Great Wall of China

Author: Hebei People's Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-06-01
Features: The Chinese nation is a great ethnic group with a long history, a large population, splendid culture, and outstanding contributions to human civilization. It is a unified entity composed of fifty-six ethnic groups, each with varying populations. This unified entity is further made up of thousands of surname cells. Research on ethnic issues has been extensively written about, but discussions and introductions on surnames are relatively rare. The Chinese people have always attached great importance to surnames. When meeting someone for the first time, they often ask, "What is your surname?" When interacting with others, they address them as "Comrade So-and-So" or "Mr./Ms. So-and-So." The "So-and-So" refers to the other person's surname. "Changing one's name when walking is not necessary, and one should not change one's surname when sitting" reflects the dignity of a person. According to rough statistics based on documented records, the number of Chinese surnames has reached as many as seven thousand. Some have unique pronunciations, while others have unusual characters. If one could hold a comprehensive guide in hand, understanding the origins and evolution of surnames would be at a glance. The Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Surnames was compiled based on this idea. Its title is designed to reveal the meaning of tracing origins. The Preface mainly covers three aspects: the origins of Chinese surnames, brief introductions to major works on Chinese surnames throughout history, and an explanation of the book's format. The Appendices consist of three parts: (1) General Discussion on Chinese Surnames, (2) Table of Major Surname Clusters in Chinese History, and (3) Table of Compound Surnames Changed to Single Surnames During the Northern Dynasties. The General Discussion on Chinese Surnames provides a comprehensive historical overview of the formation, development, and evolution of Chinese surnames. It is an independent essay as well as a summary of the entire book. Reading it alongside the Preface gives a basic outline of Chinese surnames and serves as an introduction to using the book. The two appendices are uniquely designed to help readers understand the horizontal relationships between different segments.