Li surname The Li surname is the most common surname in China and is widely distributed, accounting for about 7.94% of the country's Han population
The oldest birthplace of the Liu surname is in Tang County, Hebei today. This is the place where the descendants of the ancient Liu surname lived and inhabited in ancient prehistoric times, who wielded giant axes, took Liu as their totem, and bravely conquered nature. The surname Liu has a "kinglike aura", and the Liu Han Dynasty constituted the first climax of Chinese civilization. From then on, the main body of the Chinese nation was called Han people, Han nationality, and the Chinese language was called Hanyu and Chinese characters. God is so clear about the Liu surname that He has given the heavy responsibility of laying the foundation of Chinese civilization to the descendants of the Liu surname. High-flying giant ax - the most primitive root of the surname Liu. Trees have roots and water has a source.
As the fourth most common surname in China, what are the roots and origins of the Liu surname? Although there is a saying in China that "King Zhang, Li Zhao and Liu everywhere", if you ask others what the "Liu" in the surname Liu means, I am afraid that few people nowadays, even the people surnamed Liu, can give you a clear answer!
So what does the word "Liu" mean when it is low? We might as well use the keys of ancient Chinese philology and modern etymology to trace the origin of the word "Liu". The original image of the character Liu When people introduce the surname Liu, they often say: "surname Liu, literary sword Liu". This is what people see today, the character Liu, which represents the bloodline emblem of tens of millions of people with the surname Liu in the Chinese world.
In fact, the Liu character that everyone sees now is just a modern simplified character popular in mainland China and Singapore. Seeing this, we will understand: to explore the original image and earliest meaning of the character "Liu", we cannot only look at the simplified Chinese characters, but must look at the traditional Chinese character "Liu". The oldest Chinese characters known to people in China are oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions. Unfortunately, we have not yet found the word "Liu" in oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions or pottery inscriptions engraved on pottery. What is strange is that the earliest dictionary in China - written by Xu Shen, a master of philology in the Eastern Han Dynasty "Liu", which was a prominent national surname at that time, is nowhere to be found in "Shuowen Jiezi". Some people think that this is out of taboo.
The oldest form of "Liu" seen today is the Xiaozhuan and official script of the Han Dynasty. Tomahawk - the original meaning of the character Liu. In modern Chinese, the character "Liu" has no other meaning except being used as a surname. Therefore, few people can explain what the surname Liu means. In fact, the word "Liu" in ancient Chinese has extremely rich and magical meanings. According to statistics from the most authoritative Chinese dictionaries in the world, such as Ciyuan, Chinese Dictionary, and Chinese Dictionary, the word "Liu" had as many as 11 different meanings and interpretations in ancient times. 1. Noun, weapons such as axes and axes. "Guangya·Shiqi": "Liu, knife". "Zhengzi Tong·Dao Bu" also explains: "Liu, Yue belongs to the genus". 2. Verb, kill, kill. "Erya·Shigushang" says: "Liu, kill." 3. Verb, conquer, conquer. "Erya·Shigushang" also says: "Liu, Keye". 4. Verb, Chen, lay out. "Erya Shi Gushang" also said: "Liu, Chen Ye". 5. Verb, wither. "Chinese Dictionary" says: "Liu, the branches and leaves of trees are sparse and uneven." 6. Noun, referring to a kind of fruit tree, also called "Liu Zi". "Erya Shimu" says: "Liu, Liu Muyi". Guo Pu commented: "Liu Zi was born in the mountains. He is really like a pear, with a sweet core and a hard core. He grows out of Jiaozhi." 7. Adjectives, commonly used as "忄 Liu", "female Liu", beautiful appearance. 8. Tong "Liu" means Hui. "Huainanzi·Yuandao": "Liu Lan took partial photos, and returned to guard them all." Gao You commented: "Liu Lan is looking back." 9. Commonly used with the word "鏏". "Ji Yun" "鏏 or Liu". 10. Place names, "Zuo Zhuan·Yin Gong Eleventh Year" records: "As soon as Wu Liu was taken...". This is the place name, near present-day Zhengzhou, Henan. 11. The name of the river, "Shui Jing Zhu·Luoshui" records: "The north of Heshui merges with Liushui".
Among so many meanings, which one is the most original and fundamental meaning of the word "Liu"? When people originally used the word "Liu" as a symbol of blood relationship and Liu's emblem, which meaning did they use? Surname experts believe that the most primitive surnames often come from the totem worship of the most primitive tribal peoples.
Therefore, the meaning of a Chinese character as a surname is the most original and fundamental meaning of the character, which often refers to a specific thing or object.
