Keywords Li surname; Laozi; Surname culture
Chinese library classification number C912.4 document identification code a article number
Surname culture, clan pedigree, is the history of a family's origin, survival and reproduction. It is the blood of ethnic transmission and the root of national growth. It is the tradition of the Chinese nation to respect ancestors and respect their ancestors and carry forward their virtues. Therefore, it is of great significance to study surname culture and trace the origin of caste for inheriting national blood, enhancing national unity and improving national cohesion.
Henan is one of the main birthplaces of the Chinese nation and an important birthplace of Chinese surnames. Many Chinese surnames originated in Henan, and then spread to the whole country and even all over the world. Li is the largest surname in China today, and it is also the largest surname in the world. According to statistics, Li accounts for 7.9% of the Han population, that is, the population of Li in the world exceeds 87 million [1]. Li's surname originated in Luyi, Henan Province, which was called Kuxian in ancient times. In the Spring and Autumn Period, it belonged to Chen and then to Chu. It was the birthplace of Lao Zi (Li Er), a great thinker and philosopher in ancient China, the founder of Taoist school.
The origin, development, differentiation and evolution of many surnames have extremely complicated social and historical reasons. From the change of dynasties, the fall of vassal countries, the rise and fall of tribes, to the immigration, family bullying and personal desperation, all will have an impact on the evolution of surnames. China attached great importance to the research and collation of ethnic genealogy in ancient times. However, due to the long-standing origin of surnames, which often dates back to prehistoric times without written records, there was no evidence for the history of faith, so many people speculated on imaginary words. Second, the ancient genealogists often pushed up their family status for the political needs of a certain ethnic group, so their credibility was not high. Therefore, the higher the family name, the easier it was for them to be confused.
Li's surname is the surname of the Tang Dynasty. After the Tang Dynasty, it flourished and became a noble family. Li Tang's royal family is of northwest minority descent. After entering the Central Plains, in order to strengthen the rule of the Central Plains, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan claimed to be the Li of Longxi, and the origin of the family was traced back to Lao Zi Li Er by Qin General Li Xin and Han General Li Guang, so as to raise his clan status. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, used political means to organize the compilation of Clan Records, which changed the concept of aristocratic family status with the four surnames of Lu, Cui, Zheng, Wang and Han in the Central Plains as the main body since Wei and Jin Dynasties, and determined Li's supreme position in the form of imperial records. This kind of practice will inevitably add a speculative and subjective element to the origin of Li's surname, so there are too many statements about the origin of Li's surname in the classics after the Tang Dynasty. Zheng Qiao, a historian of the Song Dynasty, wrote in his book "Tongzhi? "A Brief Introduction to the Clan" said: "Li Liang has been a martial artist in Wang Youguo for 2 years, and Gao Zu has been in the world for 3 years. Since the support is generous, his descendants will be numerous. However, the discussion of genealogy has no idea where to start. "
There are five main reasons for the origin and ancestor of the surname Li, which are listed as follows:
First, the origin of the surname won. That is to say, Li's surname was won, and the ancestor of blood was Hao Tao, first Li's, then Li's, and the ancestor's surname was Li Lizhen and Li Er was XI. This statement was first put forward by li yanshou in the Tang Dynasty. He is in "Northern History"? The Preface says: "Li's predecessor came from Emperor Zhuan Xu's Levin's family". In the Yuanhe period of Tang Xianzong (86), Lin Bao wrote the Compilation of Yuanhe Surnames, which recorded the source of Li's surname, that is, according to li yanshou's statement. In the Northern Song Dynasty, when Ouyang Xiu, Song Qi and others wrote the Book of the New Tang Dynasty, they also relied on Lin Bao's statement and enriched it. The origin and pedigree of Li's surname listed in the Imperial Clan and Prime Minister's Genealogy in the Book of the New Tang Dynasty are very detailed. New Tang Book? Imperial clan lineage "contains:
Li comes from a surname won. Emperor Zhuan Xu Levin gave birth to a great cause, and the great cause gave birth to a female Hua and a female Hua Sheng Hao Tao, with a strong word, which was Yao Dali. Give birth to benefits, and good health will lead to success. Li Yu, Xia, Shang, the world is Dali, and the official family is the Li family. At the end of the period, Li Zheng's character was virtuous, and he was transferred to Wu Bo in the wing, and he was not allowed to take the straight road, so he offended and died. His wife, Chen Guoqi, and his son, Lizhen, fled to the market of Yi Hou and ate all of Mu Zi, so they changed their names to Li.
