On the Origin of Prose Surnames

How did the fire surname come from?

Where on earth are our ancestors?

For a time, I was often troubled by such questions, so that I was deeply worried and had a sense of inexplicable uncertainty.

When I was a child, I didn't feel anything special because most people in the village were surnamed Huo. This feeling lasted until I graduated from high school and walked out of the village where I had lived for many years.

In college, Mr. Zhang Haibin, a professor from Ningxia University who took my writing class, wrote a comment at the back of my composition: "The language is fluent and the expression is clear and clear. Just pay attention next time. Composition in class is different from literary creation. Try not to use pseudonyms. " That composition was read and commented by teacher Zhang as a model essay in class. Of course, that composition was soon forgotten. What people remember seems to be only the special comment at the back of the composition: "Be careful, don't use a pseudonym in the future."

In my sophomore year, Professor Du Guilin taught me ancient literature. Mr. Du has been teaching in a middle school in Beijing. After being transferred to Ningda University, his teaching method still followed the habit of middle school. Every time he finishes teaching a text or a knowledge point, he always asks students questions in class. This is often the last thing we want and fear. When he asks questions, he often takes off his glasses, moves a little, then slides down the roster with his fingers and slides to whoever he calls. The students he named often have some characteristics in their names, such as "Ma Yingchi" and "Ma Xiao". Once his finger slipped to my name, as if it were a pause. "The fire will light up, nonsense." As soon as he muttered something to himself, our classmates burst into laughter. He thinks my name is too straightforward and not implicit enough. This joke has been sung by my college classmates since then.

Slowly, I think my surname is really special, but I still don't know how special it is and where it is.

However, my special attention is obvious and accurate.

For example, you need to register your name if you want to apply for any documents or stay outside. I said my name was XXX, and the registered person looked up and asked, "Who is this?" He Long's congratulations or Huo Yuanjia's Huo? " I said, "match fire, blazing fire." The registrant stopped, looked at me strangely, and scratched his finger in the air: "Is this a fire?" I nodded. The registered person smiled and wrote my name while laughing: "It's strange that there is such a name in the world." At the same time, don't forget to ask: "What nation? Is it a Hui nationality? " I said Han nationality. The registrant will look at my ID card with a grain of salt and say to himself, "It's really Han nationality." There seems to be some doubt about my name.

After graduating from college, I first taught in a rural middle school and then transferred to a newspaper as an editor. Because names are often hung in the corner of newspapers, more and more people pay attention to them.

Later, a local scholar told me that according to his research, our family name should be Mongolian.

"Your ancestors should be general. He followed the Mongolian army led by Genghis Khan all the way south, attacked the city and plundered the land, and made outstanding achievements. Later, he succeeded and returned to Inner Mongolia grassland to get a fief. The fief is called fire, and your surname is naturally fire. "

The general's name is Holly Huda.

So why did it end up in Xiji County, Ningxia?

He talked about the origin of our village-

He said that a long time ago, our village was uninhabited and was a pasture for raising horses. In the Song Dynasty, in order to resist the constant harassment of ethnic minorities in the north, the court ordered to transport soil and build a village here as a barracks. After the city was built, the earliest name was Yang Mulong, and later it was renamed Longde Village, all of which meant to hope for prosperity here. Later, there really happened a battle here, which was fought by Xixia people and Song people. The history of that war was recorded and called the Battle of Mizukawa. This war is very fierce. Xixia people won, and more than 10,000 people died in the Song Dynasty, with corpses lying everywhere and crying loudly. After Li Yuanhao occupied Tucheng, he visited Tucheng with Prime Minister Bird. When he passed the earth temple at the foot of Tucheng, his mind was full of poems. In order to congratulate him, he once wrote a satirical poem on the wall in front of the temple: Xia Song shrugged, Hanqi was not surprised, dragons and tigers were everywhere, and he hesitated to say that he was a soldier. Xia Song and Han Qi were two generals stationed in Guyuan at that time. Together with them, Fan Zhongyan, a famous generation, became famous. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the Jin people captured the stockade again and used it as a stronghold against the Song soldiers. According to legend, the story of "stealing the map from Yangcheng" in The Legend of Yue Fei happened here. In the Yuan Dynasty, Genghis Khan led an army to attack Xixia. After occupying most of Ningxia, they quickly conquered Longde village guarded by the Jin people at that time, and continued to attack Pingliang south from this stronghold. After the Mongols came to power, Longde Village was surrounded by people. At that time, the north was unified. Kublai Khan thought that "Lund" was invincible, and the vicinity of Liupanshan was just tight, so he moved the capital by imperial edict-this was the predecessor of Lund County.

"I think your ancestors used to be soldiers who ate food in the ancient city. Over time, they got married and had children, and they took root. After moving to the city, they probably didn't want to run around anymore, so they settled down here and became their second hometown. Although the old city has been relocated, the border trade market still exists. Over time, it was renamed Hojiji. "

"This is the origin of your ancestors."

After listening to the scholars' words, the names that are still in use in the ancient city immediately come to mind: Da Yamen, Er Yamen, Da Jiaochang, Xiao Jiaochang, Killing Circle, Horse Circle, Ma Huokou ... These names are rolling and murderous, and seem to silently depict the life picture of my ancestors in their early years.

Long ago, our ancestors lived on the grassland?

Are we really descendants of Mongols?

I think of the unique characteristics of some people in our village: narrow eyes, high cheekbones, gongs and mallets, strong bodies ... Although they have been integrated for many generations, the shadows of Mongols can still be seen in them after careful observation.

There is no genealogy, no historical records, and no gold and silver stirrups handed down from ancestors.

I once asked the oldest old man in the village.

The old man said in a panic, "Our ancestors heard that they all came down from the big locust tree."

This is almost the same as what Zhang Wang Li Zhao said.

My uncle has been doing the same research. In his early years, he wrote an article "Wind and Rain in Longde Village", which described his combing and tracing back to the history of the ancient city. Later, he wrote an article called Lian Zong in Alashan, describing his strange friendship with a family named Huo in Inner Mongolia. Unfortunately, the ancestors of that family were not Inner Mongolia, but Shandong. The family is still puzzled about their origins. They will ask about almost every fire. They not only contacted my uncle through newspapers, but also contacted several names of "fire" through letters. For example, they wrote to Huo Hua, then director of the Cultural Department of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This man is an accomplished poet, poet and calligrapher. He graduated from Hebei University and his ancestral home is Huairou, Beijing. Later, he wrote back and said, "My name is not Huo, but Zheng Guifu, and Howard is just my pen name." I also asked the pop singer Huo Feng, and the insider told him that this is also a stage name. His family name is Huo Feng. It seems that in this world, it is really not an easy thing for one surnamed Huo to recognize another surnamed Huo. Later, I met my brother Huo, who works in Guyuan Cinema. He said that there was a fire in his Pengyang Xinji, and nine times out of ten people living in their village were surnamed Huo, and their names were almost surprisingly the same as those in our village.

This is about another place with the most fire names I know so far.

Looking up the Internet "Baidu", there is such an explanation under the word "fire surname":

The theory of fire surname has seven sources. The first statement comes from Suiren, the first Suiren who invented fire in ancient Huang San, and belongs to the name of ancestor. The second theory comes from oral history, from the simple and natural dialectical thinking of human beings in ancient times, and belongs to the name of fire in the five elements; The third theory originated from Miao nationality, from Huoji, the leader of snail people in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and also belonged to the name of ancestor. The fourth theory originated from Ji surname; The fifth theory originated from the Hui nationality; The sixth theory originated from Mongols; The seventh theory originated from Xibe nationality.

These seven statements are explained in detail below.

I also found "from Mongolian" in the sixth theory. According to this statement, the fire surname comes from the Mongolian Golros tribe and belongs to the clan name.

This statement is divided into two situations:

The first one, originally Mongolian Goloros, also known as Goloros, is mostly law enforcement officers or consuls, living in Chahar and Horqin. Later, Manchu took this as their surname and lived in zhanhe. Later, the single surname of Chinese characters was changed to Huo and Guo.