From the 11 meanings of the word "Liu" listed above, only the interpretation of "axe" may be the original meaning of the word "Liu". That is the original meaning of the surname Liu. According to the rules of etymology, we can deduce that the original meaning of Liu is related to "knife" and "metal". It can be seen that the most original and fundamental meaning of the word "Liu" refers to a kind of "battle axe". Since the original meaning of the word "Liu" refers to a kind of axe, what is the logical internal connection between the surname Liu and this kind of axe? Why did our ancient ancestors choose the name of this kind of ax as the emblem of their bloodline - the Liu family? Clan that worships giant axes - the ancient Liu people It turns out that the axe, the oldest and most common tool, once played an extremely great role and significance in the history of human evolution and civilization.
Of course people today will not realize the important role of the axe. However, in the primitive life of human beings, the role and significance of the ax is no less important than that of cars, airplanes, rockets and missiles in modern social life. The theory of cultural anthropology believes that the sign that humans bid farewell to apes and evolved from animals to humans is that humans can make tools. The ax is one of the most primitive and ancient tools created by mankind. "Liu" is one of the primitive axes. In other words, in a certain primitive clan, they call the ax "Liu".
Of course, the most primitive "Liu", or in other words: the most primitive axe, was not a metal product, but made of stone. They may have been extremely crude at first, not as sharp as the axes we see today. This can be seen from the large number of stone axes used by primitive humans found in archaeological discoveries. In the childhood of human society, humans relied on rough and primitive stone tools like "Liu" to resist attacks by wild beasts and kill wild beasts. It is conceivable that without the primitive tool "Liu" (that is, the axe), our ancestors - primitive humans would not be able to get out of the dense dark forests and come to the plains; without "Liu", primitive humans would not be able to fight back. Those extremely ferocious and terrifying man-eating beasts protect themselves; without "Liu", primitive people would not be able to cut down and collect more fruits, or hunt a large number of wild beasts.
In a later period, "Liu" became an important weapon in war. At this time, because the ax was connected with war, it was also called a tomahawk, and "Liu" was one of the tomahawks. Especially before humans invented bows, arrows and spears, Liu was the most lethal weapon among human weapons. In short, "Liu" is the most common and basic tool for human beings to survive, and it is also the tool used by human beings to create civilization.
When Chinese people talk about the origin of human civilization, they like to use the term "the beginning of chaos" to describe it, and it was "Liu" who made mankind move from chaos to civilization. Not only that, the Chinese also believe that the entire world and universe were created by "Liu". There is another groundbreaking theory in the formation of the universe: when the Chinese trace the origin of human history, they often describe it like this: "Since Pangu created the world...". In the legendary myth, Pangu, the creator of mankind and the universe, used a magical axe, namely "Liu", to create the universe.
As early as the ancient times, a certain clan in our Chinese nation understood and realized the sacred role and power of the tool "Liu", so they used "Liu" as their official symbol. The totem of the clan began to worship him. Over time, "Liu" became the blood emblem that distinguished this clan from other clans, and was gradually recognized by other clans. Thus, the world's oldest primitive Liu clan was formed.
The original birthplace of the Liu family - today's Tang County, Hebei Province. According to existing data, the oldest Liu family is in today's Tang County, Hebei Province. The explanation of "Liu" on page 400 of Sanmin Book Company's "Big Dictionary" is: "Liu, place name", the fiefdom of the descendants of Emperor Yaotao's Tang family, in today's Tang County, Hebei Province. The great historian Zheng Qiao of the Song Dynasty also said in "General Chronicles: Clan Names with Yi as Surnames": "Emperor Yao granted Liu a title after Tao of the Tang Dynasty, and his place is now Tang County in Dingzhou."
The theory of ancient toponymy believes that some place names are named after people, and some groups of people are named after places. The descendants of the Tang family of Emperor Yaotao were granted the title of Liu Di, which shows that there were people here first. Liu Di, how did Liu Di get its place name? We believe that Liu Di is still named after its people, but it is not named after the descendants of the Tang family of Emperor Yaotao who were granted the title here, but because the oldest Liu clan uses the ax "Liu" as their totem. It got its name from the people who once lived, moved and lived here.
At this point, we can make the following bold speculation. The oldest known birthplace of the Liu clan is in today’s Tang County, Hebei Province. "As a totem and blood emblem, this is the place where the Liu clan lived and inhabited during the process of bravely conquering nature and opening up civilization.
