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202270081625 白婷 Bai Ting 英语笔译(English translation)

Drinker' Wager Game

白婷 Bai Ting, 202270081625

Abstract

The drinkers' wager game is a particular method in China to help create a more joyous atmosphere while drinking. In general, the drinkers' wager game is used as a penalty to urge drinkers to drink more, but its primary purpose is to create a more cheerful atmosphere. This article aims to introduce the origin and development of the drinkers' wager game and expound its categories detailedly.

202270081627 陈婧 Chen Jing 英语笔译(English translation)

Chinese Surnames and Clan Names

Chen Jing 陈婧, 202270081627

Abstract

China has a long history of surnames and clan names, which is closely connected with national politics, social system, characteristics of the times, marriage system, customs and so on. Therefore, the evolution of Chinese surnames and clan names together with their origins and types can help us better understand Chinese culture.

Key Words

surnames, clan names, evolution, origins, types

题目

中国的姓与氏

摘要

中国的姓氏历史悠久，与国家政治、社会制度、时代特征、婚姻制度、风俗习惯等密切相关。因此，了解中国姓氏的演变、起源和种类可以帮助我们更好地了解中国文化。

关键词

姓，氏，演变，来源，种类

Ⅰ. Chinese Surnames and Clan Names

Before Han Dynasty, surnames and clan names were separate definitions in China. The Chinese character of “surname”, namely “姓”, is composed of the characters “女” and “生” (“女” refers to “female” and “生” refers to “give birth to”). The surname comes from the maternal line and the clan name from the paternal line. In matriarchal society, human beings only knew their mother but not their father, and the surname represents a person's maternal lineage. Most of the ancient Chinese surnames have the "女" side, such as Ji(姬), Jiang(姜), Si(姒), Yao(姚), Hao(好), etc., which reflects the close relationship between the "surname" and the matrilineal lineage. With the social development and the multiplying population, the advantages of male in production and warfare continued to emerge. Clan groups emerged strong male leaders who wanted to distinguish his own group with a certain title, and this is where the "clan name" comes from. Clan names such as Xuanyuan(轩辕), Shennong(神农) and Fuxi(伏羲) in ancient legends reveal its origin. (Yu Chang 2014, 58)

Ⅱ. The Evolution of Chinese Surnames and Clan Names

Before the Zhou Dynasty, emperors only had surnames, and the upper classes had surnames and clan names, while ordinary people didn’t have surnames or clan names, only the first name. Things changed during the Warring States period when clan name was no longer the privilege of the upper class. From then on, especially after the First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 BC (Li Qinghua 2012, 10), clan name and surname were fused into the last name or surname. It was in Han Dynasty that all Chinese surnames and clan names were treated as surnames, which was a turning point in the evolution. After a long period of development, there are numerous Chinese surnames with diverse origins and different types. (Lin Dengping 2014, 87) So, how many surnames are there in China? 468 surnames are collected in Surnames, written in the early years of Northern Song Dynasty. A total of 6362 surnames are found in various historical documents according to modern statistics, but it can be asserted that not all these 6362 surnames are still used now. Some of them were just used in history but for a very short time. (Tian Yaqi, Ni Jingjie 2001, 46)

Ⅲ. The Origins of Chinese Surnames and Clan Names

The origins of Chinese surnames can be summarized as follows.

1.Take the names of vassal states as surnames, like Xia(夏), Qi(齐) and Lu(鲁).

2.Names of fiefdoms. Officials and scholars of the court were rewarded fiefs for their contribution to the states. Then the names of the fiefs were used as their surnames, such as Cui(崔), Lu(卢), Bao(鲍), etc.

3.Names of residents. For example, the one who moved to Ji Mountain was called "Ji clan"(稽氏); the one who took charge of the East Mongolia was called "Meng clan"(蒙氏).

4.Surnames given by the ancient emperors. They were also based on the names of residents. The surname Jiang(姜) was given to those who lived along the Jiang River and Ji(姬) was given to those who lived along the Ji River.

5.Take the order of different generations or the seniority order of the same generation as the surname. In the first case, the son of a vassal was surnamed as Gongzi(公子), and the son of a Gongzi was called Gongsun(公孙). Surnames like Bo(伯), Zhong(仲), Shu(叔), Ji(季) belong to the second case.

6.Posthumous names. Zhuang(庄), Kang(康) and Xuan(宣) are from them.

7.The titles of family. According to The Spring and Autumn Annals, descendants whose ancestor received a posthumous name can be considered a family. The Songs of Chu documented that clans like Zhao(昭), Qu(屈) and Jing(景) used the posthumous names of their ancestors as their surnames.

8.Official positions or the titles of nobility. Officials used their positions as surnames such as Taishi(太史), Taishi(太师), Sima(司马), Sikong(司空), etc. And the nobility were surnamed by their titles like Huang(皇), Wang(王) and Gong(公).

9.Take a person’s reputation as the surname. For example, a man called Yang Yinggan was beheaded and his descendants are surnamed as Xiao(枭).

10.Take skills as surnames. The descendants of those who practiced “witchcraft” (“巫术” in Chinese) were the Wu(巫) clan. A person who specialized in “divination” (“占卜” in Chinese), his descendants were surnamed as Bu(卜). The descendants of the “craftsmen” (“工匠” in Chinese) were surnamed as Jiang(匠).

