Zheng or zhèng (

Hanyu 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 ...

) or Cheng ( Wade-Giles) () is a

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 ...

and also the name of an ancient state in today's

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

province. It is written as in

traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

and in

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

. It is the 7th name on the '' Hundred Family Surnames'' poem. In 2006, Zheng (Cheng/Chang) ranked 21st in China's list of top 100 most common surnames. Zheng (Cheng/Chang) belongs to the second major group of ten surnames which makes up more than 10% of the Chinese population. Zheng (Cheng/Chang) was a major surname of the rich and powerful during China's Tang dynasty. In

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

Taiwan 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 nort ...

, the name is normally romanized as Cheng or Tcheng (occasionally romanized as Chang in

although that variant is more commonly used for another Chinese name,

Zhang Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...

). In Malaysia, Cheng is commonly romanized as Cheng, Cheang, Chang, Tay, Tee and Teh. It is spelled as Tay in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and The in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and Ty in

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, from the

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

and Teochew pronunciation of the character. It is also romanized as Dang from Hokchew. The surname also has taken form outside of Chinese societies: in Vietnamese as Trịnh. In Korean, the name is written 정 and transliterated as Chung, Jung, or Jeong. It is the fifth most common Korean surname (after Kim, Lee, Park, and Choi), with about 4.85% of the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n population (2,230,611 people) having this name.

Origin

The Zheng surname originated in

. In 806 BC, King Xuan, the penultimate king of the

Western Zhou dynasty The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong nomad ...

, enfeoffed his younger brother Prince You, who became posthumously known as Duke Huan of Zheng, at Zheng (present-day

Hua County, Shaanxi Huazhou District (), formerly Hua County or Huaxian (), is a district of Weinan, Shaanxi province, China. It was upgraded from a county to a district in 2015. The district spans an area of , and has a population of about 324,300 as of 2012. His ...

). Duke Huan was killed along with King You of Zhou when the

Quanrong The Quanrong () or Dog Rong were an ethnic group, classified by the ancient Chinese as " Qiang", active in the northwestern part of China during and after the Zhou dynasty (1046–221 BCE). Their language or languages are considered to have been mem ...

tribes sacked the Zhou capital

Haojing Hao or Haojing (), also called Zongzhou (), was one of the two settlements comprising the capital of the Western Zhou dynasty (1066–770 BCE), the other being Fēng or Fēngjīng (). Together they were known as Fenghao and stood on opposite banks ...

in 771 BC. Duke Huan was succeeded by his son Duke Wu, who helped King Ping of Zhou establish the

Eastern Zhou dynasty The Eastern Zhou (; zh, c=, p=Dōngzhōu, w=Tung1-chou1, t= ; 771–256 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the second half of the Zhou dynasty. It was divided into two periods: the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States. History In 770 ...

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

, and his feudal

state of Zheng Zheng (; ; Old Chinese: *') was a vassal state in China during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–221 BCE) located in the centre of ancient China in modern-day Henan Province on the North China Plain about east of the royal capital at Luoyang. It was th ...

was also moved east to present-day Henan. His descendants and many people of the state later adopted Zheng as their surname. The city of Xingyang is considered as the origin place of the people whose surname is Zheng. Today, Xingyang is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

(鄭州) which translates to "Settlement of Zheng".

is the capital of

province and is located within the boundaries of the ancient state of

Zheng (state) Zheng (; ; Old Chinese: *') was a vassal state in China during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–221 BCE) located in the centre of ancient China in modern-day Henan Province on the North China Plain about east of the royal capital at Luoyang. It was th ...

. There is also another city called

Xinzheng Xinzheng () is a county-level city of Henan Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital. The city has a population of 600,000 people and covers an area of , of which is urban. ...

("New Zheng"), also under the administration of

. The Zheng clan character (鄭) is featured prominently on the flag of the short-lived rebel

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning (), also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Ta ...

founded by Ming-loyalist

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

(who had the surname Zheng) in Taiwan. Also called the Kingdom of Formosa. During the Tang dynasty the Li family of Zhaojun 趙郡李氏, the Cui family of Boling 博陵崔氏, the Cui family of Qinghe 清河崔氏, the Lu family of Fanyang 范陽盧氏, the Zheng family of Xingyang 荥陽鄭氏, the Wang family of Taiyuan 太原王氏, and the Li family of Longxi 隴西李氏 were the seven noble families between whom marriage was banned by law. The marriages between the families were performed clandestinely after the prohibition was implemented on the seven families by Emperor Gaozong. Their status as "Seven Great surnames" became known during Gaozong's rule.

Distribution

Of the top 30 cities in China, 郑 ranked 4th most common surname in the city of

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

."https://www.douban.com/group/topic/23803598/"(Chinese)

Spelling and pronunciation

Notable people

There are over 400 Zhengs listed in the Who's Who in Chinese History.Who's who in China: First-ever Comprehensive Compilation of the Powerful, Affluent, and Influential in China - Their Stories, Net Worth and NetworksContributor Gerald Leong Published by Inspire Publ, 2004; ,

Monarch

* Zheng Taksin (1737-1768), King of

Thonburi Kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Thai people, Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin ...

Arts, entertainment & media

Wah Chang Wah Ming Chang (August 2, 1917 – December 22, 2003) was an American designer, sculptor, and artist. With the encouragement of his adoptive father, James Blanding Sloan, he began exhibiting his prints and watercolors at the age of seven ...

, 鄭華明 (1917-2003),

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

-born designer for

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

Adam Cheng Adam Cheng Siu-chow (born 24 February 1947) is a Hong Kong TVB actor and Cantopop singer. Career Cheng started his career in the 1970s, where he gained a reputation for playing the lead roles in TVB ''Wuxia'' drama series based on the works of ...

(b. 1947), Hong Kong singer and actor * Ekin Cheng (b. 1967), Hong Kong singer and actor * Joe Cheng (b. 1982), Taiwanese actor and model * Kevin Cheng (b. 1969), Hong Kong actor * Sammi Cheng (b. 1972), Hong Kong singer and actress * Tay Ping Hui (b.1970), Singaporean actor *

Sharon Tay Sharon Tay (born October 15, 1966) is an American journalist and former host of two programs on the MSNBC network and formerly a news reporter for KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV in Los Angeles before being laid off in 2020 after 13 years with the networks.

, (b. 1966) is a Singaporean American journalist and television host * The Teng Chun (b. 1902), Indonesian film producer * Zheng Banqiao (1693–1765), artist and poet, Qing dynasty *

Zheng Guogu Zheng Guogu (, born 1970) is an artist based in Yangjiang in the Guangdong province of China, one of three artists in the artist collective known as Yangjiang Group. In 1992, he graduated from the printmaking department of the Guangzhou Academy o ...

(born 1970), artist *

Zheng Shuang (actress, born 1991) Zheng Shuang (born Zheng Yihan; 22 August 1991) is a Chinese actress. She rose to fame with her role as Chu Yuxun in ''Meteor Shower'' (2009–2010), becoming the youngest actress to be nominated for Best Actress at the China TV Golden Eagle Aw ...

(born 1991), Chinese Actress *

Zheng Zhenduo Zheng Zhenduo (Cheng Chen-to; December 19, 1898 – October 17, 1958), courtesy name Xidi, was a Chinese journalist, writer, archaeologist and scholar. His pen names were Baofen (寶芬), Guo Yuanxin (郭源新) and CT. He made a significant co ...

(1898–1958), journalist, modern writer, archeologist and literature scholar

Sports, fitness

* Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902–75), martial artist, doctor, calligrapher, painter, poet * Zheng Jie (b. 1983), Chinese tennis player * Zheng Saisai (b. 1994), Chinese tennis player * Zheng Siwei (b. 1997), Chinese badminton player *

Zheng Qinwen Zheng Qinwen ( zh, 郑钦文; born 8 October 2002 in Shiyan 十堰, Hubei 湖北, China 中国) is a Chinese tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 25, on 24 October 2022. Zheng is the current No. 2 female Chinese ...

(b. 2002), Chinese tennis player *

Zheng Yumin Zheng Yumin (, born 14 August 1967) is a former Chinese badminton player. Career Zheng Yumin, born in Fujian, is the younger brother of Zheng Yuli, a former top level player who won medals in World championships and World Cup. Yumin specialise ...

(born 1967), Chinese badminton player * Zheng Zhi (b. 1980), Chinese footballer

Other

Zheng Chenggong Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

(1624–62), Ming dynasty military leader who founded the rebellious

(1661-1683) in Taiwan during the

Qing 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-speaki ...

dynasty, the reason that the flag of Tungning featured the character 鄭 (Zheng) in its flag; better known in the West as

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...

(1371–1435), Chinese mariner and explorer who was famous for his vast treasure fleet and for reaching East Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia *

Zheng Yi (pirate) Zheng Yi (also romanised as Cheng Yud or Cheng I ; born Zheng Wenxian, courtesy name Youyi; 1765 – 16 November 1807) was a powerful Chinese pirate operating from Guangdong and throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s. History He was ...

(1765–1807), a powerful Chinese pirate operating from Guangdong and throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s *

Ching Shih Zheng Yi Sao (1775–1844; born Shi Yang, a.k.a. Shi Xianggu), also known as Ching Shih, was a Chinese pirate leader who was active in the South China Sea from 1801 to 1810. Born as Shi Yang in 1775 to humble origins, she married a pirate name ...

(1775–1844), a female Chinese pirate and the widow of Zheng Yi, known for fighting the Qing, British, and Portuguese navies with 300+ junks and 20,000 - 40,000 Chinese pirates * Cheng Wen-tsan (born 1967), Mayor of Taoyuan City * Cheng Hsiao-yu (1911-1942), fighter pilot and commander of the Chinese Air Force

4th Pursuit Group The 4th Pursuit Group was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, Second United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 15 April 1919. There is no modern United ...

during the War of Resistance-World War II * Zheng Shaoxiong (1997-2021), Chinese student who was murdered in the U.S. * Cheng Yu-tung (b. 1925), Hong Kong billionaire *

Chung Keng Quee Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chhang Kín-kui, 182713 December1901) was the founder and administrator of modern Taiping in Perak, Malaysia. Appointed "Capitan China" by the British in 1877, he was a millionaire philanthropist ...

Chung Kok Ming Chung Kok Ming (), also known as Chung Ah Ming, was a Malaysian Chinese Perak State councillor and the only Asian committee member of the Perak Turf Club for many years. He represented Perak State in soccer, hockey, cricket and tennis. He was a mem ...

* Chung On Siew *

Chung Thye Phin Kapitan China Chiew Yuen Lam (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Chhang Thai-phìn''); 28 September 1879 – 1935) was a wealthy Malayan tin miner and rubber planter. Chinese Business in Southeast Asia: Contesting Cultural Explanations by Edmund Terence Go ...

Chung Thye Yong Chung Thye Yong (; 1868 - 20 Oct 1915), also known as Chung Ah Yong (), was a Malaysian philanthropist, tin miner, rubber planter, rugby player and racehorse owner of the 19th century. Family And Pedigree Born in Penang, Chung Thye Yong was t ...

Nien Cheng Nien Cheng or Zheng Nian (January 28, 1915 – November 2, 2009) is the pen name of Yao Nien-Yuan (). She was a Chinese author who recounted her harrowing experiences during the Cultural Revolution in her memoir ''Life and Death in Shanghai ...

(b. 1915), author and survivor of seven years of solitary confinement at the hands of the Communist party * Tcheng Yu-hsiu (1891-1959), the first female lawyer and judge in Chinese history * Teh Hong Piow (b. 1930), chairman of Public Bank Berhad in Malaysia *

Zheng Tianshou Zheng Tianshou is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Fair-skinned Gentleman", he ranks 74th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 38th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. B ...

a pirate who pillaged during the Northern Song dynasty * Alvin Cheng Kam-moon, a Hong Kong student activist *

Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Secr ...

''née'' Cheng Yuet-ngor, Hong Kong politician * Claudio Teehankee (1918-1989), Chinese-Filipino judge, later ambassador. He is included here under Cheng, Zheng because in Hokkien, his surname is Tee; similar to Malaysian or Singapore surnames Teh or Tay. *

Tay Yong Kwang Tay Yong Kwang is a Singaporean judge of the Supreme Court. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1997, appointed Judge in 2003, and appointed Judge of Appeal in 2016. He was noted for being the presiding judge in several notable cas ...

, Singaporean judge

References

External links

Categories of Chinese Surnames