The Miao descendants of Emperor Yao - the main source of the surname Liu. The Chinese nation is a nation formed by the fusion of many ethnic groups. At the same time, we can often see this phenomenon in the historical process of the formation of Chinese surnames: a Common modern surnames are often produced and formed from multiple sources, rather than from a single source. Of course, the origin of the modern Liu surname is not single, but multiple. To sum up, there are five sources: one of them originated from the Qi surname Liu after Emperor Yao; one originated from the youngest son of King Zhou Cheng who was granted the title of Liu Yi to establish Liu Ziguo. The surname was changed to Liu because King Zhou Cheng's surname was Ji. They are called the Liu family with the surname Ji; third, the emperor of the Han Dynasty gave Lou Jing the surname Liu, and the branch developed by his descendants is called the Liu family; fourth, the Xiongnu, Xianbei and other ethnic minorities changed their surname to Liu; fifth, It was other surnames who changed their surname to Liu for various reasons.
Among the many different sources of the Liu surname, the Liu surname after Emperor Yao and Qi is the oldest and most important source of the Chinese Liu surname. Emperor Yao - the blood ancestor of the Liu surname. Looking through various surname studies classics or any ordinary Liu family genealogy, we find that when tracing the origin of the Liu surname, almost all of it can be traced back to Emperor Yao, one of the legendary Five Emperors.
According to historical records: Yao’s surname was Qi and his given name was Fangxun. Legend has it that Yu Jiashen (2377 BC) was born in Danyang (now Tang County, Hebei Province). He was smart since he was a child. He was famous among tribes near and far for being good at making pottery when he was young. At the age of fifteen, he was promoted as the chief of his tribe because of his outstanding abilities, and was named Tang Hou by Emperor Ku, the monarch of the Chinese chiefdom in the Central Plains at that time. From then on, he and his clan were called "Taotang clan" by various tribes at that time. Around 2357 BC, Yao succeeded Emperor Ku and became the monarch of the Chinese chiefdom in the Central Plains at the age of 20. "Historical Records" records: "Emperor Ku Gao Xin is the grandson of the Yellow Emperor", "Marrying a daughter of Dare Zi's family will give birth to Zhi." , he died due to bad behavior, and his younger brother Fang Xunli was established. Yao's mother Qingdu was from a matrilineal society and had a surname of Qi (or Yi Qi). Therefore, Yao adopted his mother's surname of Qi according to the system of a matrilineal society. Yao reigned for 78 years and died in 2259 BC at the age of 118. After Yao became the monarch of the Chinese chiefdom in the Central Plains, he also conquered the original Liu clan while conquering all directions, and granted Liu land to his own family members, making them the leaders of the conquered Liu Yi. From then on, the new ruler of Liu Yi and his family took "Liu" as their "surname". The original aboriginal Liu clan who originally lived in Liu Yi were gradually conquered and integrated into the Liu clan with the Qi surname, descendants of Emperor Yao. Although they still retained the emblem of the Liu clan, they had evolved from the original independent Liu clan into The Liu clan with the surname Qi.
So what is the relationship between Emperor Yao’s Qi surname Liu and the contemporary Liu surname? Who is the founder of the contemporary Liu surname? As for the relationship between the Qi surname Liu after Emperor Yao and the contemporary Liu surname, it was clearly stated in "Zuo Zhuan·The 29th Year of Zhao Gong", one of the Thirteen Classics of Confucianism: "As Tao and Tang Dynasties declined, Liu Lei followed. ". Since then, this statement has been inherited by Confucian classics, official history, surname study classics and various Liu family genealogy discs. "Book of Tang Dynasty: Genealogy List of Prime Ministers": "Shun granted Yao's son Danzhu the title of Marquis of Tang Dynasty. In the summer, Danzhu's grandson Liu Lei moved to Lu County, and Lei's grandson stayed in his hometown. In the Shang Dynasty, his name was changed to Weishi, and Zhou Fu changed it to Duke of Tang Dynasty. When King Cheng destroyed the Tang Dynasty, he named his younger brother Shu Yu. Later, he named Liu Lei's descendant in Lu County as a Marquis of Tang Dynasty to worship Yao."
This fully proves that Emperor Yao is the blood ancestor of the current Liu surname.
But Yao's surname was Qi and not Liu, so who was the founder of the Liu surname?
3. Liu Lei is the ancestor of the surname Liu, and his ancestral roots are in Lushan County.
To talk about the formation of the surname Liu, we must first find out who is the founder of the surname Liu? The author believes that the first person to get the surname Liu back then should be the originator of the surname Liu today. So who is this person? Due to the long history, unknown historical records, different folklore, and divergent opinions in the existing documents, it has not been resolved who is the ancestor of the Liu surname.
According to historical records, Yao had 10 sons and two daughters. The eldest son Jianming died early. ("Historical Records" says: "When Shun was twenty years old, he heard about his filial piety. When he was thirty years old, Yao asked about those who could be used. The four mountains recommended Yu and Shun and said they were fine. So Yao gave Shun his wife Shun with two women to observe inside, and asked nine men to marry him. The nine men mentioned in history books are Danzhu, Kaiming, Qiming, Yinming, Jueming, Woming, Huiming, Yuanming and Shaokang.
