Hundred Surnames

Author: Zhang Xinbin
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Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: Chinese surnames have a long and profound history. In ancient times, surnames and clan names were strictly distinguished, and even after their unification, people could still derive historical background and related information from surnames. Today, as symbols of families and individuals, surnames remain a common yet unavoidable aspect of social interactions and daily life. Therefore, this book provides concise yet fundamental knowledge about surnames. Throughout history, the exact number of Chinese surnames has always been a key question explored by experts in the study of Chinese surnames. The Tang Dynasty’s Yuanhe Surname Compilation recorded 1,520 surnames, the Song Dynasty’s Brief on Clan Names listed 2,368 surnames, the Ming Dynasty’s Surname Collection included over 2,500 surnames, the Surname Dictionary recorded 3,625 surnames, and the Qing Dynasty’s Surname Origins listed 4,053 surnames. The Great Dictionary of Chinese Surnames by renowned surname expert Yuan Yida and others includes 11,969 Chinese surnames from ancient and modern ethnic groups, comprising 5,327 single-character surnames, 4,329 double-character surnames, 1,615 triple-character surnames, 569 quadruple-character surnames, 96 quintuple-character surnames, 22 sextuple-character surnames, 7 septuple-character surnames, 3 octuple-character surnames, and 1 nonuple-character surname. Although this book records the most surnames to date, the total number of Chinese surnames may still be greater. Since surnames are something everyone encounters daily, using common surnames as an introductory textbook has long been a concern for ancient scholars. In the Western Han Dynasty, the official historian Shi You wrote The Urgent Script, arranging 134 three-character verses to help people, especially children, memorize common surnames. Later, more attempts were made, but the most influential was the Hundred Surnames by Qian of the Northern Song Dynasty. Early versions of the Hundred Surnames included 410 common surnames, while the most widely used version today lists 438 surnames. The Comprehensive Expansion of Clan Surnames, which is richly illustrated, is widely circulated among the people and includes 504 surnames. Despite the existence of different surname educational texts like the Thousand Surnames from the Ming Dynasty and the Imperially Composed Hundred Surnames from the Qing Dynasty, people recognize surnames and begin their lives through the rhythmic recitation of "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang."