really is a king, he should not want dispatch troops, but submit to the soil. In wuyue, Qian Chu, the fifth king, worked for Zhao and Song Dynasties to pacify the south of the Yangtze River, and even dedicated his country to Song Dynasty and was knighted. Therefore, people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces fled from the war and have always cherished the memory of wuyue's money king. "Sun" is legally the surname of the former princess Chu, so the author is probably from Wuyue. And "Li" is the surname of the royal family in the Southern Tang Dynasty, which is adjacent to Wu Yueguo. It tells the story of "young beauty". "When is the spring flower and the autumn moon? How much do you know about the past? " The small building was easterly again last night, and the old country could not bear to look back on the moon. Carved fences and jade bricks should still exist, but Zhu Yan changed them. Li Yu, who asked how much sadness you could have, was the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
5. What's the difference between a hundred surnames, saints and money?
A: The arrangement of characters in San and Qian is enlightening, but not in Hundred Family Names. Although "Hundred Surnames" is also four words and one sentence, the format rhymes neatly, but it just lists hundreds of surnames together, regardless of surname size, ancient and modern, there is no law to speak of, and there is nothing to say.
6. In that case, why was Hundred Family Names chosen as the reading material for students?
Answer: There are many books to choose from just for reading. But Hundred Family Names is not a collection of ordinary Chinese characters, but Chinese characters as surnames, which is different. Taking family as the center and distinguishing relatives and friends by blood relationship is one of the core values of China tradition and the most important belief of the whole nation.
Having said that, you may understand that "Hundred Family Names" is certainly a "village book" for children, but it must not be underestimated. "Fake familiarity is really strange" should never be!
In the big family of the Chinese nation, some brothers don't use surnames, but most of them still use surnames. Surname is really an extremely important thing for our Chinese nation. We have a strong saying: "Don't forget your last name!" "Do you remember your last name?" The emphasis is on the sense of belonging, identity and clear self-orientation. However, how much do we know about the surname culture in China?
In fact, this is a very complicated academic problem, and it has been an important research topic for a long time. In many ways, opinions are not uniform. I want to try to tell you something about the surname culture in China in the simplest and most popular language.
The origin of China's surname can be traced back to prehistoric times, when there was no written record, so we can only explore it from various myths and legends. Everything has its origin. The origin of surname culture in China is inseparable from the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. Chinese descendants generally believe that the Three Emperors and Five Emperors are the same ancestor and leader. The problem is that the three emperors and five emperors not only have mixed images, but also have different opinions on which ones they are.
Let's talk about "Huang San" first, and the following people all seem to have the qualifications of being called "Huang San": You Chao (making wood for a living), Sui Ren (drilling wood for fire), Fu (fishing and hunting), Shennong (sowing grains) and Nu Wa (making man into heaven). These are ancestors who have made fundamental contributions to the beginning of civilization and the survival and development of human beings. Please note that they are all called "teachers".
In addition, there are different opinions about the "Five Emperors", which is roughly equivalent to the historical stage of the patriarchal clan alliance. Historical Records contains biographies of five emperors, generally recognized as Huangdi (Ji surname,No. Xuanyuan) and Zhuan Xu (No. Levin), Di Ku (without Gao Xin), Di Yao (Tao Tang, Fang Xun) and Yu Shun (Yu Shi, Zhonghua). Among the "Five Emperors", the influence of the Yellow Emperor is second to none. However, Yan Di (Jiang surname, No.,Lishan surname) in Yanhuang is not included. At about the same time, Taiti (Feng surname, originally Fu) and Shaoti (Jin and Zhi) were more influential. Of course, these are legends, but we all accept and agree.
The surnames of China people, especially the older surnames, can often be traced back to "Three Emperors and Five Emperors". In addition, it can usually be traced back to (Yi surname, Ming), (Yan surname), Qi (Zi surname), Boyi (Won surname) and Hou Ji (Ji surname).
As can be seen from the above, the situation of ancient surnames is very complicated, and it is not as simple as today's "surnames". Today, the strokes of "first name" and "surname" we are talking about are actually just strokes of "surname", and "surname" has long been stopped. There were surnames in ancient times, so what's the difference between surnames and surnames?
At the earliest, there was a surname. The surname is the family number, which means blood. The early ones came from tribal totems. What is a totem? Totem is the symbol and symbol of primitive relatives, ancestors and protectors, and it is the earliest cultural phenomenon in human history. Social productivity is low, and primitive people's ignorance of nature is the basis of totem. Totem is a primitive superstition that animals or natural things are related to the clan, so it is used as the emblem or symbol of the clan. So there are animals and plants as surnames, such as bear, tiger, roe deer and China. Later, when we entered the matriarchal clan society, there were often female characters beside surnames, such as Ji, Yi, Yao, Jiang and Mi.
So, what is a surname? Later, descendants with the same surname multiplied, and many branches gradually moved to other places, so they used surnames to branch. The so-called "surname is unified in the place where his ancestors took the exam, but his surname is different from his descendants" ("A Mirror-An External Record"). This statement is of course late, but it makes sense. It can be seen that the surname comes first and the surname comes last. So we say "surname" instead of "surname".
The patriarchal clan system in the Zhou Dynasty was very strict. Only nobles can have surnames, while civilians have no surnames. Noble women use surnames because they can "marry". The same surname, the same clan, can not marry. There used to be a rule that "the same surname is not married", but now it is definitely not so strict. Such as Zhang, Wang, Liu, Zhao and Li, it is not uncommon to marry with the same surname. I have a good friend named Xin Li. His wife's surname is not only Li, but also Li. Their daughter is called Xin Li. Everyone seems happy, there is no problem at all. However, people with the same surname will feel different. The status of women in the Zhou Dynasty was not high, so even aristocratic women, their surnames were more important than their first names. Women to be married come before surnames, such as Bo, Zhong, Shu, Ji, Zhong Zi and so on. After marriage, you can add the fief name of your family or spouse before your surname, such as Qi Jiang and Ji Qin. Traditionally, women's names are known only to their parents, elders and spouses, and even to their children, such as Zhang and Li. Today is certainly different. Children not only know their mothers' names, but also take many mothers' surnames. It is also possible to spell the parents' surnames into a new one.
Noble people are called surnames because surnames can be "distinguished", which branch and department they come from, whether they are concubines or concubines, what meritorious deeds their ancestors have, and so on. The situation here is quite complicated. The princes took the country as their surname: Zheng Jie, Zheng as their surname and Jie as their name; Qi, Qi and Huan are one name. Doctor Qing is generally based on the fief and residence status: the fief is finished, the fief is bent, and the fox fief is solved; The East Gate lives in the East Gate, and Uncle Jing of Nangong lives in Nangong. There are also people with official names as surnames: Sima and Sikou; Take ancestral words as surname: Kong, Shu Suntong,; Taking the ancestor posthumous title as the surname: Zhuang Xin, followed by Chu Zhuangwang; Taking professional skills as surnames: Wu, Tao and Long.
After the Warring States period, people began to take surnames as surnames. Probably in the Han and Wei dynasties, surnames were unified and no longer distinguished, and ordinary people generally began to use surnames.
All of the above are simple explanations about the cultural history of surnames, and the actual situation is much more complicated, which is beyond our detailed discussion here. On the whole, it seems unnecessary.
As for names, people, numbers, taboos and so on. The ancients also went beyond the category of "surname", so I won't say it here.
To sum up, the main points of China surname culture are as follows:
The origin of surnames can be traced back to the matriarchal clan system in primitive human society, so many of the earliest surnames in China are beside or at the bottom of the female characters, such as Yao surname. Surname is a specific symbol to distinguish clans, such as the name of a tribe or the name of a tribal leader. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor lived on the bank of Jishui and took Ji as his surname. Living next door, taking Jiang as his surname. Dayu was in charge of water conservancy, and the emperor made great contributions and gave his surname as the secretary. In addition, the son of a tribal leader can also have a surname. The Yellow Emperor had twenty-five sons, fourteen of whom were given surnames, namely Ji, You, Qi, Ji, Teng, Ren, Xun, Wei, Xian and Yi, and four of them belonged to the second surname. After Zhu Rong, he established eight surnames for himself, namely, Dong, Peng, Bald, Yi, Cao, Zhu and Mi, which was called Zhu Rong's eight surnames in history.