Therefore, there are several theories about the founder of the Liu surname: One theory is that the ancestor of the Liu surname was Yao's eldest son Jianming. Another theory is that the ancestor who was granted the surname of Liu Di was not Jianming, but his son Shi. This statement was first seen in the Weishu "Shang Shuhou" popular in the Han Dynasty. The book records: "Yao's eldest son Jianming died early and could not be established. Jianming's son was granted the title of Liu, and Zhu was unworthy and could not be granted a shrine." Three theories believe that it was Yao's ninth son Yuanming who was granted the title of Liu Yi. This statement is rarely found in ancestral documents, but it is popular in genealogies of the Liu surname. Four theories believe that the ancestor of the surname Liu who was granted the surname was Danzhu, the second son of Yao. This view is found in some genealogies of the Tang surname that have the same origin as Liu. The introduction of the Tang surname in "New Book of Tang: Genealogy List of Prime Ministers" also adopts this theory.
Five theories believe that the founding ancestor of the Liu family named Qi was not a son or grandson of Yao, but Liu Lei of the Xia Dynasty, a descendant of Yao hundreds of years later. This statement is relatively popular in the history of the origin of the surname Liu.
Six theories believe that the ancestor of the surname Liu is Yao's son Yuanming, and they emphasize that Yuanming, Danzhu and Jianming are different names of the same person. This statement is not found in the historical and biographical documents handed down from generation to generation, but is only found in the Liu family genealogy that was formed later.
Among the many theories about the ancestors of Liu family members who were granted the surname, the author believes that Liu Lei's theory is the most accurate and convincing.
Because although one clan among the ancient primitive clans held a giant ax high and used "Liu" as their totem to form the oldest Liu clan in the world, this Liu clan lived in Tang County, Hebei today. It is called Liu Di or Liu Yi. Later, this Liu clan was conquered and merged by the Liu clan with the surname Qi, the descendants of Emperor Yao, and evolved into the new Liu clan with the surname Qi. Because at that time, any clan member who was granted the title of Liu Land could be called the Liu clan, and his clan members could be called the Liu clan. At the same time, at that time, the surname was not fundamentally independent.
The first real person surnamed Liu who was officially found in the classics and official historical documents was Liu Lei in the late Xia Dynasty, and his ancestral roots were in Lushan County, Henan Province today.
Many mysterious legends have been circulated about Liu Lei since ancient times. These legends are mainly recorded in "Zuo Zhuan", "Historical Records", "Tang Shu" and a large number of genealogies of the Liu family, Tang family, Liu family and so on. Documents record that Liu Lei is a descendant of Emperor Yao Tao Tang and was born in the late Xia Dynasty. "Zuo Zhuan·The 29th Year of Zhao Gong": "Liu Lei studied (trained) Long in the Bolong family to serve Kong Jia and eat him. After Xia Hou Jiazhi, he was given the title of Yulong family to replace Bowei. Therefore, after the death of a female Houlong, she hid in the sauce to feed the Xiahou, and the Xiahou ate it, so she sought it out, feared it and moved to Lu County, and the Fan family followed her." "Historical Records·Xia Benji" says: "When Kong Jia was established, he was good at treating ghosts and gods, and engaged in adultery. The virtue of the Queen of Xia declined, and the princes were surrounded by it. Two dragons fell from the sky, both male and female. Kong Jia could not eat, so he did not get the dragon clan. Tao and Tang Dynasties Later, Liu Lei studied with the Zhu Long clan and served Kong Jia. Kong Jia gave him the title of Yu Long clan, and he received the title of Yu Long. And moved away.” "Shui Jing Zhu" says: "Liu Lei, the last grandson of Yao, used the dragon to eat Emperor Kong Jia, but Kong Jia couldn't get it, so he moved to Lu County (today's Lushan County) out of fear and built a shrine to Yao in Xishan, which is called Yao Mountain. ".
Therefore, Zhang Heng's "Nandu Fu" said: "In the distant past, Liu Hou Ganchao Longmin, moved to Lu County, served the late emperor and pursued filial piety, and established the Tang Temple in Yaoshan." "Yao Mountain is in Taihe River, and the water flows out of Yan in the northeast of Taihe City. The water passes east to the south of the old city of Luyang County. The city is the hometown of Liu Lei. There is Mount Lu, and the county is located in its Yang, so it is named Yan. Wang Mangzhi Lu Shan Ye". Legend has it that Liu Lei's birth was very strange. He was born with a special pattern on each palm of his hands, which seemed to be the word "Liu Lei" in the hieroglyphics at that time ("Liu" and "Liu" were commonly used in the pre-Qin Dynasty). The ancients were very superstitious. Liu Lei's family believed that this birthmark was some kind of omen from heaven and a hint from God, so they named the newborn baby Liu Lei.