Secondly, in Minhang District and Nanhui District of Pudong, Shanghai, there are villages inhabited by the Huo family. According to Huo's descendants, they are not Han Chinese, but Mongols, and their surname is not Huo, but Mongols. Their ancestors were the founding fathers of Mongolia? It'll be ready in a minute. Mongolia? Because of his father Mongolia? Aga was named Bolch (the official in charge of imperial meals) because of his active campaign, so he took Chi as his surname. Chituoer made great contributions in the Yuan Dynasty, and was later appointed as the town envoy of General Zhao Yi and General Huai Dong. Later, he was appointed as Dr. Jia Yi, Dr. Zhong Cheng from Yushitai, Dr. Zi Shan, Dr. Zuo Cheng from Fujian Province and Mr. Zuo Cheng from Jianghuai Province. Finally died in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Later, he became an official in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and many of his descendants settled in Jiangnan. At the end of the yuan dynasty, the uprising army rose suddenly, and the descendants of Mongolia were greatly affected. As a result, Chi was forced into exile, and one of its branches went into exile in Nanhui, Shanghai. It is said that at that time, they remained anonymous all the time, staying up all night and avoiding questioning again and again. One day, the rebels came to inquire again, but this time they asked not adults, but young children. They asked a child who was helping his mother make a fire under the stove, "What's your last name?" At that time, the child was a little confused and didn't know how to answer. At this time, a fire broke out in the kitchen, and the child said loudly while adding firewood: "fire, fire, fire." Therefore, it successfully escaped the investigation. Later, they changed the Mongolian red surname to the fire surname and settled in Baiqu Village, which is now Baiqu Port of Jinhui Town, Nanhui District, Shanghai. After Huo settled down, he gradually merged with the Han nationality and became one of the important surnames in this area in Qing Dynasty. Among the Huo family, Huo Guanruo and Huo Shiran were the first to become famous. They are all scholars in Nanhui District of Shanghai. They are knowledgeable and good at poetry, and have made great contributions to Feng Jinbo's compilation of Poems of Haiqu. Starting from the fire, his younger brothers Huo, Huo Jintao, Huo Da, and Huo Da's son Huo are also famous people in Nanhui, who are fond of composition and good at poetry. Among them, Huo's sequel to Haiqu Poetry, which was compiled after Feng Jinbo in Xianfeng period of Qing Dynasty, is quite famous.

So, what is the situation of this fire surname that we live in Ningxia now?

About family

According to the older generation, our family once had a genealogy, but it was not a book, not written on paper, but written on a piece of silk with a brush, and hung as high as a banner on a family sacred case for future generations to pay homage to. Genealogy equals the brand of our family. During the Chinese New Year holiday, or when someone holds a happy event or a funeral, please bring this banner to your home and let the whole village burn incense to pay homage. Although the genealogy is simple, it is also clear at a glance, and it is clearly marked on the brocade. Of course, once the name appears on this flag, it means that this person has passed away. Generally speaking, the person who writes on this banner must be the most educated and prestigious elder in the family. For example, if someone dies, it should be reported to the old man first to get everyone's affirmation and confirmation, and then the old man writes his name at the back, so that the deceased can really become a full member of this big family.

The older generation said that this family tree has been around for hundreds of years, and the names on it are densely written. Later, "capitalism" broke down, and the genealogy was burned as "feudal superstition". Our family was like a kite with a broken thread, and we could never find its roots.

But the people in our village are very clever. They invented a unique method of dividing clans, that is, replacing clan branches with residence. For example, those who live under the temple are called "under the temple"; Those who live in the original restaurant area of the ancient city are called "restaurants"; Those who live on a high platform under the city wall are called "platforms"; There are also "Huojiabaozi" and "Waner (Li)". My ancestors probably lived in the north of the village, so they called our home "Beitou".

The leader of the north-this is what the villagers called my grandfather before his death.