With the development of social productive forces, the matriarchal clan system transited to the paternal clan system, and the clan system was gradually replaced by the class social system, and the methods and means of governing the country by giving land to the people appeared. The appearance of stone is a step towards class society in human history. Surnames and surnames are two stages of human progress and the product of civilization.
In Xia and Shang dynasties, nobles all had surnames. The branch of surname is surname, which means family or clan. Xia royal family took the surname of Yi, and Kunwu, another overlord, took his own surname, including Su, Gu, Wen, Dong and Qilong. Shang royal family surnamed Yin, princes and Qian Wei surnamed Peng. In Shang Dynasty, there were thirteen surnames, such as Tiaoshi, Xushi and Xiaoshi.
The Zhou Dynasty was an important period for the great development of surnames in China, and the surname system was widely recorded. The king of Zhou is Ji, and the princes of feudal vassal States share the same surname as Qing Dafu. By the Spring and Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there were 22 surnames that could be tested, including Ji, Yi, Zi, Feng, Ying, Ji, Ren, Qi, Qian, Cao, Dong, Jiang, Yan, Gui, Man, Xiong, Kui, Qi and Yun.
The first kind: take the totem worship of ancestors as the surname.
Some experts and scholars believe that some of China's hundreds of surnames have evolved from totems, such as bear, horse, ox, sheep, dragon, phoenix, mountain, water, flower and leaf. But unfortunately, this is just some speculation. Due to the age, there is no evidence to test in prehistoric times, and I don't know which surnames originated from totem worship. The Yellow Emperor and Chiyou fought in the land of Zhuolu, and once cited "bears, dragons, raccoons and tigers". These "bears, scorpions, raccoons and tigers" may be the names of totem clans. However, it is difficult to find out which of these clan names have been handed down and become the surnames of their descendants. Although Jiang and Qiang have the same rhyme and different sounds, their pronunciation is very similar. And both words have the prefix "sheep". A sheep from a woman and a sheep from a man. Judging from the composition of the word "Qiang", Qiang is a "sheep man". In the late ancient times, Qiang people lived in the north of China, and the totem of their tribe or clan might be sheep. Jiang nationality is a branch of Qiang nationality. Probably because of a phonetic error, the Qiang nationality was changed to the Jiang nationality. Perhaps because of the influence of matriarchal clan, the "person" under the sheep became the "woman" under the sheep. It is no accident that Emperor Yan took "Jiang" as his surname. Emperor Yan was the leader of the clan and tribe of the ancient Qiang nationality. A branch of the ancient Qiang and Rong tribes, headed by Yandi and Huangdi, originally lived in Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai, and merged with Dongyi and other tribes in the process of entering the Central Plains eastward, becoming the predecessor of the Han nationality-Huaxia.
The second type: take the words in the ancestors' names as surnames.
"Mandarin Today" says: "The Yellow Emperor has twenty-five sons and fourteen sons have surnames, making a total of twelve surnames." Later, many people thought that the descendants of the Yellow Emperor later branched into countless other surnames, which constituted the mainstream of the Chinese nation.
The surnames of the twenty-five sons of the Yellow Emperor are twelve: Ji, You, Qi, Ji, Teng, Zhen, Ren, Xun, Nuo, Yi and Yi.
The third type: take the name of the fief and the country name as the surname.
Song: From the surname of Zi. According to the Book of the Tang Dynasty, the Prime Minister's Lineage Table, after the Duke of Zhou put down the Wukang Rebellion in the 10th century BC, Wei, his flat brother, was sealed in the Song State, and his capital was Shangqiu (in the south of Shangqiu County, Henan Province). In 286 BC, the State of Song was destroyed by the State of Qi. His grandson took the original country name "Song" as his surname.
Zhao: A descendant of Boyi, Zhao Fu trained a horse. Zhou Muwang often travels around in a carriage driven by Zhao Fu. If something happens to the DPRK, Zaofu will drive the horses and chariots back in time with skillful driving skills. Zhao Fu was sealed in Zhao (now the north of Hongdong County, Shanxi Province) for riding a horse, and later took "Zhao" as his surname.