There is also a record in a "Qingyuanliu Clan Genealogy" that Liu Lei was born with a character in each palm of his hand, the shape of which is: "Mao on the field, tied under the field" (1 work ("Mao Shang is tied to Shitian"), so it was named "Liulei", and the surname "Liu" came from this. This "Liu" surname also publicly recommends Liu Lei as the ancestor of the Zhao surname. Therefore, Liu Lei is both the ancestor of the Liu surname and the ancestor of the Liu surname.
According to the "Research on the Origin of the Liu Clan in Sarawak": "Liu Lei became a member of Xia Kongjia and was given the Yulong family. When he was born, his two palms became the word 'Liu Lei', so he took it as his surname. ". "Preface to the Genealogy of the Liu Family in Fengyang, Anhui" says: "I, the Liu family, are descended from the Miao descendants of Emperor Yao. In the Xia Dynasty, Emperor Yao Tao's descendants of the Tang family had a son named Liu Lei, so he was named Liu. This is why I, Liu, The end of the clan."
According to the record on page 70 of "Complete History of China": "Liu Lei has learned dragon training from the Cuan Long family since his ancestors, and he is an expert in dragon training passed down from generation to generation. Liu Lei also inherited Kong Jia gave Liu Lei two dragons he caught from the Yellow River and Han River to raise, and gave Liu Lei the title of Yulong to replace the descendants of Shewei. Not long after, the female dragon was captured. He was injured and died. Liu Lei secretly chopped the dragon meat into meat sauce and offered it to Kong Jia. After Kong Jia ate it, he found it delicious. Liu Lei was afraid and fled to Lu County (now Lushan, Henan). county)".
According to the legend: "Liu Lei was in a hurry when he fled Lu County, and his family was separated. Liu Lei ran to the old city of Luyang, which later became Qiugong City, his wife ran to Posuo Street, and his son ran to Liu Xiang. In Gongzhuang, my daughter-in-law and daughter ran to my sister-in-law's stone." This legend has left mysterious memories for future generations. After Liu Lei moved to Lu and lived in seclusion, he indeed escaped the disaster of genocide. Part of the original Liu clan, that is, the Yulong clan, also moved to Lu County with Liu Lei and settled down.
In order to avoid recruiting Liu Lei and his people, they voluntarily gave up the name Yulong clan given to them by the Xia Dynasty, and still called them the Liu clan. The Liu clan, which moved to Lu County, still respected Emperor Yao as the blood ancestor of the clan. Yao Temple was established in Dayao Mountain. "Nandu Fu" says: "I came to Lu County to move, to serve the late emperor and pursue filial piety, and to establish the Tang Dynasty and worship in Yaoshan."
The Temple of Emperor Yao was built in Xiaoyao Mountain, thirty miles northwest of the present county. "Fang Yu Ji Yao" states: "Yao Mountain is forty miles northwest of the county. During the reign of Emperor Kongjia in the Xia Dynasty, Liu Lei moved to Luli Yao. The temple is built on the mountain because of its name." Today the incense here is still very prosperous. It has long become a holy place of pilgrimage for pilgrims from all over the society.
After Liu Lei moved to Lu County, he lived in the old city of Luyang, namely Qiugong City. "Shui Jing Zhu" says: "The water also passes eastward to the south of the old city of Luyang, and the city is the old city of Liu Lei." (Thirty miles west of today's county, the place name is Qiugongcheng, that is, its place).
Liu Lei moved to Lu and lived here, and his death was buried on the east side of Qiugong City. According to the 98-year-old Mr. Lei Pingxin, who is originally from Baishazuizhuang in the west of Gengji Town (near Qiugong City): "There is Liu Lei's tomb on the east side of Qiugong City. The tomb is much larger than ordinary tombs. When I was a child, I often went to private school with my classmates. When visiting Liu Lei's cemetery, there is a three or four-foot-tall stone tablet in front of the tomb, which is engraved with the words 'Hometown of Huanlong, the tomb of my minister Liu Lei'." (2002 Survey of Orally Transmitted Materials).
After Liu Lei's death, people built Liu Lei Pavilion in Niulan Mountain in the north of Lu County to commemorate his old man. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Chronicles of Prefectures and Countries, Nanyang County" records: "There is Mount Lu in Luyang, and there is Niulanlei Pavilion". Another saying goes: "There is Niulanlei Pavilion in Luyang".
