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There are two different views on the origin of surnames: one is the "totemic theory", which holds that surnames are related to totems. Those who hold this view either believe that the surname is a legacy of the totem system, or that the surname is derived from the original totem myth, or that the surname is evolved from the totem, or that the ancient surname is a totem.
The other is the "place name theory", which believes that the surname is the name of the place where the recipient's mother is located6, or the original surname is mostly transformed from the place name. In addition to these two views, there is also the "ancestral name theory" and so on.
What was the original origin of the surname?
1. About "Totem Theory"
In fields such as anthropology, sociology, or religious history, the totems of primitive or semi-civilized peoples are common topics. In these peoples, the relationship between man and totem is based on an ancestral idea. In a variety of forms, people believe that the totems they worship are their ancestors, and the names of the totems are often the names of their tribes.
Wang Chong's "On Balance" volume 25 "Commentary" has:
"The ancients were given a surname because they were born, and they were given a surname because they were born. If Xia swallows coix and is born, the surname is Yi, Shang swallows the swallow and is born, the surname is Zi, and Zhou Lu is a great man, then Ji's name is also. ”
Some scholars have concluded that the Han Dynasty people understood that the "surname" came from "the things of the living", and that the "things of the living" were the so-called "totems" today.
If you look at the ancient surnames, such as the totem of Jiang is a sheep, the totem of the wind is a phoenix, and the totem of Hu is a bird, etc., then the surname is no different from the totem, which is more obvious.
There are also opponents of totem theory, such as Jao Tsung-i, who opposes the use of totemicism in ancient history. He believes that the word totem is a transliteration of Totem, taken from the Ojibwa tribe in North America, and means "that is, my race". With a strict system and at the mercy of a high-ranking divine power, the attainment of guardian gods in the totem is often seen as the supreme happiness of individual careers, especially for both men and women in adolescence. He also believed that "clan" was a branch of the surname.
According to the investigation, the surname of the pre-Qin is similar to totemism, such as:
(1) "Classification of other people" in the Book of Shang (pseudo-Confucian biography "Separate the surname family, divide its class branches, and make each other follow"), "surname (sheng)" and "class" are opposed, indicating that the two are synonymous. "Jin Yu" Sikong Ji Zi Suoyun: "Different surnames are different virtues." Different virtues are different kinds" also indicates that the surname is closely related to the class.
"Surname" and "clan" in the pre-Qin Dynasty were even more common because of their common meaning, and they often spoke to each other or mentioned together. Therefore, the relationship between the surname of the pre-Qin dynasty and the "clan" is consistent with the meaning of the totem that Rao said is "that is, my clan".
(2) The surname clan had a strict patriarchal system in the pre-Qin period (especially in the Zhou Dynasty), and the concept that the supreme ruler was the surname Ji. The legend of Jiang Yuan's deeds and Zhou Deji's surname shows that Ji has the color of God. This is in line with Mr. Rao's statement that the totem "has a strict system and is governed by a high god".
(3) The surname must have a good background, and there must be Jiade, Jiaji (or Jiagong), and the status of the surname after the "surname" can be recognized by the ruler, so the acquisition of the surname is also a supreme glory in the eyes of the pre-Qin people. This is consistent with Mr. Rao's statement that "the acquisition of the guardian god of the totem group is often regarded as the supreme happiness of the individual's career".
(4) "White Tiger Pass Name" "Surname, birth." The weather that people are blessed with is also the living, and "weather" indicates that the relationship between the surname and birth has religious overtones, which is similar to totemic beliefs.
The legend that Yu's mother swallowed coix and gave birth to Yu, so Yu's surname was 姒 (苡), and Jian Di's swallowing swallow egg (son) was born and the merchant surnamed Zi was born, which reflects the Xia people's feelings for "Yi" and the merchants' feelings for "Zi", which is similar to the situation of totem worship.
Swallowing a child (egg) and giving birth to a child, and performing the "great trace" (Ji) and giving birth to a child, indicating that the origin of the surname is related to the reason for birth.
According to legend, the ancestor of Silla, one of the three kingdoms of Korea, was surnamed Park because he was born from an egg, and the big egg was like a gourd, and the Koreans called it Pu, so the Silla people took Pak as their surname.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with using totems to explain the surname of the pre-Qin.
What is the relationship between a surname and a totem? Does a surname come from a totem, or does a totem come from a surname?
The origin of surnames is often the case where the children of the same person are divided into different surnames. Generally, a family has only one totem, and if the totem produces a surname, it is impossible for a family to be divided into several surnames. The actual situation should be that after the surname is generated, the descendants think that the surname is related to the ancestors, so they worship and believe in it, so that the surname has a totemic color. Therefore, the initial relationship between the surname and the totem is that the totem comes from the surname, not the other way around.
In the early days of the pre-Qin surname, it had a certain relationship with the totem, but the two were not the same. In the Zhou Dynasty, especially in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the surname clan name (i.e., surname) apparently became only a name related to blood relationship, and people no longer had a religious affection for totem worship towards it.
In short, the relationship between the surname and the totem is: the ancients worshipped the thing with the same name as the surname, that is, the totem, and named the place where they lived.
2. The relationship between surnames and place names
"Chinese Jin Yu IV" "The Yellow Emperor is made by Ji Shui, and the Yan Emperor is made by Jiang Shui, and Cheng is different, so the Yellow Emperor is Ji, and the Yan Emperor is Jiang" shows that in the eyes of the pre-Qin people, surnames and place names are related.
What is the relationship between the surname and the place name, is the surname derived from the place name or the place name from the surname?
Judging from the oracle bone inscription, the Jiang character is a feminization of the Qiang character, and the Qiang is a person with a sheep's head. The Qiang people of Sichuan adorn the heads of sheep during certain major events. "Sayings" "Qiang, Xirong shepherds also." From people from sheep, sheep also sound", should Shao "Customs and Customs" "Qiang, Ben Xirong is also lowly, the Lord shepherds sheep." Therefore, the Qiang character is derived from sheep and people, so it is the number", which indicates that the name of the Qiang people comes from its shepherd.
Emperor Yan, also known as Shennong, was regarded as an ancestor by the Qiang people.
Volume 15 of "Yuanhe County Chronicles" quotes "Later Wei Fengtu Ji":
"Shennong City is in Yangguan Mountain, and there is Shennong Spring ...... under the mountain", indicating that Emperor Yan is related to sheep. "Qi, Shen, Lu, Xu, Ji, Zhou, Xiang, Jiang surname, since Emperor Yan (and Jiang Rong)".
"Zuo Biography" mourned the ninth year of the father: "Emperor Yan is the fire master, and the surname Jiang is also later." ”
Emperor Yan is the ancestor of the Jiang family, so the Qiang people, who should not be shepherds, got the sheep-related clan name "Qiang" because of Jiang Shui. The name of ginger water where Emperor Yan lived is more likely to be derived from the fact that the Qiang people lived in its basin.
In the oracle bone inscriptions, there is no name for the water. Judging from the production process of the two oldest surnames, Ji and Jiang, it is more likely that the place name comes from the family name of the family who has lived here for a long time than the family name comes from the place name.
In addition to the "totem theory" and "place name theory", Ma Yong said:
"The ancestors of the tribes before the Xia Dynasty were all gods or demigods and half-human heroes, or deified chieftains, such as the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor, the Gonggong, Taihao, Shaohao, ....... The names of these ancestors became the code names of the tribes, that is, the original 'surnames'."
These names mentioned in this "ancestral name theory" are only used as tribal names at the same time in legend.
According to ancient historical records, these tribes also had their own surnames, such as the Yellow Emperor's Ji and the Yan Emperor's Gonggong's Jiang, so these people's names were not the same as the surnames (surnames and clan names) of their respective clans. That is, the surname is not a name derived from the ancestors.
3. The reason for the surname
There are two main views on the reasons for the creation of surnames.
The first is that "White Tiger Pass Name" says "people have a surname so they worship affection, affection, distant birds and beasts, and don't get married", and it is believed that the reasons for the surname are "worship affection, affection" and "distant birds and beasts, don't marry".
The second is that Jin Liangnian said that "there are two main reasons for the generation of surnames:
First, with the expansion of the scope of activities, when people from different groups come into contact, there needs to be group identification that distinguishes them from each other. Strictly speaking, this kind of identification should be called a clan name, but there are many tribes that have a family name as a surname,...... If it is said that the interaction and cooperation between people within the group is the opportunity for the emergence of personal names, then the interaction and contact between groups are the reasons for the emergence of surnames.
Second, it was to distinguish blood ties and prevent the need for blood marriage, which led to the emergence of clan society. ”
The latter of the two reasons mentioned by Kim is the same as the latter of the two reasons mentioned in "White Tiger Pass". According to the relevant theories so far, there are three main reasons for the emergence of surnames:
It is used as a sign to distinguish different groups of people; worship affection, affection, distant birds and beasts, do not marry.
Here's an analysis of each of these three reasons:
First, the use of surnames as a sign to distinguish different groups of people.
The surname, as the name of the family, like the name of any thing, naturally has a certain distinguishing effect, but this distinction has its purpose, and it is impossible to distinguish for the sake of distinction. Is the use of distinguishing signs for groups of people due to the need for contact with outgroups as mentioned by Kim?
Judging from the legends of various ethnic groups, each surname is a group separated from the same ancestor, such as the surnames of the She ethnic group have a common ancestor, and almost all ethnic groups have similar legends. Therefore, from the perspective of the history reflected in the ethnological data, the surname was originally used as a distinguishing mark, mainly to distinguish the branches of the same family, rather than to interact with foreign races.
Second, about "advocating affection and affection".
The history reflected in the legends and materials of many ethnic groups shows that the surnames of a nation often come from the same ancestor, but the obligations of ethnic minorities to help each other are generally limited to the same surname, and the revenge of blood relatives often leads to killing each other.
"Chinese" Yun, the Yellow Emperor Yandi is a brother, and after growing up, he has a different surname, and Yun "has a different surname", and the two phases "use teachers to help each other", which is "the reason for different virtues" ("Jin language"). Wei Zhao's note: "Jidang is read as squeezing. Squeeze and extinguish also. ”
The theory that the two people have different surnames and lead to "squeezing" each other shows that in the early days, the surname was not "to worship affection and affection", but once the children were separated by their surnames, they could kill each other and no longer be brothers.
This shows that although the phenomenon of "respecting affection and affection" did exist in the range of the same surname in many ethnic groups and ancient China, it should not be the reason for the original surname.
Third, about marriage.
"White Tiger Pass" said "don't get married", and there are many followers in later generations. For example: Zheng Qiao's "Brief Preface to the Tongzhi Clan" cloud: "The surname is so don't get married".
Ethnological data are often found in the period of the origin of the nation, brother and sister marriage to give birth to freaks, gods or ancestors forbidden to intermarry with the descendants of the same clan, these legends describe the origin of the surname, the ancient people in order to separate marriages, to divide their children, each clan formed a mutual group and used the surname as a distinguishing mark, in order to avoid the adverse effects of brother and sister marriage on the health of offspring, and to ensure the reproduction of the clan.
Therefore, the reason for the surname is "distant birds and beasts, don't marry", and it is forbidden for brothers and sisters to marry each other. Because it was common to know that the mother did not know the father, in practice it was often the children of the same mother who were forbidden to marry. In ancient times, the mutual marriage between the two ethnic groups and the long-term use of "nephew" and "uncle" to refer to the parties to the marriage show that "separate marriage" does not exclude the marriage relationship between cousins.
Although it cannot be denied that the need to distinguish from foreign races may lead to the creation of surnames, ethnological data and literature show that surnames are mainly produced due to the need for marriage of their own people. And a large amount of information shows that the purpose of marriage is to ensure the health of the offspring.
In short, the fundamental reason for the creation of surnames is for the healthy reproduction of offspring.
4. The relationship between the surname and the female ancestor
The ancient surname is mostly from "female", and the surname is from "female" to "born", so it is generally believed that the surname refers exclusively to the descendants of women, such as Zheng Qiao's "Brief Preface to the Clan" said that "girls are surnames". Lu Deming's "Classic Commentary" (hereinafter referred to as "Commentary") says that "girls are called surnames", and Liu Huisun said that the words of "Commentary" "clearly show that people with the same surname are all descendants of an old grandmother, which is the mark of a blood relationship group in the matrilineal clan segment of the clan society...".
Some scholars say:
"The word 'surname' itself is composed of the words 'female' and 'sheng', which means that it was produced in a matrilineal clan society and passed down by an old grandmother, mainly playing the role of 'clear blood' and 'other marriage'. Therefore, the oldest surnames in China all carry the character 'female', such as Ji, Yao, Ji, Fei, Mi, Yao, Jiang, Ying, etc." These theories all believe that surnames are related to female ancestors. Ancient legends about the female ancestors of various ethnic groups are also easy to make people think that the surname is related to the female ancestor.
What is the relationship between the surname and the female ancestor?
The following is analyzed from three aspects:
(1) The number of ancient surnames is from "female"
The word "female" in the oracle bone inscription is generally used for female names. In oracle bone inscriptions, most of the women are referred to as "female", and if the female name contains the female symbol "broom", such as "婦", or if the surname in the name has a female side, then the female side of "broom + so" or "surname + so" can often be omitted. This suggests that in the earlier stages of Chinese characters, the female side of the character should have been the symbolic symbol attached to the character because it was used for women.
The women in the oracle bones are generally not given surnames. The ancient surname from "female" is often a feminized form of the clan name in the oracle bone inscriptions, meaning "a certain woman", referring to the daughter of a certain clan. Later, in the Shang Dynasty, individual female names were gradually attached to their surnames. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, the feminized characters used as female names (characters with female symbols) were mostly fixed as part of the characters, and the pronunciation of the characters was the same as the feminized characters or showed a certain relationship.
In the Zhou Dynasty, it has become customary for women to call feminized family names (surnames), that is, the surnames at this time often appear in the form of feminization, which leads to the fact that later generations do not know that the family name is originally not from the female, but mistakenly thinks that the surname of those from the female is originally from the female. It can be seen that it is because the woman uses her surname that the surname is added next to the woman.
The use of a woman's surname is the use of the mark of the family name to distinguish the woman after she has arrived in a foreign tribe, and it is not that under the matriarchal system, the woman occupies a special position in the family and uses the surname to show glory. During the Warring States Period, the word "surname" derived from "sheng" was also derived from the female surname after it was limited to women for a long time.
If the "female" next to the "surname" is to express respect for the female ancestors, but it is unreasonable to make it a kneeling like obedience and humility.
In the oracle bone inscriptions, the form of the clan name does not change when the man uses the clan name, and the feminization of the clan name when the woman uses the clan name, indicating the power of the man in the clan and the secondary position of the woman in the clan.
Therefore, the family name was originally not a woman, but was originally used for a woman.
The association between the use of ancient surnames and the female side began with the feminization of the family name when women called the surname family name in the Shang Dynasty, which was far away from the matriarchal era. The word "female" does not indicate special respect for the female ancestor (or matrilineal), but on the contrary, it resembles a form of humiliation, as Fu Sinian said:
"If there was a matriarchal system in ancient China, it would be far away when it would have been to Yin Zhou. Words must not be in the era of matriarchy. Knowing that a woman is called a surname, the righteousness of the surname is not enough to be whimsical", the ancient surname is not because the ancestor of the surname is a woman. Because it is a woman's word, the word is added next to the woman, and because the ancient woman used the surname, the ancient surname used the word "female".
The surname is used as a commemoration or symbol after a woman arrives in a foreign clan, and there is no need to use a surname in the clan, so in the matriarchal era when women marry men, although there is a family name, women do not use a surname.
