Jí is the

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

romanization of the

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the ...

written in

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...

. It is romanized as Chi in

Wade–Giles Wade–Giles () is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Francis Wade, during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert A. Giles's '' Chinese–English Dictionary'' of ...

, and Zik in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

. Ji is listed 275th in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

classic text A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cla ...

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dyn ...

''. It is not among the 300 most common surnames in China.

Origin

According to the '' Zuo Zhuan'' and the

encyclopedia '' Tongzhi'', the surname Ji 籍 originated from Bo Yan ( 伯黡), a chief minister of the state of Jin, a major power of the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

. Boyan was in charge of government records, and was commonly referred to as Ji Yan (''ji'' 籍 means record). His descendants adopted Ji as their surname. During the

Chu–Han Contention The Chu–Han Contention ( zh, , lk=on) or Chu–Han War () was an interregnum period in ancient China between the fallen Qin dynasty and the subsequent Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler, Ziying, unconditionally surrendered t ...

, many people surnamed Ji 籍 changed their surname to Xi 席 because of

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...

, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, whose given name was Ji 籍.

Notable people

*Bo Yan (伯黡) or Ji Yan, chief minister of the state of Jin *Ji Yan or Ji You ( 籍偃, fl. 6th century BC), official serving under

Duke Dao of Jin Duke Dao of Jin (, 586–558 BC) was from 573 to 558 BC the ruler of the State of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Zhou (周), and Duke Dao was his posthumous title. ...

*Ji Tan ( 籍谈, fl. 6th century BC), son of Ji You, official serving under

Duke Ping of Jin Duke Ping of Jin (, died 532 BC) was from 557 to 532 BC the ruler of the State of Jin, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Biao, and Duke Ping was his posthumous name. He succe ...

*Ji Qin ( 籍秦, fl. 6th century BC), a younger son of Ji You, official serving under

Duke Qing of Jin Duke Qing of Jin (, died 512 BC) was the ruler of the Jin (Chinese state), State of Jin from 525 to 512 BC, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji, given name Quji, and Duke Qing was his post ...

Ji Ru Jiru () was a trusted personal servant of Emperor Gaozu, the founder of China's Han Dynasty. Louis Crompton claims that Jiru was Gaozu's pillow companion, or homosexual lover, and that Jiru had more access to the emperor than did ministers.Lou ...

(籍孺),

Western Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

eunuch *Ji Zhongyin ( 籍忠寅; 1877–1930),

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

and

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

politician *

Ji Xiaocheng Ji Xiaocheng (; 2 November 1923 – 23 October 2019) was a Chinese paediatrician who served as Director of Paediatrics at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. In the early 1980s, he introduced perinatal medicine to China from the United State ...

(籍孝诚; 1923–2019), paediatrician, introduced perinatal medicine to China

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ji Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames