Shen (surname)
Shen can be a pinyin transliteration of one of several Chinese family names 沈, 申, 慎.
沈 Family
(Pinyin: shěn, [Shen3]). 14th in the Hundred family surnames poem. literal meaning "to sink", is pronounced chen rather than shen. The surnames is also pronouced Zhen[1]. Tradition says that the Shen Clan are the decendents of the legendary Emperor Huang Di, while the Zheng Clan are the decendents of Emperor ZhuanXu.
As descendants of Shao Hao. The grandson of Shao Hao was ZhuanXu’s teacher had two sons, Yun Ge and Tai Dai. Tai Dai was awarded the land of ShanXi, for his achievements in fighting the flood, during ZhuanXu’s reign. The descendants of Tai Dai were divided into four tribes, Shen, Yi, Ru, and Huang, known as the four kingdoms. The Shen kingdom was located at Runan County in Henan. In 506 B.C., all the northern kingdoms formed an alliance in their effort to fight the Chu kingdom. The Shen kingdom did not participate and was eliminated by the Cai kingdom. From then on, its people began to bear the last name Shen.
Ran Ji, the youngest son of King Wen of Zhou and brother of King Wu of Zhou, was awarded the kingdom of Shen, for his achievement of suppressing the rebellion following his brother’s death. His descendents also carry the name of Shen.
The You clan (尤) is said to be a branch of the Shen clan, having removed the radical (氵) from their surname. The You and Shen clans could not intermarry. This occurred around the 10th century as a result of a clash between name of Shen (审 - Pinyin: shěn, [Shen3]) a ruler in Fujian province[2].
Yet another origin came from the Mi (芈) surname of the State of Chu during the Chun Qiu period. The great grandson of Chu Jon Wang, Shu, as the governor of the town of Shen, and was known as Shen YiShu. Shen YiShu later became a high ranking official and was highly regarded because of his contribution in getting rid of corrupted officials like Fei WuJi and Yan JiangShi. His descendants also have the last name Shen.
The Surname is also written as :
- Sim (Hokkien)
- Sum (Cantonese)
申 Family
(Pinyin: shēn, [Shen1]). 298th in the Hundred family surnames poem.
The surname Shen 申 is one of the 50 commonest surnames in China with its influence most felt in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. The surname Shen 申originated from the surname Ying, with its ancestor called Shishen, son of Emperor Ku who in turn was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor.[3]
The Shishen clan later lived together with the Shaohao clan and was transformed by the eastern nationalities. It was therefore a Ying surname. Later they established a state called Shen. When King Zhao of Zhou Dynasty went on a southern expedition the Ying-surnamed state Shen was exterminated and its descendants took the name of the state as their surname.
During the Xia Dynasty people established a state Shen of the Si (姒) surname. By the early Zhou the State Jiang conquered the Si-surnamed state Shen and its people migrated south to Shenlu of the Chu region and their descendants also changed their surname to Shen 申.
The state Shen was ruled by the Jiāng family (薑/姜) related to the Zhou. That State existed from (reigned 827 – 782 BCE), to 688 and 680 BCE. The origin of this state arose out of enfeoffed territory of King Xuān’s maternal uncle in the former State of Xiè (謝國/谢国)[3]. The of the State of Shen acted as a strategic southern gateway to the lands controlled by the Zhou Kings.
慎 Family
(Pinyin: shèn, [Shen4]). 340th in the Hundred family surnames poem. Origin is said to originate in Yingshang county (颍上县)[4].
References
- ^ p.214 Your chinese roots, Thomas Tsu-wee Tan ISBN 981-204-481-7
- ^ p.214 Your chinese roots, Thomas Tsu-wee Tan ISBN 981-204-481-7
- ^ Peoples Daily Online
- ^ http://www.fynews.net/html/2010/02/120703408100.htm
External links
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