Which surnames are common and what stories are there?

The four major surnames are "Zhang, Wang, Li and Zhao".

The legend of the surname Wang:

It is said that Hou Ji’s mother was named Jiang Yuan. Once she went to the wild and saw a huge human footprint. She was very curious because she I have never seen such huge footprints. She walked over and stepped on the huge footprint to see how much bigger it was than her own foot. Unexpectedly, she became pregnant after stepping on it, and later gave birth to a boy. Jiang originally thought that the boy was not a good omen, so he threw him on the street, hoping that the passing cows and horses would trample him to death. Unexpectedly, when the cows and horses saw the child, they all took a detour. Jiang Yuan wanted to throw him away in the forest again, but there were people everywhere she went, so she failed. Finally, Jiang Yuan came to a canal. It was winter and the water in the canal was frozen. Jiang Yuan put him on the ice and wanted to freeze him to death. Just then, another big bird flew over. It lay on the ice and used its huge wings to protect the child. Jiang originally thought that the child was protected by gods and was not an ordinary person, so he gave up the plan of abandoning him and took him home to raise him. Because this child had been abandoned, the child's name was abandoned.

Because he was good at growing grains, he was promoted to a farmer during the reign of Emperor Yao. After Shun succeeded to the throne, he was granted the title of Houji in Tai (southwest of today's Wugong County, Shaanxi Province), and his surname was Ji.

In the third generation after Houji, a man named Gong Liu came out of the Ji tribe, which made the Ji tribe develop rapidly. This was the early stage of the establishment of the Yin and Shang dynasties.

In the ninth generation after Gong Liu, another person named Gu Gong Danfu came out of the Ji tribe. At that time, the local Rongdi people often invaded the Ji tribe. In order to avoid conflicts with them, Gu Gongdanfu led the tribe to migrate from Bin (southwest of Xunyi County, Shaanxi Province today) to Qishan (northeast of today's Qishan County, Shaanxi Province). ) feet. Ancient Gong Xuanfu led the tribe to build cities and houses here, and established a bureaucracy to manage tribal affairs, thus achieving the scale of a country.

The grandson of Gugong Danfu is the famous King Wen of Zhou Jichang in history. At that time, it was during the brutal rule of King Zhou of Shang Dynasty. Ji Chang was very benevolent and polite to virtuous officials, which was in sharp contrast to him. Ji Zhou's power continued to develop, and he successively conquered some surrounding small countries, and moved the capital east to Fengyi (today's west bank of the Feng River in the northwest of Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province). By the time King Wu of Zhou Jifa finally overthrew the Yin Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty.

King Wu of Zhou had many brothers, one of whom was named Gao and was the 15th son of King Wen. Ji Gao played an important role in King Wu's destruction of Shang and the political life of the early Zhou Dynasty. After King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he held a solemn ceremony to enter the Shang capital. After entering the city, Ji Gao was ordered to open the prison of the Yin Shang Dynasty and release the people detained there. Then he took over the Shang Dynasty's institution in charge of music and etiquette. Therefore, when King Wu enfeoffed the princes, Ji Gao was enfeoffed in Bi (now northwest of Xianyang, Shaanxi Province), so he was also called Bi Gonggao. King Wu died and King Cheng was established. When King Cheng was about to die, he summoned Duke Zhao and Duke Bi and asked them to assist Prince Zhao. When King Cheng died, Prince Zhao was established and became King Kang.

I don’t know how many generations later, Bi Gonggao’s descendants lost their titles and fiefs and became commoners, and some even ran to minority residential areas. Only their surname changed according to the place - Bi. In the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, one of Bi Gonggao's descendants named Bi Wan came to the Jin State and once again made Bi Gonggao's Ji family prosperous. At that time, Duke Xiang of Jin was in power in the State of Jin, and Bi Wan was serving as an errand under Duke Xiang of Jin. In the 16th year of Duke Xiang of Jin (661 BC), Bi Wan and Zhao Su led their troops to attack the three kingdoms of Huo, Geng and Wei and destroy them.

