Counting: Anecdote and Embarrassment of the Strangest Surnames in China's History

The strangest surname: the surname of China people, after thousands of years of development and evolution, has gradually formed a unique cultural origin, and has become active from a simple national genetic symbol. Some surnames are not only strange, but also often hide some interesting legends. Of course, sometimes it will inevitably bring some embarrassment.

In China, most surnames are common, but some surnames are eccentric, such as "East, West, North and South" with directions; The numbered "one two three four five six seven eight nine Ten ..."; There is a kind of life, such as "rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar tea". There are animals, such as "wolves, chickens, monkeys, dogs, snakes …", and even those with derogatory meanings, such as "concubines, curses, evils and whores". What's more, after the "selection" of some surname lovers, the top five strange surnames turned out to be "death, difficulty, black, old and poisonous"! These five eccentricities sound really creepy at first glance!

However, it also constitutes an interesting phenomenon in surname culture. Check carefully, these strange surnames have a long history!

Death: According to legend, this is the penultimate surname of China, which is mainly distributed in the northwest of China and developed from the four-character compound surname of the northern Wei minority. However, since ancient times, the word "death" has always been taboo. Who wants to open his mouth and shut up? However, if you have taken this as your surname, there is nothing you can do. It is nothing more than an unlucky impression.

Difficult: It is said that this is the penultimate surname of China. This "difficult", after reading it, was said to be the surname of "difficult" and moved northward with Xianbei. Songhua River was once renamed "nan river". After many twists and turns, it is difficult for Xianbei people to set foot on the Korean peninsula. At present, the surname of "Nan" in China is mainly distributed in four small villages in Henan, and all the men, women and children who have lived here for generations are surnamed "Nan". It is easy for the outside world to think of unpleasant things such as disasters and difficulties, but they still live happily.

Black: Any culture advocates openness, and black characters often give people a bad feeling. As a surname, the word "he" is pronounced, but it is embarrassing to fall on paper.

Lao: There are two different opinions about the origin of the old surname. It is said that the old surname was changed from Manchu surname "Sakda" to Han surname, which has a history of two or three hundred years. The Manchu word for "Sakda" means "ancient". One is said to be one of the four indigenous surnames in Foshan, Guangdong. Now in Shilao Village in the southwest of Nanhai District of the city, most villagers are surnamed Lao. From birth, it will be called "old X", and even if you don't want to, the word "old" will accompany you all your life. Such as "old comrades", "old ladies" and "old girls". A lady named "Lao Yan" was deeply touched.

This surname caused her a lot of embarrassment. I used to work in the company, and everyone used to call me when they met, but she didn't. Old lady? Old girl who doesn't sound so good? It's not nice either. Let's just call it Xiao Lao. It always sounds awkward. Later, she started a business in Shundao Street in Hankou and became a manager. The name "old manager" has come again. At first, she thought her surname was very special and her name was easy to remember, so she printed many business cards and sent them to customers. Needless to say, this strange name really brought her many repeat customers. But gradually trouble came, many people called, but it was always difficult to talk. "People who have never seen me always think that I am very old, which makes me often explain to others on the phone." Later, Lao Yan decided to change the name on the business card to her mother's name, Xia Yan. This is to eliminate embarrassment.

Poison: This surname is said to come from a story in the Tang Dynasty. There was a prime minister named Dou Huaizheng in the Tang Dynasty. Although Prime Minister Dou was in power in the ruling and opposition, he attempted to seize power and overthrow Emperor Li. As a result, the emperor found the rebellion unsuccessful. Later, in order to show his punishment to the Prime Minister Dou, the angry emperor "gave" him and his descendants the name of poison according to Dou's homophonic voice! This surname is very scary when it is called. Who wants to deal with Mr and Mrs Poison? Even people with these surnames, no matter how warm-hearted, will make strangers breed some fears. It is said that there was a poisonous family in Guogou, Taibao City, Chiayi County, Taiwan Province Province, whose ancestors were translators in the Qing Dynasty. After several generations of single biography, now, six people have been born, and this surname is also distributed in individual provinces and regions of Chinese mainland.

These surnames have existed since ancient times, and there is "evidence" to test. There are also some surnames that are "half-way monks" and have legendary origins.

For example, someone's surname is "door". There are also several legends about the origin of surnames. According to legend, this surname was obtained after division. It used to be Yan. Later, when the two brothers separated, Yan was divided into two parts, one surnamed Men and the other surnamed San. There is also a legend that the ancestors of the Mens used to be surnamed Lin. Later, because someone on their ancestors offended the emperor, the surname "Lin" was beheaded by the emperor, and the rest was the word "door". Of course, these claims are hard to prove.

