Yíng () is an ancient
Chinese surname
Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, ...
. It was the noble house name of the
Qin state during the
Eastern Zhou dynasty, and the royal name of the subsequent
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
.
Yíng Zheng was the first
emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
of the unified Chinese empire.
Ying was one of the "
Eight Great ''Xing''s of High Antiquity" (), along with
Jī (),
Yáo (),
Sì (), Yún (),
Gui () and Rèn (), though some sources quote
Jí () as the last one instead of Rèn. Of these ''xing''s, only Jiang and Yao have survived in their original form to modern days as frequently occurring surnames, while Ji can still be seen occasionally. In the present day, the Ying surname is shared by less than 1000 people in
mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
, and is overall the 1520th-most common surname. In 2019, it was found that only exactly two people in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
still had this surname.
There are however 14 clan names in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
derived from the same ancestral name Yíng.
Zhao, one of the most common Chinese surnames, is one such kind of cadet surnames that descended from the Yíng name.
The origin of Yíng family
Ying is the surname of
Shaohao (少皞).
Shaohao had a child,
Gaoyao (皋陶). Gaoyao had a child,
Boyi (伯益). Boyi (伯益) was in charge of
flood control
Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...
and got the surname Yíng (嬴), which means 'bountiful,' in the early
Xia dynasty
The Xia dynasty (; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Emperor Shun, Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Fiv ...
.
Yu the Great
Yu the Great or Yu the Engineer was a legendary king in ancient China who was credited with "the first successful state efforts at flood control", his establishment of the Xia dynasty, which inaugurated Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic ru ...
granted state of
Dengfeng to the son of Boyi (伯益). This became the
State of Yíng (英). Other children of Boyi (伯益) became the feudal lord of
Liu state (六), and
Xu state (徐), by order of
Yu the Great
Yu the Great or Yu the Engineer was a legendary king in ancient China who was credited with "the first successful state efforts at flood control", his establishment of the Xia dynasty, which inaugurated Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic ru ...
. Later, the
Yíng (赢) tribe was founded in the state of Yíng (英), and the Liu (六) in, Xu (徐) in
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
.
[ Chinese wikipedia article 伯益]
The Yíng tribe were powerful feudal lords at the end of the
Shang dynasty
The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...
period.
Feilian (蜚廉) of the
Yíng (皋) family was the General and feudal lord under
King Zhou of Shang
King Zhou (; ) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang () or Shou, King of Shang (), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (). In Chinese, his name Zhòu ( 紂) also refers to a horse ...
. After the fall of the
Shang dynasty
The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...
, the Yíng tribe moved to
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
and
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
.
The
Yíng (皋) family's
Feizi
Feizi (; died 858 BC), also known as Qin Ying and Ying Feizi, was the founder of the state of Qin.
Mythical origin of Qin
According to the founding myths of Qin recorded in the ''Records of the Grand Historian'' by Han dynasty historian Sima ...
(非子, Biza) received
Qin County
Qin County or Qinxian () is a county in the southeast-central part of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of Changzhi
Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering ...
(秦邑) in
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
from
King Xiao of Zhou, thereby beginning the
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
lineage.
The
Bai people
The Bai or Pai (Bai language, Bai: , ; zh, c=白族, p=Báizú), are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, Yunnan Province, Bijie area of Guizhou, Guizhou Province, and Sangzhi C ...
, of the old Chinese
Yíng, the
Xu people, the
Qiang people
The Qiang people (Qiangic languages, Qiangic: ''Rrmea''; ) are an List of ethnic groups in China, ethnic group in China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, with a population of approx ...
, and some
nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
tribes were found in the area of the
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
. Also, in the
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
, at the time of
Duke Mu of Qin
Duke Mu of Qin (died 621BC), born Ying Renhao, was a duke of the state of Qin. Sometimes considered one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Mu greatly expanded the territory of Qin during the reign of King Xiang of Zhou. ...
, the
Xirong people joined the
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
, by way of service in/with the army of
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
. The
Yíng royal family of
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
got various surnames from many surname of their Citizens.
From the time of
Duke Zhuang of Qin,
Longxi County in
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
and the surrounding territory was part of the
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
. It merged into the territory of the
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...
, after the fall of the
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
; although citizens of the
Yíng family remained in Longxi of
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
.