To sum up, we can say with bold certainty: Not only is Emperor Yao's grandson Liu Lei the ancestor of the Liu surname in today's world, but his ancestral roots are in Lushan County, Henan Province today.
Since the Liu Lei family has lived in the Lushan area for a long time, a series of place names related to the Liu surname have been left in Lushan. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than ten Liuzhuang and Liuzhuang, as well as Liuzhuang. Xianggongzhuang, Liuzezhuang, Liushanmenzhuang, Liuhe, Liuzhai, Liugou, Liutiegou, East and West Liuwan, Guanliu, Wanghuliu, etc.
4. The evolution of the Liu surname
From Liu Lei's Yulong clan to his descendant's Wei clan. When Liu Lei raised dragons for Kong Jia in the Xia Dynasty, he was given " "Yulong clan", received by Wei Zhi. This means that when Liu Lei was granted the Yulong clan by Kong Jia, he also gave Liu Lei the former fiefdom of the Dapeng clan, Shewei, as a food town. When Liu Lei moved to Lu County due to the death of the dragon, Kong Jia not only canceled the He took back the title of Liu Lei's Yulong clan, took back the food town of Shewei, and gave it back to its old owner, the Dapeng clan. The Liu clan who originally lived in Shewei were expelled. Most of the expelled Liu clan moved to Lu County with Liu Lei and settled down, while the rest were scattered in other places.
In the 18th century BC, at the time of the Xia and Shang Dynasties, the Liu clan, which was originally expelled, became increasingly powerful. Unable to endure the oppression of the Xia Dynasty, they took refuge in the emerging Yin and Shang dynasties. King Shang After Chengtang eliminated the pro-Xia Dynasty Da Peng Siwei, he re-confederated the Liu clan, descendants of Liu Lei, to the hometown of Siwei and allowed them to inherit the title of Siwei. Just as Du Xue's note in "Zuo Zhuan" said: "Zhiwei restored the country and was destroyed in Shang Dynasty, which was a burden to later generations. The country was restored as Shuwei". After the founding of the Shang Tang Dynasty, in order to revive the country and inherit the peerless world, Wei Wei, whose surname was Peng, was allowed to return to the country and was granted the title of earl. At this time, Liu Lei's descendants had no choice but to have their title of Siwei revoked again. It was not until the middle of the Shang Dynasty that Shang Gaozong's "Wu Ding Zhongxing" once again eliminated the Peng surnamed Shuwei Kingdom, and restored the Liu family descendants of Liu Lei as the Shuwei family. From then on, the Liu clan, descendants of Liu Lei, took Yi as their surname, and changed their clan name from Liu clan to Shewei clan. It became a tribal government dependent on the Shang Dynasty.
From the Shiwei family to the Tang family, the Du family, and the Tang family. After the descendants of Liu Lei were changed from the Liu family to the Shuwei family, hundreds more lived in the area of ????Ziwei (now Wei Township, Huaxian County, Henan Province). Year. By the 12th century BC, after King Cheng of Zhou conquered Zhou and destroyed Shang, a large number of descendants of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors were granted titles. After conferring a descendant of Emperor Yao in Ji (today's Beijing), he also granted the title of Weiwei, who was also a descendant of the Tao Tang family. Liu Lei was later granted the title of Tao Tang in his old place (today's west of Jicheng, Shanxi).
During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, this descendant of Liu Lei took the land as his surname and evolved into the Tang surname. Decades later, due to the close relationship between the Tang people and merchants, King Zhou Cheng was probably worried about the Tang State, which was descended from the Qi surnamed Liu Lei, who was originally pro-Shang Dynasty, so he abolished the Tang State, the descendants of Liu Lei, and granted the Tang State's hometown to himself. His younger brother Shu Yu made a fiefdom, and Liu Lei's descendants moved to Ducheng (now Duqu, southeast of Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province), changed their title to Du family, and demoted their titles to counts.
At this point, the Liu clan, the descendants of Liu Lei, established their own tribal state in Ducheng, and from then on the Tang clan was renamed the Du clan, or Tang Du clan. Another part of the members of the Tang Kingdom did not move to Ducheng, but were scattered in other vassal states and still had the surname Tang. They became the ancestors of today's Tang surname.
The story of Du Bo In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, the monarch of Du State, a descendant of Liu Lei, began to serve as an official in the Western Zhou Dynasty. During the reign of King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty, the last Du Bo served as a doctor in the Zhou Dynasty. According to the "Research on the Origin of the Liu Family in Sarawak": "After Lei, he said Zhen, Wei, Zhong, Kan, Hang, and Song. He has good virtues and will not lose his family reputation. Song of the eighth generation of Sun Shujia, Shang At that time, he was the Marquis of Weiwei, and the name of the country was called "Ziwei". His twelfth generation grandson had Jingyan, and King Cheng of Zhou Dynasty conquered the Tang Dynasty and granted him the title of Du Bo of Tang Dynasty. Uncle Jing was named Hu, Uncle Mu was named Yuan, Uncle Zhuang was named Li, Uncle Huan was named Chu, Uncle Hui was named Jiang, and Uncle Xi was named Rui. In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, in the forty-third year of King Xuan of Zhou (785 BC), the last Du Bo who served in the Western Zhou Dynasty was innocently killed by King Xuan of Zhou. The Du State of Qi, a descendant of Liu Lei, was also destroyed by the Zhou Dynasty. After the death of King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty, King You of Zhou Dynasty announced that Du Bo had been rehabilitated and a shrine was built to commemorate his death.
His temple is called Du Bo Temple, and his tomb is called Du Ling, both of which are located in Ducheng (Duqu, southeast of Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province). After Du Bo was killed and the Du Kingdom was destroyed, his descendants fled to other countries for refuge.
Du Bo had a son named Uncle Xi, who fled to the State of Jin and was promoted to a high-ranking official. From then on, the descendants of Uncle Du Xi took the official surname as the surname and changed it to the Shi surname, and they multiplied in the Jin Dynasty. From the Shi family to the Sikong family, the Sui family, and the Fan family. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Liu family was probably blessed by the gods of Emperor Yao and Liu Lei, and the descendants of Uncle Du Xi who fled to the Jin State prospered in the Jin State. Uncle Du Xi gave birth to two sons, Jian and He. Among them, "Zuo Zhuan" calls him a scholar, with the courtesy name Ziyu. He inherited his father's career and initially served as a scholar in the Jin Dynasty. It is said that during his tenure, "there were no treacherous officials in the court." Due to his outstanding political achievements, he was promoted to Sikong (a minister in charge of land, water conservancy and construction projects in ancient times). In order to reward the scholar's achievements, the monarch of the Jin Dynasty specially gave him Sui land (southeast of Jiexiu, Shanxi today) as a territory. So the people of Shiyang came to settle in Sui Dynasty. The descendants of the scholars who came to the Sui Dynasty in this way took their surnames from the Sui Dynasty where they were granted fiefs, and changed their name to the Sui family.
In addition to one branch of the descendants of Shi who were changed to the Shi family and the other to the Sui family, there is another group of descendants who took the official position (Sikong) that the scholar had held as their surname, which is the origin of today's Sikong family. In addition, there is also a surname named after a scholar, forming the Shishi surname in history.
Shi gave birth to a son named Cheng Boque in Jin State, and Boque gave birth to a son, Shihui. After Shihui, he was rewarded with the territory of Fan (today's Fan County, Henan) by the king of Jin. The Shihui tribesmen who followed Shihui to Fan also took the fief "Fan" as their surname and were called the Fan family. This is the origin of the surname Fan, another popular surname in China today.
As recorded in "Zuo Zhuan: The Twenty-Fourth Year of Duke Xiang" and "Guoyu·Jinyu 8" about the spread of the Yulong clan: In 549 BC, Uncle Sun Mu, the uncle of Lu Qing, visited Jin. At the welcome banquet, Fan Xuanzi talked about the glorious history of his family in a very proud tone, "My ancestors were the Tao Tang family before Shun, the Yulong family in the Xia Dynasty, the Wei family in the Shang Dynasty, and the Tang Du family in the Western Zhou Dynasty. , are all famous and powerful families. Now that the Jin State has become the leader of the Chinese Alliance, we, the Fan family, are also the Qing clan of the Jin State. The ancients' so-called "death and immortality" probably refers to a large family like ours that continues to be prosperous from generation to generation. of" . At that time, his uncle, grandson Mu, was very disgusted with Fan Xuanzi's self-promotion and refuted it on the spot: "This kind of preservation of surnames and surnames in order to maintain ancestral visits and maintain temples from generation to generation cannot be regarded as 'immortality' at all, but can only be regarded as 'shilu'; Only those who can make meritorious deeds, establish virtues, and establish good reputations can be said to be the "three immortals". . But he did not deny the authenticity of the inheritance system from Tao Tang to Fan.
Zheng Qiao said in the twenty-sixth volume of "Tongzhi" "Clan 2": "After Yao, it was divided into six families, the Tang family, the Du family, the Fan family, the Liu family, the Wei family, and the Qi family. For the sake of the surname, how could Yao not forget it?" In fact, in addition to the six major surnames, the Shi family, Sikong family, Sui family and Shi family should also be added. As far as the six surnames are concerned, the Qi family is the original surname of Yao, and the Wei family is the evolution of Wei. In the development process from Yao's Tao Tang family to Liu's family, the Shi family and the Fan family were very important links.