The surname Li comes from the surname Won, and he is a descendant of Zhuan Xu Levin, and he is descended from Hao Tao. Press: Hao Tao is also the surname of Yan. Historical Records? Justice quoted the Emperor Century as saying: "Hao Tao was born in Qufu. Qufu, Yan Di, so the emperor (Shun) gave the surname Yan. " Hao Tao's eldest son, Bo Yi, "is the main livestock of Shun, so he was given the surname Won". The first volume of Guo Moruo's Historical Draft of China: "Hao Tao is the surname of Yan, and Bo Yi is the surname of Won. Yan and Yan, with a single turn, developed from two close relatives, clans and tribes. " Therefore, Yan and Yan share different surnames, if they are based on the New Tang Book? Imperial clan lineage "said that Li's surname originated in Hao Tao, but it originated from Yan's surname. Hao Tao was Dali (the chief justice officer) when he was in Diyao, and his descendants inherited the post of Dali, taking the official position as the surname. At the end of Shang Dynasty, Sun Lizheng, a Li family, offended Zhou Wang and was killed. His wife, Qihe, was a native of Chen, and fled back to Chen with her son, Li Lizhen. She was hungry and saved her life by eating Mu Zi (fruit of trees). In order to thank Mu Zi and avoid Zhou Wang's pursuit, the original surname was hidden. Because "Li" and "Li" are homonyms, Li Lizhen was changed to Li from Zizhen, and Li Lizhen was the ancestor of Li's surname.
Li Lizhen and her son returned to Chen State and settled in Kuxian County (now Luyi, Henan Province) not far from Chen. According to the records in Yuan He's Family Name Compilation, Differentiation of Ancient and Modern Family Name Books, New Tang Book and Road History, Li Lizhen also married the daughter of Chen Guoqi and his family, gave birth to Chang Zu, and later worked as a doctor in Chen Guo, and his home was in Bitter County. Chang Zu gave birth to Tongde, a great-grandson of Tongde, who was given a fief in Kuxian by Zhou Kangwang. Li Shuozong's fifth grandson is Li Gan, whose character is Guo. He served as an ancient adviser in the Western Zhou Dynasty, married Yishou's baby girl and gave birth to Li Er. "Historical Records" contains: "Laozi was born in Qurenli, Lixiang, Chuku County, and his surname was Li. His name was Er, and the word Yong was Zhou Shoucang's history." Lin Bao quoted the Secret Book as saying: "The eleventh generation of Sun Laojun, Li Zhen, whose name is Bo Yang, lives in Qurenli, Lai Township, Ku County." Deng Mingshi's Dialectics of Ancient and Modern Surnames Book states that Lizhen is the sixth ancestor of Laozi.
Laozi Li Er is the first person with Li surname in the official history before the Book of the New Tang Dynasty. Historical Records is a biography of Li Er, but it says nothing about Li Er's grandparents. "Northern History? Introduction and New Tang Book? The statement that the origin of Li's surname is too vivid and legendary in Imperial Clan Genealogy will inevitably arouse the doubts of future generations. Luo Mi's "History of the Road" says: "In the past, Jin Wengong ordered Li Li to be rational, thinking that after Hao Tao, it was also proved. Lao Tzu was born after Hao Tao, but the book of Tang Dynasty is a cloud. Lao Tzu was born under Li and thought his surname was; Or the cloud got its surname by eating bitter plums indiscriminately; You can call it Mu Zi for hunger bait, which is a false birth. " Zheng Qiao's annals? "A Brief Introduction to the Clan" said: "Those who take Mu Zi as their surname and take the homonym of reason are not reasonable." However, without giving a convincing negative reason, he said, "Now is not the time to start. Let's be reasonable." Zheng Qiao couldn't figure out the source of Li's surname, so he had to use the statement of New Tang Book for the time being. "Sheng 'an Collection" Volume 5 "Li surname is not one" thinks that "Li in Longxi is different from Li in Li Tang", "New Tang Book? Clan lineage "attached to waste writing, flattery when said", and said "after Tang Ben Li Jue, is cool in the west, not from China, and Hao Tao's reason is irrelevant. And the Tang emperor named Li Laojun as the ancestor, and enshrined it in the temple, which made the historian Hao Tao's theory well-founded. Why not ancestor Hao Tao, but ancestor Li Er? It is self-contradictory and suspicious. " Chen Yinque also proved that the ancestor of Li Tang's imperial clan was not Li in Longxi, so the history of the North? Introduction and New Tang Book? The theory that Li's surname was won in Imperial Clan Genealogy was deliberately attached to Hao Tao's theory and Lao Zi's actions.
