It is one of the largest surnames in China. It has a long history and a large number of families. There were 43 famous families with the surname Zhang, which is unrivaled among all surnames.
The surname Zhang has three obvious characteristics. First, the surname was obtained earlier and has a long history; second, the family has a large number of branches and branches all over the country, and there are Zhang clan members everywhere; third, there are numerous talents and it is invincible. Countless, from ancient times to the present, outstanding figures of the Zhang family have contributed to the prosperity of the Chinese nation.
As for the ancestor of the surname Zhang, there is the following record in the history books of the past dynasties: "The fifth son of the Yellow Emperor, the clear sun shines brightly, which is the bow and arrow. He observes the arc star and begins to make bows and arrows. The main worship is the arc star. Because of his surname Zhang, (See "Compilation of Yuanhe Surnames") "Swinging arc arrows, he was granted the title of Zhang, and later became the Gong clan. Zhang, looking out to Taiyuan. "(See "A Survey of Surnames") "Zhang, Huang, Li, Zhao, the surnames given by Huangdi. " (See "Customs")
"The Zhang family has been an official in the Jin Dynasty. The Jin Dynasty is divided into three, and has been an official in the Han Dynasty. Genealogists say that Shaohao, the son of the Yellow Emperor, was the fifth son of the Qingyang family who wielded his bow straight, watched the arc star, began to make bows and arrows, worshiped the arc star, and gave him the surname Zhang. This is not the meaning of the surname. According to the Jin Dynasty, there was a name for Zhang, whose name was Zhanghou. Since then, there have been Zhang family members in the Jin Dynasty, so there is no doubt that the family name was named after Zhanghou. (See "General Annals. Clan Overview. Use the word as a surname")
"The surname Zhang comes from the surname Ji. In the Zhou Dynasty, the surname was born in Han, and the 12 most popular ones were named Xiangyang and Luoyang. , Hedong, Shixing, Feng Yi, Wujun, Pingyuan, Qinghe, Hejian, Zhongshan, said Wei, said Shu (see Yuan Jue's "Preface to the Genealogy of the Zhang Family")
From the above records, The origin of the surname Zhang can be traced back to Huangdi, the founder of the Chinese nation five thousand years ago. He is a direct descendant of Huangdi's fifth son, Qingyang, who gave birth to a son named Hui. After this Huangdi named Hui, it was Zhang. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the surname Zhang is a direct descendant of Huangdi.
This descendant of Huangdi was very smart. When he saw the arc star in the sky, he imitated its shape. It turns out that there is a star named "Tian Gong" in the sky, which is called "Arc". It is a nine-star star in the southeast of Sirius. In the constellation. "History of the Song Dynasty. Astronomical Chronicles": "The Nine Stars of the Arc Arrow are in the southeast of the Wolf Star, and the Sky Bow is also there." He saw the "Tian Gong" and was inspired by the shape of the "Tian Gong", which was the first invention of the bow arrow. An important weapon in ancient times. Therefore, he was "given the surname Zhang".
However, the original "Zhang" did not mean the surname. Because after the invention of the bow and arrow, the bow must be opened with strength before use, otherwise it will not be usable. Hui was named "Zhang" for this reason. From then on, some of Hui's descendants were named Gong and some were named Zhang, and they were divided into two branches for this reason. Later generations of people with the surname Zhang often explained it as "Zhang with a long and stretched bow" when talking about his own surname. This is also the origin of this. This surname Zhang, which originated from Hui, was acquired very early and is the earliest and oldest branch of the Zhang surname in China.
Nearly two thousand years later, in the Zhou Dynasty about three thousand years ago, two more Zhang surnames appeared in the land of China. What is different from other surnames is that the two newly added Zhang surnames also have Huangdi as their ancestor, and both come from Korea and Jin, which were founded by the descendants of King Wen of Zhou. In South Korea and the Jin State, some people take Zhang as their surname, that is, "the surname Zhang comes from the surname Ji, and the person who takes the surname Zhou as his surname is from Han." " In Zhang's total source, two more sources were added. These two branches of the Zhang family are more than two thousand years later than Hui, but they are both descendants of the Huangdi Xuanyuan family, but there is a difference in distance.
As for the earliest origin of the surname Zhang, the branch directly passed down from the Yellow Emperor originally originated from today's Taiyuan. Taiyuan is the birthplace of the Zhang family in China and the seat of the famous Zhang family of the Chinese nation.
After arriving in Korea and the Jin Kingdom in the Zhou Dynasty, due to the addition of new sources, the origins of the surname Zhang also developed in many places. Yuan Jue said, no more here. In the Jin State at that time, the famous Zhang family included "Qinghe, Nanyang, Wujun, Anding, Dunhuang, Wuwei, Fanyang, Jianwei, Peiguo, Liangguo, Zhongshan, Jijun, Hanoi, and Gaoping Shi4wang".
Those who changed their surname to Zhang in the Han and Jin Dynasties were later than the descendants of Hui, but they succeeded and multiplied widely. According to the paper map of "Zhonghua Surname Prefecture", during the Ming Dynasty, the Zhang family had 43 surnames, not only spread across the country, but also became a prominent family in many places, surpassing other surnames. These two origins of the Zhang surname in the Zhou Dynasty played a big role in making the Zhang family a popular surname in China.
In the origin of the Zhang family name, there are also elements from ethnic minorities. After the Han Dynasty, due to the strength of Liu Han, some ethnic minorities changed their surname to Liu, and a small number of ethnic minorities changed their surname to Zhang. Some people with other surnames, who admired the clan leaders with the surname Zhang, also abandoned the Yuan surname and chose to follow Zhang. "Wei Zhi" records that Cao Cao's general Zhang Liao was originally named Nie, but later changed his surname to Zhang. "Military of Du Shi Fang Yu" also records that "Zhuge Liang of the Han Dynasty gave Long Youna the title of Zhang". These are all examples.
The Zhang family has many branches, and its migration situation is also complicated. Since the surname Zhang is spread all over the country, and famous families of the surname Zhang are spread all over the country, the surname Zhang has very complicated characteristics in its reproduction and migration for thousands of years. Although the surname Zhang in each place has its own reproduction center. , but the ancestors, time and route of Boqian are different from the situation of the ancestors of Boqian who mostly have different surnames. It migrated in different regions, at different times, on different routes, and in different directions.
The surname Zhang has always been full of talents. Beginning with Zhang Yi, who lobbied the Six Kingdoms to attack Qin during the Warring States Period, celebrities from the Zhang family appeared on the stage of history in all subsequent dynasties and generations. The Zhang family has so many "family treasures" that few other families can compare with them. A brief list is as follows:
In the Han Dynasty, people named Zhang were already among the best. Whether in politics, career, academics, art, medicine, etc., they are all at the forefront. Zhang Liang, a minister in the early Han Dynasty, came up with many clever strategies to assist Liu Bang in conquering the world. Zhang Qian, who served twice as an envoy to the Western Regions, strengthened the ties between the Central Plains and ethnic minorities, developed friendly relations between the Han people and people from all over Central Asia, and promoted economic and cultural exchanges and development. Scientist Zhang Heng created the world's first armillary sphere (armillary sphere) that used hydraulic rotation and a seismograph for measuring earthquakes. The famous medical scientist Zhang Zhongjing wrote Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, which made significant contributions to the development of Chinese medicine. Calligrapher Zhang Zhi said, "The style of the characters is made up of one stroke. Occasionally they are not connected, but the blood is continuous, and those that are connected have the energy flowing through alternate lines, which is called "Jincao".
Han After that, there were Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Uprising; Zhang Fei and Zhang Liao, the generals of the Three Kingdoms; Zhang Zai, a writer, and Zhang Zhan, a scholar of the Jin Dynasty; Zhang Ji, Zhang Hu, and Zhang Ji, the poets of the Tang Dynasty; Zhang Xu, a calligrapher; and Zhang Xu, a poet of the Song Dynasty. Lei. It is said that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a family named Zhang Gongyi who lived together for nine generations and was praised by many people from far and near. When the news reached Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong came to visit him personally. He asked more than a hundred words "forbearance" as an answer. Gaozong understood the principle of governing a country and a family. He was deeply moved and returned to the palace with satisfaction. After that, the Zhang Gongyi family held a ceremony to commemorate this meaningful event. He took "Hundred Ren" as his family's emblem. According to records from the Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the ministers presented many strange treasures to Xuanzong. Only Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling presented a book called "Qianqiu Jinjianlu" to him. The book discusses the rise and fall of ancient and modern times in detail, with the intention of advising Xuanzong to remember the lessons of the rise and fall of past dynasties when the world is at peace, to be prepared for danger in times of peace, and to protect the country forever. Afterwards, Xuanzong cherished his precious "gift" and made a special order. The imperial edict was issued to commend him. Therefore, Zhang Jiuling's clan members were also proud of him and began to use "Jinjian" as their title. There is also Zhang Hai, the founder of contemporary Huanggang web2.0.
From ancient times to the present, The surname Zhang produced 63 prime ministers and 56 generals. In addition, thinkers Zhang Zai and Zhang Shi contributed to Confucian theory, Buddhist scholar Seng Zhao (common surname Zhang) sublimated Buddhist thought, and Zhang Tianshi's Taoist family, etc. etc., are all of great significance. Zhang Xueliang's military admonishment against Japan, Zhang Fulin's space exploration, etc. are also major events that have made great contributions to the world and are famous in history. These are all major contributions of people with the surname Zhang to history and culture.
Today, the surname Zhang ranks third among the top 100 surnames.