Someone's surname is' mi'. Everyone with this surname moved in from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. According to the records of literature and history, Mi's family came from ancient times. In ancient times, there was a custom of Mi and Fu, and Fu was also called Mi. Fuxi was an ancient poet. For a long time, a primary school teacher named Mi Xiaojun (a pseudonym) had to correct her students like this: "My surname is Mi (Mi), not Bi". In fact, not only did her classmates mispronounce her at first, but many colleagues and acquaintances often called her "Teacher Bi" or "Little Bi" because this surname is rare and easy to mispronounce. But she doesn't correct this mistake now-"Is it better than being called' Xiaomi'?" It turns out that in life, many people call her by the right name, but it sounds like "Xiaomi", but it feels uncomfortable.

Some people have the surname "Ugly". According to legend, during the Northern Song Dynasty, a rich girl named Su in Hangzhou, Zhejiang fell in love with a poor scholar named Huang, which was strongly opposed by her family. In order to seek their own happiness, they eloped and fled to Hunan to settle down. Both families think it is harmful to family style, so they refuse to let their descendants take their surnames. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that Huang Xiucai and Miss Su changed their surnames to ugly. However, it is also confirmed by some data that the ugly surname evolved from the surname Niu and originated in the Spring and Autumn Period. Someone joked about this surname. There is a girl named "Ugly Yan Chun" (a pseudonym), who graduated from business school and went to work. She needs to deal with many people. Her unique surname makes it easy to remember her, but it also brings embarrassment. Once, the ugly Yan Chun met a client. The client asked her your last name, and she said it was ugly. The customer said angrily, "this is a very serious occasion, please don't joke!" " "Ugly and pure, you can't laugh or cry, and you have to explain it to customers over and over again to eliminate misunderstandings.

Someone's surname is "lotus root". It is said that the lotus root clan was not originally called lotus root. One of their ancestors used to be an official of the imperial court, and later fled alone because he offended the emperor. On the way to avoid being chased, the ancestors hid in a pond and hid themselves with lotus roots and lotus leaves. At that time, the pursuer was approaching, and he secretly prayed: "If I can escape this robbery, I will change my surname to' Lotus'! As a result, the pursuer really didn't find him, and since then, a unique "lotus root" surname has been added to the surname spectrum.

It is said that some people changed their surnames because of "eating". There is a village of Chi Jia in Yongle Township, Yinzhou, Shaanxi Province. Many villagers have a compound surname "Chigan", which is because of a historical story.

According to legend, at the end of the Warring States Period, Gan Luo, the young prime minister of Qin State, was framed by Lv Buwei, a traitor from North Korea, and his family was killed. Only an old man with the same surname in Ganfu escaped. One day, the old man ran to a wild place. It's past noon, and he is hungry, but he is afraid to look around for food. After a while, I felt dizzy and fell to the side of the road. I don't know when, a group of soldiers chasing him came to him in the Qin Dynasty, woke him up and asked him his last name. At this time, the old man was too hungry to speak. He just pointed to his mouth and looked like he was going to eat. Thinking that the old man's surname was not Gan, the pursuer pointed at his mouth, meaning that his surname was "Eat", so he was spared. Later, the old man went to Chi Jia Village in Yongle, Zhangzhou, married and had children, and gave birth to a large family. Thanks to the word "eat" that saved his life, the old man did not forget his old feelings, so he combined the surname "Gan" and "Eat" into one, so that future generations would take "Eat Gan" as their surname. Later, this "eating sweetness" gradually evolved into today's "swearing sweetness".

Some people change their surnames for refuge, while others change their surnames for discipline and honor. According to legend, the descendants of Guan Zhong have a "white" surname.

In 685 BC, he competed with Gongsun Jiu for the throne of Qi. Guan Zhong assisted Gong Zijiu at that time, but it was Xiaobai who finally ascended the throne. After Qi Huangong acceded to the throne, he let bygones be bygones and worshipped Guan Zhong as his teacher, making Qi the most powerful country at that time. Some descendants of Guan Zhong simply took "Bai" as their surname to commemorate the glory of their ancestors. The descendants of Chong surname are now mainly distributed in Jiangsu and other places.

As a branch of traditional culture, China surname culture has a long history and is vast. And strange surnames and anecdotes add luster to it, which is intriguing.