secondly, it refers to Li Wei's surname. Historical Records? "Justice" quoted the "Mysterious Inner Chapter" as saying: "Mother Li was pregnant for 81 years and lived happily under the plum tree. She was born by cutting her left armpit." Historical Records? Suoyin says: "Press: Ge Xuan said:' Li's daughter was born because of her mother's surname.' Another cloud said,' Born to refer to the plum tree, I thought it was my surname.' "This said that Lao Tzu was the ancestor of Li's surname. There is still a folklore in Luyi today. Mother Li was pregnant for 81 years and gave birth under the plum tree. When Li Er was born, she was already a white-haired old man. Mother Li called out, "My old son", hence the name "Lao Zi". As soon as Lao Zi was born, she pointed at the plum tree and recognized her surname as Li. This statement is very bizarre, and it is the work of Taoism deifying Laozi, which has always been considered absurd and unbelievable.
thirdly, the totem theory of Li Shu. That is, Li's surname originated from totem worship. "Totem" comes from Indian language, which means "his kin". Totem is the symbol and symbol of a clan. Freud said, "Totem is always the ancestor of the clan and also its guardian." [2] The earliest surnames mainly came from various totems and place names in ancient times. Xu Shen's explanation of "surname" in Shuo Wen Jie Zi is: "surname is born by people. The ancient is sacred, and the mother feels the sky and gives birth, so she is called the son of heaven, and she is born from the woman. " Because in primitive times, clan members believed that fertility was a totem entering women's bodies, and newborns were the sons of totems; The surname is a stranger's thing (totem), the son of heaven is "the mother feels heaven and gives birth", while other people feel something, that is, a totem and give birth. Wang Chong of the Han Dynasty wrote in On Balance? It is said in the "Art of Divination": "The ancients were given surnames because of their birth, and they were given surnames because of their birth. If you swallow Coix lacryma-jobi in summer, your surname is Coix. Shang swallowed a swallow and was born, so his surname was Zi's. When Zhou Lv is famous, Ji's name is also established. " "White Tiger Tongyi? The name article said: "Yu's surname is Yu's, and his ancestor is Yi's; Yin's surname is Zi (good), and his ancestor is Xuan Bird Zi; Zhou' s surname is Ji' s, and his ancestors are also famous. " That is to say, the ancient people were born with surnames, taking the things that gave birth to them as surnames. For example, the Xia ancestor was born when his mother swallowed Coix lachryma-jobi (a plant seed, that is, the totem of his mother), so the Xia family took "Si" as the surname; The ancestor of Shang clan was born when his mother swallowed swallow (swallow egg, that is, his mother's totem egg), so he took "Zi" as his surname. The ancestor of Zhou was born when his mother stepped on the totem footprint, so the Zhou family took "Ji" as their surname. Up to today, examples of clan totem as the surname can still be found in some ethnic minorities in China. Such as wild cats, waterfowl and tigers among Kemu people in Yunnan.
From this point of view, it is not credible that the aforementioned Lao Tzu Li Er named Li Shu as his surname when he was born, but it seems to make sense to assume that Li Mu's totem is Li Shu, Li Er is born as his surname, and Li Shu's totem is his surname. Modern He Guangyue's History of the Origin of Dongyi also mentioned that Li took the plum tree as a totem tree: "Li got his surname because he was an official in Dali, but later he took refuge in Mu Zi for food. Because it eats wild plums, it is cultivated as a domestic plum tree by Li, and the plum tree is regarded as a sacred tree, that is, a totem tree. Therefore, all the descendants of Li often plant Li as a symbol beside the house, and this habit is still preserved today. For example, Li Baijia has a peach and plum garden, and the Tang Dynasty Palace Garden planted more plum trees. "
But the question is, why does Mother Li take the plum tree as a totem? There is no strong evidence that Li worships the plum tree totem after referring to the legend of Li Wei's surname, so the theory remains to be verified.
fourthly, it comes from the tiger totem theory. This view holds that the totem of Li is not a plum tree, but a tiger. The totem of Laozi's birthplace in Li Er, Chen Chu, is a tiger, and "Li Er" means "tiger" in Chu language. Gong Weiying wrote the Outline of Primitive Worship, saying:
It turns out that Li Er is also a Chu language, that is, a tiger. Dialect? Eight "cloud:" Tiger, ... Li Er between Jiangnan and Chu. " Lao Tzu's old country was Chen, and he died in Chu, so he was a Chu man. Chen belongs to the Huaihe River Basin and is calling the tiger "Li Er". This is why Lao Tzu is also known as Li Er. It should be noted that Chen Weishun, surnamed Gui, also had tiger totem worship in ancient times. The tiger totem beliefs of Chen and Chu are mutual infiltration and mutual promotion, not the unilateral role of one party on the other.