Evolution of the Yíng clan
'Yíng' pronunciation in Mandarin
Surname, Yíng
*
Yíng (surname) (嬴) from
Boyi the founder of
Yíng (state) (英國)
*
Jin (surname) (金) from
Shaohao, Original only
*
Qi (surname)
Qi is the romanization of several Chinese family names, including 祁 (Qí), 齊/齐 (Qí), 戚 (Qī), 乞 (Qí), 奇 (Qí), 亓 (Qí) and 綦 (Qí).
Qí (祁) surname
Qi (祁, also commonly written as Chi, and Kei in Cantonese) is a Chinese sur ...
(祁) from
Shaohao
*
Xu (surname) (徐) of
Qin (state)
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
*
Li Surname (里) from
Gaoyao
*Li Surname (理) from
Gaoyao
*
Li (surname)
Li, li, or LI may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects
* Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...
(李) from
Li Shiji (李世勣) the
Xu Shiji (徐世勣)
*
Gao (surname)
Gao () is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin that can be literally translated as "high" or "tall". There are approximately 17 million living people with this surname. Some places, such as Taiwan, usually romanise this family name into "Kao". I ...
(高) from
Xu (surname) (徐)
*
Yan (surname)
Yan is a surname in several languages and the pinyin romanization for several Chinese surnames, including " ()", " ()", " ()", " ()", " ()", " ()", " ()", " ()", " ()" in simplified (traditional) form.
These characters are romanised as ''Yen'' in ...
(嚴) of
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
*
Zhang (surname)
Zhang (; ) is the List of common Chinese surnames, third most common surname in China and Taiwan (commonly spelled as Chang in Taiwan), and it is one of the most common surnames in the world. It is spoken in the Chinese tones, first tone ''Zhān ...
(張) from
Zhang Yi, Original only
*
Qin (surname)
Qín () (秦) is a common Chinese surname. "Qin" is the hanyu pinyin romanization of the surname for Mandarin, the common dialect of China; other romanizations of the surname include Chin and Jin in Mandarin, Ceon and Cheun in Cantonese, and T� ...
(秦) of
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
*
Feng (surname) (奉)
*
Xiao (surname)
Xiao (; ) is a Chinese surname, Chinese-language surname. In the Wade-Giles system of Romanization of Chinese, romanization, it is rendered as Hsiao, which is commonly used in Taiwan. It is also romanized as Siauw, Shiao, Siaw, Siew, Siow, Seow, ...
(蕭)
*
Fei (surname) (费)
*
Pei (surname)
Pei () is an East Asian surname originating in north China. In 2008, it was the 156th most common surname in mainland China, with at least 830,000 Chinese sharing this name.[Jiang (surname)
Jiang / Chiang can be a Mandarin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames:
#Jiǎng (surname), Jiǎng (surname 蔣) (#蔣, 蔣), commonly spelled as Jiǎng, Chiang, Cheung, Jang (Korean name), Jang, Chioh
#Jiāng (surname 江) (#江, � ...]
(江) from
Boyi (伯益),
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
based
*
Zhao (surname)
Zhao (; ) is a Chinese surname, Chinese-language surname. The name is first in the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' – the traditional list of all Chinese surnames – because it was the emperor's surname of the Song dynasty (960–1279) when the li ...
(赵) from
Gaoyang (高揚)
*
Gao (surname)
Gao () is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin that can be literally translated as "high" or "tall". There are approximately 17 million living people with this surname. Some places, such as Taiwan, usually romanise this family name into "Kao". I ...
(高) from two syllable surname
Gaoyang (高揚)
*
Cao (surname)
Cáo is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname (''Cáo''). It is listed 26th in the Song-era ''Hundred Family Surnames'' poem. Cao is romanized as "Tsao" in Wade-Giles (Ts'ao), which is widely adopted in Taiwan, although the apostrophe i ...
(曹) from
Gaoyang (高揚)
*
Zhu (surname)
Zhu is the pinyin romanization of five Chinese surnames: wikt:朱, 朱, wikt:祝, 祝, wikt:竺, 竺, wiktionary:猪, 猪 and wikt:諸, 諸.
The most prominent of the five, Zhu (wikt:朱, 朱), is the 17th name in the ''Hundred Family Surnames' ...