My great-grandfather was an honest farmer, diligent and thrifty, and his life was smooth. The most valuable achievement in his life is that he gave birth to four dignified and strong sons in succession. My grandfather is the boss, followed by the second grandfather, the third grandfather and the fourth grandfather. When grandpa four grew up, four men were naked, and everyone in the village looked up, so my great-grandfather became one of the few respected people in the village. His old man probably has a way to manage his family, because after his unfortunate death, his four sons didn't knock their heads off. Instead, they still follow the teachings of their ancestors, lead their respective branches of genealogy, burn incense on incense tables, and pay homage to their ancestors. So far, they have not separated. In this way, the number of people in our family, from my great-grandfather to my grandfather's generation, my father's generation, our generation, our next generation, our next generation, has exceeded 100.

When I was young, all my four grandfathers were still alive. They all wear melon hats, three locks of beards, a jacket and trousers.

My grandfather was born in the late Qing Dynasty, and his hair was cut short after his death, which is probably a special symbol of a folk gang.

I remember the most lively time was the first day of New Year's Day. My four grandfathers all sat in their own homes, and then, under the leadership of my uncles, went door to door to pay New Year greetings. A large crowd suddenly rumbled on the road, and the snow on the ground was trampled to raise dust. My four grandfathers sat on their kang, watching a large group of children and grandchildren suddenly kneel on the ground, kowtowing and bowing uniformly, and could not help smiling slightly on their faces. After that, he took out cigarettes, walnuts and dates from the kang cabinet and distributed them to everyone. He said, "Get warm when you get on the kang."

But no one will really go to the kang.

When we got walnuts and dates, everyone went to the next house arm in arm.

After my grandfather died, my uncles looked obviously old.

My father has eleven brothers, and my family has eleven brothers. They are all ranked by age, and my dad ranks fifth. Uncle Huo is the eighth largest. He is the second son of my second grandfather. Whether it's an uncle or an uncle, we call him Da, and then the front is their respective ranking numbers. For example, Big Uncle, we call him Dad, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and so on.

My youngest eleven are one year older than me.

In my impression, when our family really lived in a certain way, it was after production quotas settled down. At that time, every family solved the problem of food and clothing, and the days slowly flourished unconsciously. Somehow, there was a New Year's Eve dinner at home. Eat New Year's Eve in turn, once a year, one at a time. The day of eating New Year's Eve is often the time to kill the pig, or the first day of the New Year's Day. On this day, people who are preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner are the busiest. They often do some preparatory work a few days ago, such as buying cigarettes, wine, vermicelli and aniseed as side dishes. After the pig was killed, the adults plucked their hair and washed it in front of the door, and the children had already been ordered to invite their uncles. After everyone arrived, the New Year's Eve dinner was served soon. It was fried noodles with pork slices. The sliced meat is thick and glistens on the fans, making people drool at a glance. After eating meat, it is natural to drink. At this time, the host will provide them to everyone like mats. Wine is a very cheap local shochu. A small wine glass is only the size of a thumb cap. After two or three rounds, someone has shouted "drunk drunk" and stopped drinking. At that time, a bottle of wine could make a healthy person happy, and everyone blushed and had a thick neck when they got off the kang.

I ate the New Year's Eve dinner for about ten years, and then I stopped eating it somehow.

1985, our family is famous in the village. That year, including me, my two uncles and a cousin, four of us went to college together. Although it was not a famous brand, it caused some waves in the village because it was at the same time that year, and it was dubbed as "four scholars".

Because of this good atmosphere, more people went to college later. In my generation and our next generation, at least a dozen people go to college.

There are 21 cousins in my generation. Due to the difference in age and the large number of people, the intimacy between the two is not as good as before. Speaking of the next generation, some people can't even name them. Only when someone has a funeral sign (that is, an obituary, written by Yin and Yang teachers on a large piece of paper to show their relatives and friends, often posted on a separate door panel, with the contents of the deceased's life and children on it) will everyone check the numbers one by one. At this time, everyone is inevitably a little sad, and while looking up the number, they say to themselves: "Oh, who is the second child?" This baby has grown so big? "

Then there was a long sigh.