Wu: Because of Ji's surname. Zhou Wuwang sealed Zhong Yong's great-grandson in Wu (Suzhou, Jiangsu) and established the State of Wu. Their descendants take the country name as their surname.
Qin: I won my last name. After Boyi, there is a winner. Not good at raising horses, Zhou Wang was made a vassal state because of his meritorious service in raising horses, not in Qin Valley (southwest of Tianshui, Gansu). Qin Zhong, the grandson of Fei Zi, was promoted to a vassal for his meritorious service. Qin unified the world and established the Qin Dynasty. After the demise of the Qin Dynasty, his grandson changed his surname to Qin Wei.
Xu: Because of Jiang's surname, he is a descendant of Shennong. Zhou Wuwang conferred the title of Uncle Seo Woo and established Guo Xu. Later, he took the country name as his surname.
Lu: Because of Jiang's surname, he is a descendant of Shennong. Being the master and the post-doctrine, he helped Dayu to control the water, and was sealed in Lu for his merits. Later, he took the country name as his surname.
The fourth type: take occupation or official position as the surname.
Situ: In ancient times, it was said that the official name had been established in the Yao and Shun period and lasted until the Qin and Han Dynasties. Anyone who takes this official position as the surname is the compound surname "Situ".
Sikong: It is said that this is an official position in ancient times, specializing in water conservancy projects all over the world. Dayu's official position was common during the reign of Emperor Yao. Among the descendants of Dayu, some people take this as their surname. ?
Sima: The official post established in ancient times was a military commander. Once a descendant of the official Sima, some took this official as their surname. ?
The fifth type: take the name of mountains and rivers as the surname.
Joe: Because of the bear family. After the death of the Yellow Emperor, he was buried in Qiao Shan. Among the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, there are those who guard the mausoleum, so the name of Lingshan: "Bridge" is the surname, and later generations take wood as "Joe".
Jiang: It belongs to Shennong. Emperor Yan Shennong lived in Jiang Shui, a tributary of Weihe River, so he took Weihe River as his surname. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the feudal countries such as Qi, Shen, Lu and Xu all took Jiang as their surname. ?
Sixth: take the place of residence as the surname.
Dong Guo: Because of Jiang's surname. Guo, the city wall built by ancient people on the outskirts of the city, Dongguo, is near the east wall of the outer city. Some descendants of Qi Huangong lived on the east and west sides of Linzi City, and were called Doctor Dongguo. Later generations took Dong as their surname.
East gate: Chu Ji's surname. Duke Zhuang of Lu was named Gongzi Sui and Xiang Zhong. He lives next to the East Gate of Qufu City, and is called East Gate Xiang Zhong. After that, take Dongmen as the surname.
Simon: During the Spring and Autumn Period, both the State of Qi and the State of Zheng had public doctors who lived near the west gate of the capital, and some descendants took Simon as their surname.
Seventh: take the name of the tribe as the surname.
Huyan: During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Huyan Department of Xiongnu entered the Central Plains; Later, his descendants in China took Huyan, the name of the original tribe, as their surname.
Murong: During the Three Kingdoms period, Mo, the leader of Xianbei nationality, led his troops to move to the west of Liaoning, and then moved to the north of Changli County, Hebei Province. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Mohubao took Murong as his family name. People in the post-Murong tribe take Murong as their surname.
Yuwen: Xianbei people call heaven "Yu", and Yuwen means "Tianzi". Yuwen is a Xianbei tribe. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wen Zi tribes entered the Central Plains and took Yuwen as their surname.
Wei Chi: Wei Chi Department is also a tribe of Xianbei nationality, and people in Wei Chi Department later took the tribe name as their surname.
Eighth: Take the eyesight at birth as the surname.
Wu: When his son was born, his palm print was "Wu" in seal script. Therefore, the word is named Wu Wei.
Ninth: Take posthumous title as the surname.
So, what other aspects of China surname culture need our special attention? What is the surname culture of the Chinese nation today? Please listen to the next lecture.