"Zhai" is a universal standardized Chinese character, which first appeared in bronze inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Ancient hieroglyphs used tail feathers as hieroglyphs, and some used birds and feathers as hieroglyphs. Appearance evolved on the basis of the former, dealing with the image of bird tail feathers. In ancient times, the word Zhai meant a pheasant with a long tail, and later it evolved into a surname.
Zhai's surname is one of the surnames in China, which is generally considered to be formed by the phonetic change of the surname "Di". According to Guangyun, the Zhai family originated in Shang Dynasty, when Zhai people lived in Zhaidi, forming Zhai State, which was later destroyed by Jin State.
Today, Zhai's family is mainly distributed in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei and other places. Many famous people have emerged in history, such as Zhai, a famous scholar in Han Dynasty, and Zhai Rang, a calligrapher.
Besides being a surname, Zhai was also a ritual vessel in ancient China, which was used for sacrificial ceremonies and banquets. According to the Book of Rites, Zhai was a dance tool used by ancient nobles for sacrifices and banquets. It was made from the tail feathers of pheasants, and later it was also made from the tail feathers of peacocks or other birds. When used, it is usually held or worn by dancers to show a gorgeous and majestic image.
In addition, Zhai is an ornament used on the harp, an ancient musical instrument in China. According to historical records, Zhai is placed on musical instruments as a decoration, which can make wonderful music when playing.
In modern Chinese, "Zhai" is mainly used as a surname, and also appears in some place names and a few words. For example, "Zhaimensheng" refers to a famous person in the State of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, who got this name because he opened a Zhaimen at home. In addition, the "house car" refers to the car that the empresses of ancient emperors took, which was named after the Zhai Wei on the roof.
In a word, Zhai is a Chinese character with rich cultural connotation, which can refer to a pheasant with a long tail or as a surname, and has a long history of ritual vessels and musical instruments. Through the study and understanding of Zhai, we can better understand the traditional culture and history of China.