The story of 姓

surname

姓 composes of a 女 (woman) and 生 (birth). In the past, when China was matriarchal society, surname was given by mother since everyone was bred by mother only. Although now we inherit the surname from our fathers, 姓 is still used to represent the meaning of surname.

Vocabulary of 姓

  • 姓名 (name
  • including both surname and last name)
  • 姓氏 (surname
  • 姓 comes from mother while 氏 comes from father)

Classification

Related Characters: