A probe into the origin of Li surname

Li: The first surname in China originated from.

-Confusing surname legend

Li is the largest surname in China today, and it is also the largest surname in the world. Li is from Henan. Lu Yi, called Guxian in ancient times, has been under the jurisdiction of Chen Di since ancient times. It is the birthplace of Lao Zi (Li Er), a great thinker, philosopher and founder of Taoist school in ancient China.

There is a very legendary story about the origin and ancestor of Li's surname in li yanshou's Preface to the History of the North in the Tang Dynasty and Ouyang Xiu's and Song Qi's Book of the New Tang Dynasty in the Northern Song Dynasty: Li's surname originated from the won surname, and he is a descendant of Levin, one of the five emperors in the Biography of Zhuan Xu. He was once the king of Dali, and his successors assumed the post of king of Dali, taking the official position as his surname and Li as his surname. At the end of Shang Dynasty, Li's descendants angered her by telling this story and were killed. Li Zheng's wife, Qi He, and her family are from the State of Chen. Qi He and her family fled back to the State of Chen with their son Loretta Lee. When they arrived at Houyi Market, the mother and son were hungry and ate Mu Zi (the fruit of the tree) to save their lives. In order to thank and avoid the pursuit, Li Zhen concealed her original surname, because "Li" and "Li" are homonyms, and changed her surname to Li, which is the ancestor of Li. Mother and son returned to Chen State and settled in Guxian County, not far from Chen. He also married the daughter of Chen and his family, and gave birth to the doctor Chang Zu. Li Chang was born in Tongde, the great-grandson of Tongde, and was granted a fief in Kuxian by Zhou Kangwang. Li Shuozong's fifth grandson, Li Gan, served as an ancient consultant in the Western Zhou Dynasty, married a longevity baby girl and gave birth to Li Er. "Historical Records" contains: "I was born in Qurenli, Chuku County, and my surname is Li. His name is Er, and the word Yong is the history of Zhou Shoucang. " Some ancient books said that old Gigi Lai was Loretta Lee's 1 1 grandchild, and some surname books said that Loretta Lee was Lao Tzu's sixth ancestor.

There is another saying that is more mythical. "Justice in Historical Records" quoted the mysterious article as saying: "Mother Li was pregnant for 81 years and lived happily under the plum tree, but she was born with her left armpit cut off." According to historical research, Laozi "was born to refer to Li Shu because he thought it was his surname." There are still folklore in Lu Yi today. Mother Li was pregnant for 8 1 year and gave birth under the plum tree. Li Er was a white-haired old man when he was born. Mother Li shouted "my old son", hence the name "Lao Zi". As soon as Lao Zi was born, she pointed to the plum tree and recognized her surname as Li.

The above story about the origin of Li's surname is so vivid and legendary that it will inevitably arouse the suspicion of future generations. Historians believe that these legends originated in the Tang Dynasty, which enhanced the family status of Li Tang's imperial clan. They are subjective and speculative, so their credibility is not high. In addition, it is doubtful whether the figures before Laozi, such as Li Zheng and Loretta Lee, can not be found in the ancient books of the pre-Qin period.

So, what is the real origin of Li's surname?

Actually, the origin of Li's surname is not complicated, but it has nothing to do with the legend of "Li Shu" or "Eating". Li's surname is Li, and his ancestors were officials in Dali. Later generations took the official as their surname. Lee, or Richter scale, existed before the Spring and Autumn Period. Because Li and Li have the same pronunciation, the surname Li was created during the Warring States Period. As early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it has been verified in Wang Fu's "A Thousand Commandments on Zhi Shi" and Ying Shao's "Custom Shi" that Li and Li have the same pronunciation, but there is no mention of eating Li instead of eating Li, which shows that there are no myths and legends in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Li's surname originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and was very common in the Warring States Period. There was a Richter scale in the Spring and Autumn Period, which was recorded by Rick, Li Li and others. Rick is a minister, Rigg is an official of Lu, and Li is Zheng's doctor. Li Er, Li Li, Li Kui, Bing, Li Mu, Li Si, etc. It is the characters written by Li in the Warring States Period, and their footprints are all over the world. It is particularly noteworthy that Li Li, Li Li and Li Si are law enforcement ministers, which have the same meaning as "Li (Li)". Li Li was from Dali when she was in Jin Wengong. In the early years of the Warring States, he presided over the political reform of Wei, but he was an advocate of the political reform movement in the Warring States. The legal classics he formulated are masterpieces of the previous generation and have had an important impact on the laws of later generations. Li Si, a former Tingwei of Qin State, was in charge of Qin law and was the main planner of Qin law and politics. Li's early judicial theory and practice inherited the historical tradition of the Li family.