(2) "Girls are surnames" and the word "surname" is derived from "female"
In the fourth year of Zhaogong's "Zuo Chuan", "ask his surname", and "Commentary" Yun "girls are surnames", and later generations mostly argue that "surname" refers to women's children and grandchildren according to this sentence in "Commentary".
Let's take a look at the explanation of surnames in Shuowen.
"Sayings" (Xiao Xu Ben) cloud:
The surname is also born of people. The ancient holy man, the mother felt the heavens and gave birth to a son, so he was called the son of heaven, because he was born as his surname. From girls, life is also a voice. "The Biography of the Spring and Autumn Period" said: "The Son of Heaven was given a surname because he was born." ”
Lu Deming's "Interpretation of the Text" "Girls are surnames" obviously adopts the interpretation of the glyphs of the surname in the "Shuowen".
According to the style of "Shuowen", "born of people" is the interpretation, and "from a woman from a girl" or "from a girl" is the interpretation.
When interpreting the word "surname", it should not be said that "girl" is the literal meaning of the word "surname". Therefore, the interpretation of the original meaning of the surname in the Shuowen does not emphasize that the "surname" is born to women.
In the pre-Qin period, many people talked about the fact that marriage with the same surname led to the infertility of offspring, and there were also certain restrictions on the marriage of men, which indicates that the pre-Qin people generally recognized that childbearing was not just a matter for women.
Xu Shen, as a scholar of the Han Dynasty, should not think that the "surname" (descendants) only refers to women born. "Shuowen" "surname, born of people" and "surname" are originally "born" not from women, and the surname in the Spring and Autumn Period is born from people rather than from women, which also shows that the surname is not only related to women, but generally refers to children born to people.
The process of surname change is synchronized with the repeated destruction of the surname system in the Spring and Autumn Period and the gradual mixing of surnames in the late Warring States period, and the gradual decline of women's status in the field of surnames. This synchronicity, on the other hand, proves that the change of surname from "female" does not indicate respect for women.
In short, the fact that the word "surname" is subordinate to a woman does not particularly indicate that the surname originated from a female ancestor and that it respects women.
(3) The legend and surname of the female ancestor
In ancient times, there was a legend that a woman swallowed an object (an egg, coix, beads, etc.) or a trail to give birth to a child, and the son was given a surname (family name) related to the object swallowed by the mother. These legends are believed to indicate that the ancestors of the family were women.
What do these legends illustrate? What was the relationship between the surname and the woman in the oracle bone inscriptions? This mysterious way of obtaining a surname is not uncommon in ethnological materials.
In ethnology, there is the worship of the oval stone, and there is also the concept that touching the "immortal imprint" can help fertility. These totemic beliefs are similar to the legendary situation of swallowing things, swallowing tracks and giving birth to children, which is a typical totemic belief. The legend of swallowing things and giving birth to a child shows the condition of knowing the mother but not the father.
The father's name of these sons can be found in the legend, such as Jiang Yuan's husband who was born and abandoned by the great man, and Jian Di, who swallowed the egg and gave birth to a child, is said to be the emperor's husband. So, it wasn't that I didn't know my father at that time. Legend has it that the era in which these female ancestors lived was close to the Shun era, which was equivalent to the patrilineal era.
From the perspective of ethnology, under the patriarchal system, there are still strong remnants of matriarchal customs, and the coexistence of ignorance of the father and the knowledge of the father reflected in the legend of swallowing traces shows the remnants of matriarchy under the patriarchal system.
Most of these ancient surnames are related to the clan name (the woman's father's name or husband's name), which also indicates that the clan indicated by a woman's name does not take the woman as an ancestor.
So, while some ancient surnames are rumored to be associated with female ancestors, it does not mean that all ancient surnames are necessarily the product of matriarchy or matrilinealism. There are matrilineal and patrilineal family names, and it is not clear from the fact that most patrilineal family names are related to female ancestors. The legend that the ancestors of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties got their surnames shows the influence of totemic beliefs in the matrilineal era when the surnames were named under the patriarchal system.
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