Li Er should be a common name for tigers in Chen Chu. According to legend, Laozi was born in Geng Yin and belongs to the tiger. At that time, the dialect in Kuxian called the tiger "raccoon dog", so the relatives and neighbors called Lao Tzu "raccoon dog", which gradually evolved into "Li Er". Sun Yikai said:
Since there is no "Li Er" in pre-Qin classics, where did Sima Qian's so-called "surname Li Minger" come from? In our opinion, the biggest possibility is that Laozi's nickname is Li Er. Yang Xiong's Dialect: "Tiger, between Chen, Wei, Song and Chu, is called Li Fu;" Between the south of the Yangtze River and Chu, it is called Li Er. " Fang Yizhi's "Tong Ya" Volume 46 said that the tiger "or raccoon dog turned to Li Er". It seems that Lao Dan, who was born at the turn of Chen, Song and Chu, may be nicknamed Little Tiger (raccoon dog) and his voice turned to Li Er. Neighbors in the village only call him Li Er by his nickname. Sima Qian's so-called "surname Li Ming 'er" probably mistook Lao Zi's nickname learned from the people for his big name. As for why Laozi was nicknamed raccoon (little tiger), we speculate that there may have been a custom of dating the zodiac in the Spring and Autumn Period. ..... The folk custom of the zodiac is nothing more than the remains of totem worship of ancient ancestors, and its formation will not be too late. If this speculation can be established, let's look back at the birth year of Laozi, which is recognized by many people-571 BC, which is the year of Gengyin, that is, the year of the tiger. It is natural to be born in the Year of the Tiger and be nicknamed Little Tiger. And the little tiger, also known as the raccoon dog in Lao Zi's hometown, became the raccoon dog in Lao Dan, and the sound changed to Li Er. "[3]
Fifth, it comes from the old surname theory. This statement mainly comes from the textual research of Lao zi's surname, and holds that Lao zi is not surnamed Li but surnamed Lao, and Li's surname comes from the old surname. Tang Lan, an archaeologist, thinks that Lao Zi's surname Li Ming 'er is not true: "According to the common appellation of people at that time, Lao Dan's old word was the name of his clan, because people who called Zi at that time, such as Confucius, Youzi, Ceng Zi, Yoko, Mozi, Mencius, Zhuangzi, Keiko and others, all added Zi under the clan", "Lao Dan has no trace of surname Li in ancient books". [4] Tang Lan clearly stated: Laozi is not surnamed Li, but surnamed Lao. Guo Moruo, Ma Xulun, Chen Duxiu and others agreed with Tang Lanzhi. Gao Heng has further textual research on this. He wrote in Lao Zi Zheng Shi? In the preface, it is said:
When Lao Zi and Li Yi changed, Lao Zi's original surname was Lao Zi, and later he changed to Li with the same pronunciation, so there must be two. [5]
He listed four pieces of evidence: First, in the old books of the pre-Qin period, such as Zhuangzi and Xunzi, Confucius and Mozi were given their surnames, while Lao Dan was called ""instead of "Li Kun" when he was alone with Laozi; It is called "Laozi" instead of "Plum", so it is obvious that Laozi's original surname is Lao Yi. Second, "there was an old surname but no Li surname in ancient times." Zuo Zhuan became a public figure for fifteen years: "There was Sima Laozuo in the Song Dynasty", and Zhaogong for fourteen years: "There was an old evil in Lu". "Shiben": "Zhuan Xu has old children." "Customs Tong Yi": "Lao Shi, after Zhuan Xu's children." There was no Li surname in the Spring and Autumn Period. Historical Records? Li Li in Biography of Officials is the mistake of the scholars in Zuozhuan, so he should not be Li. Li Kui and Li Mu appeared in the Warring States Policy, and the surname Li originated very late. Third, many ancient surnames had no original characters, and they often borrowed homophones. The old surname changed to Li, which is also a homonym. Fourth, "the ancient rhyme' Lao' belongs to the secluded part,' Li' belongs to the part, and the two parts are close in sound, ancient or not." Gao Heng quoted a large number of sentences from the book Lao Zi, which proved that the deep and remote parts and the part are in harmony. Finally, he said: "Lao and Li both belong to Lainiu (that is, the initial is L) and belong to one rhyme, but their sounds are very clear, only their sounds are the same, so they changed from old to Li." [5]
According to Gao Heng and others, Li's surname did not evolve from Li's surname, but originated from the old surname. Mr. Gao's quotations from the perspective of phonology are very detailed and convincing. Today, there is Laozi's hometown in Luyi, near Taiqing Palace, with many villagers surnamed Li. The author asked why he was called "Laozi and Zhuangzi" and replied "since ancient times", which can be regarded as another proof that Li's surname originated from the old surname.
To sum up, the author thinks: The History of the North, li yanshou's Biography and the Book of the New Tang Dynasty? Li's surname recorded in Imperial Clan Genealogy originated from the theory of won surname. Although it is recorded in official history, it flows.