Sima, although this surname is a niche surname, the population is only about 28,000, but the fame is still very large, this compound surname is now not only "fashionable", but also sounds a little "powerful"?
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Yes, because its origin is associated with "mighty".
According to historical records, one of the origins of Sima as a surname is derived from the surname Cheng, which comes from the father of Cheng Boxiu, the minister in charge of military power in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and belongs to the official title as the surname.
Sima is an ancient official title.
Horses occupy an important position in ancient Chinese wars, and the professional army before the Spring and Autumn period is mainly composed of children from noble backgrounds, and the method of war is mainly the formation of chariots against the charge, and the ancient chariots are drawn by horses, so the status of horses is extremely important. To describe which country has a strong army, it is called the country of a thousand multiplications and the country of ten thousand multiplications, so Sima is actually an official who is specifically responsible for managing horses, and he is a proper senior officer.
Look, Sima can be in charge of the national army, assist the government and assist the country, and have great power.
Isn't it very "mighty"!
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Another origin of Sima as a surname is derived from changing the surname:
(1). It is a change of surname for some reason. Xu Muzhi, Hao Yezhi, and Cheng Daoyang were the leaders of the displaced people in northern China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. According to historical records, some of their descendants changed to the Sima clan for some reason.
(2). Came from the Great Sima Wang Dao of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, belonging to the refuge and changed his surname.
There are other sources for this surname, which are not described here.
As such a niche surname, there are really many celebrities:
Sima Xiangru (179~118 BC), Western Han Dynasty.
Sima Tan (169~110 BC), Western Han historian and literary scholar.
Sima Qian (145 BC or 135~?) ), Western Han historian, literary scholar, and thinker.
Sima Qian was the son of Sima Tan, who inherited his father's business and wrote history. Later, he was tortured in the palace for justifying Li Ling's defeat, and he wrote China's first general history of the chronicle, Shiji, which is recognized as a model of Chinese history books. The book records the history of more than 3,000 years from the period of the Yellow Emperor to the fourth year of the early Han Wudi Emperor, and was praised by Lu Xun as "the swan song of historians, the rhyme of divorce".
However, because of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the people may know more about Sima Yi:
Sima Yi (179~251), an outstanding politician and military strategist of the Three Kingdoms Wei Dynasty.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he was the founder of the Western Jin Dynasty.
This illustrious figure was born in Wendi, Hanoi (present-day Wenxian County, Henan), and his grandson Sima Yan deposed Wei Jianjin, both in Luoyang.
From then on, the Western Jin Dynasty established by the Sima family ruled the world.
Although the short-lived dynasty of the Western Jin Dynasty lasted only 51 years, it still played an important role in the development of Chinese history.
But things are often blessings, and disasters are also cursed.
From the Rebellion of the Eight Kings of the Western Jin Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty and beyond, the Sima family can be said to have suffered many disasters, and many nobles with the surname Sima changed their surnames to avoid persecution. After the fall of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Sima clan entered a period of stable development, and many of the Sima clans changed to Si, Ma, Tong, Tong, Feng, Cheng, etc., and some maintained the Sima clan.
One of the important reasons for their many disasters is that they did many things that went against the historical development during their reign:
For example, the brutal massacre of the Cao clan was carried out, from the destruction of the three clans of the Cao Shuang group to the stabbing of the Wei emperor Cao Xin to death in the street. These actions are unprecedented.
For these reasons, the clever Sima Yi set the ancestral precept of "three noes", that is, "no sealing", "no tree", and "no advice", and his grave almost leaves no trace on the surface, that is, after death, none of you should ask me to settle accounts!
This is still rare in Chinese history.
Sima Guang, a politician, historian, and literary scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, was also the glory of the family, and presided over the compilation of the general history "Zizhi Tongjian". The key is that at the age of seven, he can not only recite "Zuo's Spring and Autumn", but also do things like "smashing the cylinder" that shake Jingluo.
There are not too many earth-shattering things in the Sima family in modern times.
But it seems that this compound surname sounds a bit fashionable in recent years!
It may also be related to the mighty official title "Sima".
Otherwise, why do you borrow "Sima" under a pseudonym?
Haha, just kidding.
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