姓 from HSK Level 2 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 姓 (xìng) for "surname" or "family name" has a rich history and etymology. It is composed of two parts: the radical 女 (nǚ), which represents a woman, and the phonetic component 生 (shēng), which means "to give birth" or "to be born". Together, these components suggest the idea of a woman giving birth to a child and thus establishing a family line.The earliest known use of the character 姓 dates back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE), where it was used in oracle bone inscriptions. In these inscriptions, 姓 was used to refer to a clan or lineage, and it was often combined with other characters to indicate specific family names. For example, the character 姜姓 (Jiāng xìng) was used to refer to the Jiang clan, while the character 姬姓 (Jī xìng) was used to refer to the Ji clan.Over time, the character 姓 came to be used more broadly to refer to any surname or family name. It is now one of the most common characters used in Chinese names, and it is an important part of Chinese culture and identity.