5. The development of the Liu surname
In the early history of the formation and development of the Liu surname, there were not many celebrities. After Liu Lei, except for Du Bo who was unjustly killed by King Zhou Xuan and had some influence, most of Liu Lei's descendants were unknown. This family really became famous among the princes during the Shi and Fan periods. Just as Wang Fu praised in "Qian Fu Lun", "Since the Tang Dynasty and above the Han Dynasty, the Liu family has been the most virtuous in the world, and Fan Hui is the most prosperous." Shihui and the revival of the Liu family Shihui's surname was Qi, his given name was Hui, and his courtesy name was Ji. He took Shi as his surname. Zeng Shiyi was called Suihui in the Sui Dynasty. He also lived in Fan and was called Fan Hui. In history, he was also called Fan Xuanzi. He was born into a family of eunuchs and was a prominent figure active in the political arena of the Jin state for half a century in the early Spring and Autumn Period. In his early years, he served as a senior official of the Jin state, assisting Duke Wen of Jin and Duke Xiang of Jin. He was one of the heroes of the Jin state's dominance of the Central Plains.
In 621 BC, Duke Xianggong of Jin passed away and the prince Yigao was young. For the future of the country, the ministers of the Jin State, led by Zhao Dun, held a cabinet meeting and decided to abolish the prince and replace him with the younger brother of Duke Xiang, who was serving as Yaqing in Qin at that time. The young master Yong became the new monarch of Jin. Because Gongzi Yong was the son of Shihui's aunt Du Qi and Jin Wengong, and was related to Shihui, the Jin State sent Shihui and another minister Xianmei as envoys to Qin to welcome Gongzi Yong back to the country to succeed him. However, when Shihui and Gongzi Yong were still on their way back to the country under the escort of the Qin army, dramatic changes occurred in the Jin country. In 620 BC, under the pressure of Jin Xianggong's wife Miao Ying, the Jin ministers headed by Zhao Dun betrayed Shihui and Prince Yong, and established the young Yigao as the king of Jin in Jin Dynasty (i.e. Jin Linggong), and sent troops to block the Qin army and prevent Shi Hui and Prince Yong from returning to the country. Qin and Jin fought a battle in the area from Linghu to Guoshou, but the Qin army was unprepared and defeated. After this war, Shihui could no longer return to Jin and was forced to flee to Qin for refuge. Then his wife, children and some tribesmen also settled in Qin. Shihui was highly valued in the Qin State and served as a counselor for the Qin Army, making suggestions for the Qin Army's attack on the Jin State. It posed a great threat to Jin State. In the seventh year of Duke Linggong of Jin (614 BC), the six ministers of the Jin State held a meeting to discuss countermeasures. They unanimously believed that the Shihui was not guilty and must find a way to return the Shihui to the Jin State. Then he sent Wei Shouyu to the Qin State to pretend to rebel against the Jin and surrender to the Qin State. He planned to kidnap the soldiers back to the Jin State and entrusted them with important tasks. He was successively appointed as the commander-in-chief and marshal of the three armies of Jin. The Scholars' Association gradually took control of the military and political power in the Jin State. It is said in history that "with the assistance of the Scholars' Association, Jing's army has no defeats" and "the criminal law is enforced and training canons are compiled, and the country has no traitors". The Jin State became increasingly powerful under the governance of the Shihui. Due to the outstanding contribution and immortal achievements of the Shihui to the Jin State, when the Shihui retired in 592 BC, Jin Jinggong granted him another territory - Fan Yi on the basis of his existing land. Finally, he died in Fanyi and was given the posthumous title "Wu". Therefore, the history books also call the Shihui Sui Wuzi and Fan Wuzi. Shi Hui gave birth to three children, the eldest Shi Xie was named Fu Xian with the courtesy name Meirong, the second Shi was named Fu Ren with the courtesy name Xiang Yao, and the third Shi Qiu was named Fu Ren. "Shi Xiezi, those who stayed in the Qin Dynasty but did not return, were given the surname Liu". The Liu family's surname was restored after the Shihui returned to the Jin Dynasty, more than 2,600 years ago. After consulting the relevant classics and surname books, it is said that "those descendants of the Shihui who stayed in Qin and did not return will be renamed Liu". "Book of Tang: Genealogy List of Prime Ministers" adopts this theory. The "Liu Family Genealogy" compiled in the first year of Daliang Dynasty records: "The three sons of Shi Huigong were all in the Jin Dynasty, but the son of Shi Xie in Qin was the Liu family." "An Examination of the Origin of the Liu Family in Sarawak" records: "When the scholar Hui was Duke Wen of Lu, he left for the Qin Dynasty.