-Li's ancestor is also a branch of Yuan.

Most books on surnames since the Eastern Han Dynasty trace Li's surname back to and regard it as Li's distant ancestor. So what kind of historical figure is Hao Tao?

Hao Tao is also recorded in ancient history books. He is a figure in ancient historical legends. Like many legends, he is not only a real tribal leader, but also represents the name of a tribe. Hao Tao lived in the era of Yao, Shun and Yu. There is an article "Mo" in Shangshu, which describes many remarks made by , Shun and Yu when discussing politics. According to Records of Historical Records Xia Benji, Hao Tao almost became the emperor after Shun Yu. Qin Shihuang intended to meditate in Hao Tao, but he gave up because of Hao Tao's death. These legends reflect the prominent position and influence of Hao Tao before the Xia Dynasty.

During the Shundi period, Hao Tao's official position was "Dali". According to legend, "Hao Tao was punished" was the founder of China's criminal law. Legend has it that Hao Tao specially trained a strange unicorn named Touch. This strange beast has a special function, which is to distinguish good from evil. As soon as it meets a guilty person, it will collide with a sharp one-horned horn; When you find out who is lying, you will feel angry and afraid. Hao Tao used this strange beast to solve the case. Myth is a myth after all, but this fairy tale has brought people to distant ancient times, as if seeing Hao Tao's upright and decisive image.

Real name Yan, his son Boyi, was given the surname Yuan. There are many branches of Korean surnames, among which Zhao, Xu, Huang, Jiang and Qin are the most popular surnames in China today.

Zhao was formed in the Western Zhou Dynasty, with Boyi as the ancestor and Zhao Fu as the ancestor. Zhao Fu was a famous horse-riding expert in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and Zhou Muwang named him Zhao Cheng. From then on, people in Zaofu took Zhao as their surname. When he was here, Zhao's descendants Sun took Zhou away, and from then on, Zhao's descendants became Jin doctors. In the early years of the Warring States, Zhao joined Wei and Han to divide Jin and established Zhao. Zhao was destroyed by Qin, and the royal family and ordinary people took the country name as their surname, calling it Zhao.

At the end of Shang Dynasty and the beginning of Zhou Dynasty, Huang established the State of Huang in Huangchuan, Henan Province. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chu dominated the world, and only Huang and Sui dared to compete with it. In 648 BC, Huang was destroyed by the State of Chu. After the national subjugation, the descendants of the State of Huang took the country name as their surname and became Huang.

Xu is a descendant of Ruomu, the son of Boyi. Boyi actively assisted Dayu in water control. Apart from officially changing his surname to Yuan, Shundi married his own local woman Yao, and later gave birth to two sons, the youngest of whom was Ruomu. Because of his father's meritorious service, he was named Xu and established Xu Zhou. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Xu was destroyed by the State of Wu, and the descendants of Xu were called Xu.

The surname of Qin won, and there was a man named Boyi's descendants. Fei Zi, an illegitimate child, was named the vassal state of Longxi by Zhou, and was later given the surname of Qin. Qin later became the leader of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, further unifying the whole country. After the Qin dynasty was destroyed, the descendants of the royal family took the country as their surname, which was called Qin family.

Jiang won. Boyi has been passed down for more than ten generations. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, Boyi's descendants were sealed in the river, and in the Spring and Autumn Period, they were destroyed by Chu, so their descendants took the country as their surname and Jiang as their surname. Jiang Guo is now in Zhengyang County, Henan Province.

In addition, there is Ma Shi from Korea. Ma Shi was formed at the end of the Warring States Period and was subordinate to Zhao. His ancestor was Zhao She. Zhao She was a native of Zhao in the Warring States Period. He was a general of Zhao, and was named Ma Fujun for his work. Zhao She's descendants thought that his surname was Ma Su, but later he saved it as Ma Su.

-great ancestor Li Er.

Speaking of Li, of course, we have to mention Li's great ancestor-Lao Er. Laozi is a great thinker in ancient China and a well-deserved father of China's philosophy. Li's descendants recognize Lao Er as their ancestors in the world, which is Li's ancestral land for thousands of years.

The earliest biography of Laozi was Sima Qian, the Taishi Duke. There are more than 400 words of Lao Tzu's biography in Historical Records. The first sentence at the beginning said, "I am also from Qurenli, Li Xiang, Chuku County." Qurenli, Li Xiang, is now Taiqinggong Town, Luyi County. It is unknown when the Laozi Temple in Laozi's hometown in Taiqing Palace was built. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the rise of Taoism, the incense in Laozi's shrine was already very prosperous. In the eighth year of Yan Xi in the Eastern Han Dynasty (165), Laozi was expanded. After the expansion, the Laozi Temple was divided into two palaces, the former one dedicated to Laozi and the later one to Mother Li.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Laozi has been regarded as the ancestor of Li. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the Three Kingdoms, the Central Plains implemented the system of "Nine Grades Being Right" and formed the system of gentry. The appointment of officials pays special attention to their family background, and most of them enjoy special honors. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Lu, Cui Shi, Zheng in Xingyang and Wang in Taiyuan were determined as the highest families. Tang Gaozu Pear Garden originated in Longxi. After he entered the Central Plains, Li's surname was not high. In order to improve his surname, the easiest way is to marry Li, the most famous historical figure of the Han nationality, so he found the old son. In the third year of Li Yuan's reign, a palace was built in Lu Yi, Li Er's birthplace, according to the specifications of the emperor's residence, with Lao Zi's birthday (February 25th) as the holy day. Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and Tang Xuanzong Li Longji both went to Lu Yi to pay their respects to their ancestor Li Er. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also personally recorded that the Tao Te Ching was published in the world, and carved a stone in the Taiqing Palace, which was named "The Tao Te Ching Annotated by Emperor SHEN WOO of the Tang Kaiyuan" and is now in the Taiqing Palace. In addition to the two emperors of Li Tang, Wu Zetian and Zhenzong Zhao Heng of the Song Dynasty offered sacrifices to Lao Zi in Lu Yi.

Li originated and developed here, and gradually became a prominent family in China, occupying an important position in the history of the Chinese nation.

-The establishment of the Li and Tang Dynasties and the prosperity of Li in Longxi.

In the old days, Li surnamed family ancestral temple often hung two couplets: one was "Longxi clan, a celebrity under the column." The second is "spreading morality and attaching importance to fame." In addition to eulogizing Lao Zi, the ancestor of Li, the first couplet mentioned Li Guang, a flying general, and Shili, a poet from Longxi who started the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the next couplet mentioned Li Bai, a poet from Longxi who was also Shili. Li's celebrities came forth in large numbers, creating a glorious history.

Biography of Laozi in Historical Records describes Laozi as "the dragon sees the head without the tail", but it records the family history of Laozi's descendants in great detail: Laozi's son is a famous clan, and the clan is Jiang Wei. Zongzi's note, note uterus, Gong Xuansun's leave, and Li Danghan's leave as an official when he was Emperor Wendi. Li Jue's son, Li Jie, works as a teacher in Jiaoxi, so he lives in Qi. It can be seen that a family of Li moved to Shandong in the Western Han Dynasty. According to the records in the Genealogy of New Tang Dynasty and the Genealogy of Prime Ministers, Li Er's eighth grandson moved to Zhao and Qin during the Warring States Period, and this school was divided into two factions. One is the eldest son, who used to be the prefect of Longxi and the duke of Nanzheng, living in Longxi, and later became the ancestor of Longxi Li. One is the fourth son, who lives in Zhao county and becomes the ancestor of Li in Zhao county. These two men are rich and have become famous families. Later, Li Mu, a general of Zhao State, a general at the end of Qin Dynasty, Li Jifu, a minister of Tang Dynasty, Li Deyu and Li, a writer, appeared. Longxi Li has been living in Longxi, Gansu, and has been an official for generations. His grandson Li trusted General Qin and named him Hou of Longxi. Xin Li's descendant Li Guang, his sons Li Jiao and Li Gan, and his grandson Li Ling were all generals of the Western Han Dynasty. In the Sixteen Kingdoms period, 16 Sun Yili of Li Guang established the kingdom of Xiliang. Li Yong's 16 grandchild is Tang Gaozu Liyuan.

In 6 18, Li Yuan founded the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of China's feudal society. As the most prominent surname in the "national surname", Li's surname flourished in the Tang Dynasty, so the Tang Dynasty was also the golden age in the history of Li's development.

In the Tang Dynasty, Li Guigui was the "national surname", and the reproduction of Li's population showed unprecedented prosperity. There are two main reasons for Li's rapid population expansion. The first reason is that the descendants of Li Tang imperial clan are very rich. The special political status of Li Tang imperial clan created favorable conditions for its development and reproduction. There were 19 emperors in the Tang Dynasty. The emperor has many wives and concubines, and naturally he has many sons. These princes were enfeoffed to various places and became local nobles. In addition, there are dozens of prime ministers of Li, each of whom has become one, and the descendants have multiplied, which has also expanded a lot of population for Li. The second reason for Li's population expansion is giving his surname. In order to consolidate their rule, people with foreign surnames were often given "national surnames" by means of praise, pet and knot, which made them more loyal to the dynasty, which also added many new members to the Li Dynasty. Because the supreme status of the "national surname" is also an unparalleled honor for those who are given the surname. According to historical records, in the Tang Dynasty, the Han nationality had surnames such as Xu, Tai, An, Du, Hu, Hong, Guo, Ma, Zhang, Dong and Luo, and the minority nationalities had surnames such as Xianyu, Abu, Relibu and Zhu.

After Li got great development in the Tang Dynasty, his descendants began to spread to the whole country. Li Bai, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem saying, "I have a million branches and leaves all over Zhongzhou." It can be seen that by the Tang Dynasty, Li's surname had been widely distributed. In the Song Dynasty, there were about 5.6 million people surnamed Li, accounting for 7.2% of the national population, ranking second only to Wang Xing in the Song Dynasty. The distribution in China is mainly concentrated in Hebei, Sichuan, Henan and Shandong, and the four provinces account for about 44% of Li's total population. In the Ming Dynasty, there were about 565,438+million people surnamed Li, accounting for about 5.5% of the national population. Li was the third surname after Wang and Zhang in Ming Dynasty, mainly distributed in Jiangxi, Shanxi and Shandong provinces. At present, the population of Li nationality has reached more than 95 million, ranking first in the country, accounting for about 7.9% of the national population. At present, its distribution in China is mainly concentrated in Henan, Sichuan and Shandong provinces. Today, Li has spread all over every land of the Chinese nation and even every corner of the world.

It is the ancestral home of Li, Chen, Hu, Tian, Sun, Yao and Yuan, and also the ancestral home of Xie, Chen Yuan, He, Yin, Ying and Wan. If you add up these surnames, the figures will be amazing. Surnames and families from Chen Chu, as the main sources of Chinese blood, have merged into the vast river of the Chinese nation and made great contributions to the formation and development of national culture. The blood of the Chinese nation is thicker than water, and the descendants of China are connected by blood. Chen's rich surname cultural resources have attracted many Chinese at home and abroad to come to Chen to seek roots and worship their ancestors.