Shǐ (史) is a Chinese surname meaning "history" of "official historiographer". It is romanized Shih in Wade–Giles, or Sze or Si in Cantonese romanization. According to a 2008 study, it was the 82nd most common name in China. A 2013 study found that it is shared by 2.85 million people, or 0.210% of the population, with the province with the most people being Henan. It is the 63rd name on the ''

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

'' poem.K. S. Tom.

989 Year 989 ( CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to help him defeat Bardas Phokas (the Younger), who suffe ...

(1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom.

University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. .

Origins

# It is said to be borne by descendants of

Cang Jie Cangjie is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology, said to have been an official historian of the Yellow Emperor and the inventor of Chinese characters. Legend has it that he had four eyes, and that when he invented the characters, the deities ...

, the official historiographer during the reign of the mythical Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland # Shi (史), post name of an official in charge of recording historical events during the

Western Zhou dynasty The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to 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 in 7 ...

. Later, the surname was subsequently adopted as a surname by descendants of official historiographers in many regional states during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

# adopted as a surname by the Sogdians, and became one of the "

Nine Sogdian Surnames Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Empire, and l ...

", also known as ‘nine surnames of Zhaowu’ # adopted as a surname by the

Ashina tribe Ashina may refer to: * Ashina tribe, a ruling dynasty of the Turkic Khaganate * Ashina clan (Japan), one of the Japanese clans * Ashina District, Hiroshima, a former Japanese district * Empress Ashina (551–582), empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dyna ...

(阿史那), a Turkic tribe during the Tang dynasty # descendants of Shi Ji (史繼), who was bestowed with the surname by

Emperor Suzong of Tang Emperor Suzong of Tang (''yihai'' day, 711 – 16 May 762; r. 756 – 762), personal name Li Heng, né Li Sisheng (), known as Li Jun () from 725 to 736, known as Li Yu () from 736 to 738, known briefly as Li Shao () in 738, was an emperor of ...

Notable people

* Empress Shi (Xin dynasty) (史皇后), empress during the

Xin dynasty The Xin dynasty (; ), also known as Xin Mang () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty which lasted from 9 to 23 AD, established by the Han dynasty consort kin Wang Mang, who usurped th ...

* Shi Dongpeng (史冬鹏), a Chinese hurdler who specializes in the 110 metre hurdles. * Shi Zhi (史侄), a Zhou-era public officer *

Shi Siming Shi Siming () (19th day of the 1st month, 703? – 18 April 761), or Shi Sugan (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the Tang dynasty who followed his childhood friend An Lushan in rebelling against Tang, and who la ...

(史思明), emperor of the Yan dynasty * Shi Miyuan (史彌遠), politician during the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

Shi Kefa Shi Kefa (4 February 1601 – 20 May 1645), courtesy names Xianzhi and Daolin, was a government official and calligrapher who lived in the late Ming dynasty. He was born in Xiangfu (祥符; present-day Kaifeng, Henan) and claimed ancestry from D ...

(史可法), politician during the Southern Ming dynasty * Shi Liangcai (史量才, 1880–1934), a journalist * Shi Meng (史萌), athlete from the People's Republic of China who competes in triathlon * Shi Liang (footballer) (史亮), a footballer * Shi Jiuyong (史久镛), an International Court of Justice judge *

Shi Liang Shi Liang (; March 27, 1900 – September 6, 1985) was a prominent lawyer and activist of the Republic of China. She was the only woman arrested in what was known as the Seven Gentlemen Incident on the eve of Second Sino-Japanese War, war with J ...

(史良), Chinese lawyer, activist, and first Minister of Justice of the People's Republic of China

References

{{surname Individual Chinese surnames