(朱) from
Gaoyang (高揚), Original only
*
Qian (surname)
Qian (; Shanghainese: ), also spelt Chin, Chien, Tsien, or Zee in Wu Chinese, is a common Chinese family name. The name literally means "money". Qian is listed at the second place in the Song Dynasty text ''Hundred Family Surnames'', in the line ...
(錢) from
Gaoyang (高揚)
*
Yu (surname) (玉) from the
Gaoyang (高揚)
*
Dong (surname) (董) from
Gaoyang (高揚)
*
Liang (surname)
Liang () is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin. The surname is often transliterated as Leung (in Hong Kong) or Leong (in Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines) according to its Cantonese and Hakka pronunciation, Neo / ...
(梁) the common
Yang
*
Huang (surname)
Huang (; zh, t=Wiktionary:黃, 黃, s=wikt:黄, 黄, c=, p=, first=t) is a Chinese surname. While ''Huáng'' is the pinyin romanization of the word, it may also be romanized as Hwang (Korean surname), Hwang, Wong (surname), Wong, Waan, Wan, Waon ...
(黃) from
Boyi (伯益)
*
Yang (surname)
Yang (; ) is the Transcription (linguistics), transcription of a Chinese family name. It is the list of common Chinese surnames#People's Republic, sixth most common surname in Mainland China. It is the 16th surname on the ''Hundred Family Surnames ...
(楊)
*
Ma (surname)
Ma () is a Chinese family name. The surname literally means "horse". As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in mainland China. In 2019 it was the 13th most common surname in mainland China. A 2013 study found it to be the 13th ...
(马)
*
Ge (surname) (葛)
*
Gu (surname)
Gu () is an East Asian family name. In China, it is the 93rd name on the '' Hundred Family Surnames'' poem.K. S. Tom. 989(1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. . Some places such a ...
(谷)
*
Miào (surname) Miào () is a Chinese surname.
Notable people
* Miao Boying (缪伯英; 1899–1929), Chinese teacher, writer and revolutionary who became the first woman to join the Communist Party
* Cora Miao (繆騫人; born 1958), Hong Kong actress
* Miao ...
(缪)
*
Zhong (surname)
Zhong is pinyin transliteration of several Chinese surnames, including Zhōng (/鐘/), and Zhòng (). These are also transliterated as Chung (especially in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia), Cheong or Choong (in Malaysia), Tjung or Tjoeng (in Indo ...
(钟)
*
Qu (surname) (瞿)
*
Ji (surname)
Ji is the pinyin romanization of a number of distinct Chinese surnames that are written with different Chinese characters, characters in Chinese. Depending on the character, it may be spelled Jī, Jí, Jǐ, or Jì when Tone (linguistics), tone diac ...
(池)
See also
*
Feizi
Feizi (; died 858 BC), also known as Qin Ying and Ying Feizi, was the founder of the state of Qin.
Mythical origin of Qin
According to the founding myths of Qin recorded in the ''Records of the Grand Historian'' by Han dynasty historian Sima ...
*
Feilian
*
Feng (surname)
*
Si (surname)
*
Zi (surname)
*
Ji (surname)
Ji is the pinyin romanization of a number of distinct Chinese surnames that are written with different Chinese characters, characters in Chinese. Depending on the character, it may be spelled Jī, Jí, Jǐ, or Jì when Tone (linguistics), tone diac ...
*
Gui (surname)
*
Xiong (surname)
Xiong is the pinyin romanization of Chinese, romanization of the Chinese surname 熊 (''Xióng''). It is 41st in the Hundred Family Surnames, contained in the verse 熊紀舒屈 (Xiong, Ji (surname 紀), Ji, Shu (surname), Shu, Qu (surname 屈), Qu ...
*
Jiang (surname)
Jiang / Chiang can be a Mandarin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames:
#Jiǎng (surname), Jiǎng (surname 蔣) (#蔣, 蔣), commonly spelled as Jiǎng, Chiang, Cheung, Jang (Korean name), Jang, Chioh
#Jiāng (surname 江) (#江, � ...
*
Liu (surname)
Liu (; or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'battle axe', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the clas ...
*
Li (surname)
Li, li, or LI may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects
* Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...
*
Jin (surname)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ying (Chinese surname)
Chinese-language surnames
Individual Chinese surnames
Eight Great Surnames of Chinese Antiquity