Bi Wan was awarded the position of doctor by Jin Xiangong for his meritorious service, and was granted a title in Wei (now north of Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province). From then on, Bi Wan and his descendants took the fief as their surname and changed their surname to Wei. In political struggles one after another, the Wei family assisted the Jin Dynasty, but also strengthened themselves. In the end, the Jin State was divided among the three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei, and the Jin State was destroyed.

The Wei State established by the Wei family has always been one of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period. The last monarch of the Wei State, King Wei, was captured by the Qin army and the Wei State fell. In the fourth year after the fall of Wei, the Qin Dynasty unified the world. The false descendants of King Wei were also scattered throughout the country and were called the Wang family. From then on, they took Wang as their surname.

The surname Li is the most common surname in China today and also the most common surname in the world. The surname Li originated from Luyi, Henan.

Luyi, known as Ku County in ancient times, has been under the jurisdiction of Chen District since ancient times. It is the birthplace of Laozi (Li Er), the great thinker, philosopher and founder of the Taoist school in ancient my country.

As for the origin of the surname Li and the ancestor who got the surname, a very legendary story is told in "Northern History·Preface" by Li Yanshou of the Tang Dynasty and "New Book of Tang" by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi of the Northern Song Dynasty: The surname Li is derived from the surname Ying, a descendant of the Gaoyang family of Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors, and a descendant of Gaotao. Gaotao served as Dali (chief justice) during the reign of Emperor Yao. His descendants inherited the post of Dali and took the official position as their surname, Li. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, a descendant of the Li family named Li Zheng was killed because he angered King Zhou with his direct advice. Li Zheng's wife, Qi He, was from the Chen State. The Qi He family fled back to the Chen State with their son Li Lizhen. When they reached Yihou Xu, the mother and son were starving, and they managed to save their lives by eating muzi (tree fruits). In order to thank Muzi and avoid being pursued by King Zhou, Li Zhen concealed her original surname. Because "Li" has the same pronunciation as "Li", she changed her family name to Li, and Li Lizhen was the ancestor of the surname Li. Li Lizhen and her son returned to Chen State and settled in Ku County, not far from Chen State. Li Lizhen also married a daughter of the Qihe family of Chen Guo, and gave birth to a son, Changzu, who served as a doctor in the state of Chen. Li Chang's ancestor was Tongde, and Tongde's great-grandson Shuozong was granted a fief in Ku County by King Kang of Zhou. Li Qian, the fifth-generation grandson of Li Shuozong, served as a censor in the Western Zhou Dynasty. He married Yishou's daughter Yingfu and gave birth to Li Er. "Historical Records" records: "Laozi was a native of Qurenli, Lixiang, Chuku County. His surname was Li, his given name was Er, and his courtesy name was Dan. He also had the history of Zhou Shou Tibetan." Some ancient books say that Laozi Li Er is the 11th generation grandson of Li Lizhen. , and some surname books say that Li Lizhen is the sixth ancestor of Lao Tzu.

There is another saying that is more mythical. "Historical Records·Zhengyi" quotes "Xuanmiao Neipian" and says: "Mother Li was pregnant for eighty-one years, and she was born under the Xiaoyao plum tree. She cut off her left armpit and gave birth to her. "Historical Records Suoyin" said that Laozi "was born with a plum tree, because he took it as his surname." Today, there is still a folk legend in Luyi that Mother Li gave birth under a plum tree for eighty-one years, and Li Er was already white when she was born. The old man with gray hair, Li's mother called out: "My old son", so he was named "Laozi". As soon as Laozi was born, he pointed at the plum tree with his finger and took his surname as Li.

The above story about the origin of the surname Li is too vivid and legendary, which will inevitably arouse doubts in future generations. Historians believe that these legends originated in the Tang Dynasty and were based on attempts to elevate the family status of the Tang Dynasty and forcibly adhere to them. They are subjective conjectures and are not very credible. Furthermore, figures before Laozi, such as Li Zheng and Li Lizhen, are not found in ancient pre-Qin books, so it is doubtful whether they really existed.

So, what is the true origin of the surname Li?

In fact, the origin of the surname Li is not complicated, but it has nothing to do with the "Plum Tree" or the legend of "Eating Muzi". The Li family name comes from the surname Li. Their ancestors were officials in Dali, and their descendants "take officials as their surname" and become the Li family name. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, the family name was Li, or Li. Because Li and Li had the same pronunciation, the surname was Li during the Warring States Period. As early as before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Wang Fu of the Eastern Han Dynasty's "Qian Fu Lun: Zhi's Surnames" and Ying Shao's "Customs and Meanings: Surnames" have verified that the Li family and the Li family have the same pronunciation, but there is no mention of Shimuzi. As for the change of the Li family name, it can be seen that there were no deified legends in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The surname Li originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and was very common during the Warring States Period. There was Lishi in the Spring and Autumn Period, and people such as Li Ke, Li Ge, and Li Xi were recorded. Li Ge was an important minister of Duke Xian of Jin, Li Ge was the Taishi of the Lu State, and Li Xi was the official of the Zheng State. The Li family members during the Warring States Period include Li Er, Li Li, Li Kui, Li Bing, Li Mu, Li Si, etc., and their traces can be found in many countries. It is particularly worth noting that Li Li, Li Kui, and Li Si were all former ministers of law enforcement, which have the same meaning as "Li (Li)". Li Li served as Dali during the reign of Duke Wen of Jin. Li Kui presided over the reform in the Wei State in the early years of the Warring States Period. Li Kui pioneered the reform movement in the Warring States Period. The "Book of Laws" he formulated was a culmination of the laws of previous generations and had an important influence on the laws of later generations. Li Si served as a court lieutenant in the Qin State and was in charge of Qin law. He "clarified the laws and made laws and regulations". He was the main planner of the legal politics of the Qin Dynasty. The judicial theories and practices of these early figures with the surname Li inherited the historical tradition of the Li (Li) family.

The distant ancestor of the Li surname Gaotao and the branch of the Ying surname

Most of the surname works since the Eastern Han Dynasty trace the origin of the Li (Li) family back to Gaotao, and Gaotao is regarded as the Li family of distant ancestors. So what kind of historical figure was Gao Tao?

Gaotao is also written as Jiu Yao in ancient historical books, and he is a figure in ancient history legends. Like many characters from the legendary era, he is both a real tribal leader and also represents a tribal name. Gaotao lived in the eras of Yao, Shun and Yu. There is an article "Gaotao Mo" in "Shangshu", which records many of Gao Tao's remarks on political affairs with Shun and Yu.

According to "Historical Records·Xia Benji", Gaotao was almost able to become the emperor after Shun Yu. Emperor Yu had intended to secede in Gaotao, but gave up because of Gaotao's death. These legends reflect Gaotao's prominent status and influence before the Xia Dynasty.

During the reign of Emperor Shun, Gaotao's official position was "Dali". According to legend, "Gao Tao was the founder of punishment" and he was the founder of Chinese criminal law. Legend has it that Gao Tao specially trained a unicorn beast named Chu. This strange beast had a special function, that is, it could distinguish between good and evil and true from false. When it encounters a guilty person, it will strike with its sharp horn; when it discovers that someone is telling lies, it will become furious and frightening. Gaotao used this strange beast to solve the case. A myth is a myth after all, but this mythical story brings people to the distant ancient times, as if they can see the upright and decisive image of Gao Tao.

Gaotao's original surname was Yan, and his son Boyi was given the surname Ying by Emperor Shun. There are many branches of the Ying surname, among which Zhao, Xu, Huang, Jiang, Qin, etc. are all popular Chinese surnames today.

The Zhao family was formed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Its ancestor is Boyi and its founder is Zaofu. Zaofu was a famous expert in driving carriages in the Western Zhou Dynasty. King Mu of Zhou gave him the city of Zhao. From then on, the Zaofu family took Zhao as their surname. During the reign of King You of Zhou Dynasty, Uncle Zhao, the descendant of Zaofu, took away Zhou Shijin. From then on, Zhao's descendants became Jin officials for generations. In the early years of the Warring States period, the Zhao family united with the Wei family and the Han family to divide the Jin into Jin and establish the Zhao State. The State of Zhao was destroyed by the State of Qin, and the royal family, nobles and common people all took the name of the country and called them Zhao.

The Huang family established the Huang Kingdom in Huangchuan, Henan Province, around the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Chu dominated, and only the State of Huang and Sui dared to compete. In 648 BC, Huang was destroyed by Chu. After the fall of the country, the descendants of the Huang Kingdom took the name of their country and became the Huang family.

The Xu family is a descendant of Boyi's son Ruomu. Because Boyi assisted Dayu in controlling floods, Emperor Shun not only officially gave him the surname Ying, but also married him to a girl named Yao from her own clan. Yao girl later gave birth to two sons, the youngest of whom was named Ruomu. Because his father had meritorious service, he was granted the title of Xu and established the Xu Kingdom. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Xu was destroyed by the State of Wu, and the descendants of the State of Xu were called the Xu family.

The Qin family comes from the surname Ying. There was a descendant of Boyi named Daluo. His concubine Feizi was granted a vassal state in Qinting, Longxi by King Xiao of Zhou Dynasty. He was allowed to restore the surname Ying and was called Da Luo. Qin Ying. Qin later became the leader of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period and further unified the country. After the fall of Qin, the descendants of the royal family took the country as their surname and called it the Qin family.

The Jiang family comes from the surname Ying. Boyi was passed down for more than ten generations. By the Western Zhou Dynasty, Boyi's descendants were granted the title of Jiang. They were destroyed by the Chu State in the Spring and Autumn Period. Their descendants took the name of the country and gave them the surname Jiang. Jiang State was located in the area of ??present-day Zhengyang County, Henan Province.

In addition, people with the surname Ying also have the Ma family. The Ma family was formed in the late Warring States period, from the Zhao family, and its ancestor was Zhao She. Zhao She was a native of the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period. He was a general of the State of Zhao and was named Ma Fujun for his meritorious service. The descendants of Zhao She took their surname as the Mafu surname, and later changed the name "Fu" to the Ma surname.

The establishment of the Li Tang Dynasty and the prosperity of the Li family in Longxi

In the old days, two couplets like this were often hung in front of the ancestral hall of the Li family: one is "A longxi family, a famous family under the pillar." The second is "The morals passed down by scriptures are relegated to immortals." In addition to praising Lao Tzu, the founder of the Li surname, the first couplet mentions the emergence of the flying general Li Guang and the Li family of Longxi who established the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the next couplet mentions the Li family in Longxi who also established the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Li Bai, the poet immortal of the Li family in Longxi. The Li family has celebrities from generation to generation and has created a glorious history.

The "Historical Records·Biography of Laozi" writes about Laozi as "the dragon has no head or tail", but the record of the family history of Laozi's descendants is very detailed: Laozi's son was famous, and his sect was a Wei general. Zongzi notes, notes the uterus, Gongxuansunjia, Li Jia was an official during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty. Li Jie, Li Jie's son, became Taifu Wang Ang of Jiaoxi and lived in Qidi. This shows that during the Western Han Dynasty, a branch of the Li family had moved to Shandong. According to the records of "New Tang Book: Clan Lineage" and "Prime Minister Lineage", Li Er's 8th grandson Li Tan moved to Zhao and Qin during the Warring States Period, and this faction later divided into two branches. The eldest son of one branch, Li Chong, served as the governor of Longxi and Duke of Nanzheng. He lived in Longxi and later became the ancestor of the Li family in Longxi. The fourth son, Li Ji, lived in Zhao County and became the ancestor of the Li family in Zhao County. These two groups prospered and became famous families. The Li family in Zhao County later included Zhao State general Li Mu, late Qin general Li Zuoche, Tang Dynasty ministers Li Jifu, Li Deyu and writer Li Yangbing. The Li family in Longxi lived in Longxi, today's Gansu Province since Li Chong, and have been officials for generations. His grandson Li trusted the Qin general and was granted the title of Marquis of Longxi. Li Xin's descendants, "Flying General" Li Guang, his sons Li Jiao, Li Gan, and grandson Li Ling were all General of the Western Han Dynasty. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Li Hao, Li Guang's 16th generation grandson, established the Xiliang Kingdom. Li Hao's 16th generation grandson is Tang Gaozu Li Yuan.

In 618 AD, Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of China's feudal society. As the "national surname", the surname Li was the most noble surname and flourished in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty was also a golden period in the history of the development of the surname Li.

In the Tang Dynasty, the Li family was regarded as the "national surname", and the increase in the population of the Li family showed unprecedented prosperity. There are two main reasons for the rapid expansion of the population surnamed Li: The first reason is the prosperity of Fan, the descendant of the Li Tang clan. The special political status of the Li Tang clan created superior conditions for their development and reproduction. There were 19 emperors in the Tang Dynasty. The emperors had many wives and concubines, and naturally they also had many sons. These princes were entrusted to various places and became local nobles. In addition, there were dozens of Li's prime ministers, each forming a branch, and their descendants multiplied, adding a lot of population to the Li family. The second reason for the expansion of the population with the surname Li is the granting of the surname. In order to consolidate his rule, Emperor Li Tang often gave people with foreign surnames "national surnames" by means of praise, favors, and win-wins to make them more loyal to the Li Tang Dynasty. This also added many new members to the Li surname. Due to the supreme status of the "national surname", it is also a supreme honor for those who are given the surname. According to historical records, those who were given the surname Li in the Tang Dynasty included the Han nationality Xu, Bing, An, Du, Hu, Hong, Guo, Ma, Zhang, Dong, and Luo, as well as the ethnic minorities Xianyu, Abu, Adi, Shili, Zhu Xieshi and so on.

After the Li family developed greatly in the Tang Dynasty, their descendants began to spread throughout the country. Li Bai, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem because people with the surname Li were attracted by many tribes and said: "I have millions of leaves of Li, and my branches are all over Zhongzhou." It can be seen that during the Tang Dynasty, the distribution of the surname Li was already very wide. During the Song Dynasty, there were approximately 5.6 million people with the surname Li, accounting for approximately 7.2% of the country's population. It was the second most popular surname in the Song Dynasty after the surname Wang. The distribution in the country is mainly concentrated in Hebei, Sichuan, Henan, and Shandong. These four provinces account for about 44% of the total population with the surname Li in the country. During the Ming Dynasty, there were about 5.1 million people with the surname Li, accounting for about 44% of the total population in the country. 5.5% of the population, second only to Wang and Zhang, was the third most common surname in the Ming Dynasty, and was mainly distributed in Jiangxi, Shanxi and Shandong provinces. The contemporary population with the surname Li has reached more than 95 million, making it the most common surname in the country, accounting for approximately 7.9% of the country's population. Its distribution across the country is currently mainly concentrated in Henan, Sichuan, and Shandong provinces. Today, the surname Li can be found in every land of the Chinese nation, and even in every corner of the world.

In addition to being the origin of the surnames such as Li, Chen, Hu, Tian, ??Sun, Yao, and Yuan, Chendi is also the place where the Xie family of Yangxia (now Taikang), the Yuan family of Chen County, and the Yang family The prestigious place of the Xia He family, the Yin family in Changping (now Xihua), the Ying family in Nandun (southwest of today's Xiangcheng), and the Wanqiu Fu family. If the population with these surnames were added up, the numbers would be staggering. The surnames and families that came out of the Chenchu ??area, as the main source of the blood of the Chinese nation, merged into the mighty river of the Chinese nation and made great contributions to the formation and development of national culture. The blood of the Chinese nation is thicker than water, and the descendants of Yan and Huang are connected by roots. The rich cultural resources of surnames in Chen attract many Chinese from home and abroad to come to Chenxungen to worship their ancestors and recognize their ancestors.

The surname Zhao is the first among hundreds of surnames. It can be traced back to the era of King Ping of Zhou. According to legend, there was a man named Zaofu who was the charioteer of King Wen of Zhou. During the era of King Ping, the Dog Rong invaded Luoyang, and King Ping was away. Zaofu traveled 800 miles a day and brought King Ping back to Luoyang to quell the rebellion. Later, as a reward, he sealed a city named Zhao, which became the surname, which is the origin of the surname Zhao. Later, in the Jin State in the Spring and Autumn Period, the city had a famous prime minister, Zhao Shuai (cui), and the prime minister Zhao Dun (in the era of Duke Linggong of Jin?) who was in exile with Chong'er. Even more famous is the Zhao dynasty established later - the Song Dynasty, from which hundreds of surnames were formulated. There are also legendary stories such as the release of military power over a glass of wine, the shadow of candles and the sound of axes. It is an important surname with many historical stories.