11.Take events as surnames. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the old prime minister Tian Qianqiu was so old and frail that he rode in a cart (“车” in Chinese) every time he entered and left the prime ministerial palace, and everyone called him Prime Minister Che(车) at that time. Later, his descendants used "Che" as their surname. (Tian Yaqi, Ni Jingjie 2001, 44-45)

Ⅳ. Types of Chinese Surnames

The structure of Chinese surnames is relatively complex. They can be divided into 5 types.

1.Single-character surname. Most of Chinese surnames are single-character. For example, Wang(王), Li(李), Zhao(赵), etc.

2.Two-character surname. There are three kinds of two-character surname. For the first kind, the surname consists of two irrelevant characters which should be used together. Surnames like Ouyang(欧阳), Shangguan(上官) and Huangfu(皇甫) are common ones. The second kind was formed by the union of two families through marriage or adoption, which can be passed on from generation to generation. For example, Lufei(陆费), Qianwang(钱王), Fanjiang(范姜), etc. The third type is the combination of the father's and mother's surnames such as Zhangwang(张王), Lideng(李邓) and Dengguo(邓郭). The first surname usually comes from father’s and the second from mother’s. Traditionally, this kind of surname cannot be passed on.

3.Three-character surname. Such as Zhukehun(朱可浑), Buliugu(卜柳谷), Houmochen(侯默晨), etc.

4.Four-character surname. Four-character surnames account for a small share, and most of them derive from ethnic minorities, such as Aisinjueluo(爱新觉罗).

5.Multi-character surname. The emergence of multi-character surnames was also influenced by Chinese minorities, such as Hutixibuye(呼提西布也). (Lin Dengping 2014, 86)

Ⅴ. Conclusion

Chinese surname culture is a key to decipher the structure of ancient Chinese society, a historical monument to mark the population migration in Chinese history, a reflection of the cultural characteristics of the times, and a bond to enhance the cohesion of the Chinese nation. (Xiao Rui 215, 65-66)

References

Li Qinghua 李庆花. (2012). 中国姓名文化考略. Shandong Normal University 山东师范大学.

Yu Chang 余昌. (2014). 中国人的姓氏与名字. New Hunan Review新湘评论. (16), 57-59.

Lin Dengping 林登萍. (2014). 中英姓氏的结构和变迁对比研究. Journal of Chifeng University（Soc.Sci）赤峰学院学报(汉文哲学社会科学版)(10), 86-88.

Tian Yaqi 田亚岐, Ni Jingjie 倪景杰. (2001). 我国姓氏的起源与发展. Journal of Xi'an Educational College Journal of Xi'an Educational College 西安教育学院学报(01), 43-47.

Xiao Rui 肖锐. (2015). 论中国姓氏文化研究意义. Journal of South-Central University for Nationalities (Humanities and Social Sciences) 中南民族大学学报(人文社会科学版)(04),63-66.

Terms and Expressions

Surname 姓

Clan name 氏

Maternal line 母系

Paternal line 父系

Maternal/matrilineal lineage 母系血统

Posthumous name谥号

The title of nobility爵位

Surnames 《百家姓》

The Spring and Autumn Annals 《春秋左氏传》

The Songs of Chu 《楚辞》

Questions

1.Which surname is from maternal lineage?

A.Shennong(神农) B.Ji(姬) C.Fuxi(伏羲)

2.When did all Chinese surnames and clan names were treated as last names?

A. Zhou Dynasty B. During the Warring States Period C. Han Dynasty

3.Which is the surname of descendants of those who specializes in “divination”?

A.Wu(巫) B.Bu(卜) C.Jiang(匠)

4.What does the surname of “Che” originate from?

A.Posthumous names B.Event C.Official position

Answers

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.B

202270081628 陈淑敏 Chen Shumin 英语笔译(English translation)

Chinese Ancient Headdress

陈淑敏Chen Shumin, 202270081628

Abstract

Headdress culture is important in ancient China. Most of the ancients had long hair, and they cared about etiquette, thinking that with hair dishevelled was a very impolite behavior. Therefore, they needed to rely on headdress to take care of their hair and maintain deportment in daily life. With the continuous development of productive forces and the ancients' unremitting pursuit of beauty, the headdress developed, leaving a lot of cultural content of headdress for modern people.

202270081629 陈思阳 Chen Siyang 英语笔译(English translation)

Evolution history of ancient Bridges in China

陈思阳Chen Siyang, 202270081629

Abstract

Bridges are an important part of ancient Chinese architecture. For thousands of years, the industrious and intelligent Chinese people have built tens of thousands of wonderful and magnificent Bridges. The brilliant achievements of ancient Chinese Bridges have attracted worldwide attention. They once occupied a lofty position in the history of the development of Eastern and Western Bridges and were widely recognized by the world. However, there are many kinds of ancient Chinese Bridges, and the development and evolution process is long. This article aims to introduce the evolution history of ancient Chinese Bridges.

202270081683 陈彦希 Chen Yanxi 英语口译(English interpreting)

Online Shopping Trend in China

陈彦希 Chen Yanxi, 202270081683

Abstract

You only need to stay at home, swipe your phone, select, and purchase, and your parcels will be delivered to your hands. This is the most popular "online shopping culture". Nowadays, almost everyone could get access to the Internet, online shopping has been gradually favored by more people, becoming a convenient and fashionable lifestyle.

202270081630 陈烨 Chen Ye 英语笔译(English translation)

Chinese Dumpling Culture

陈烨Chen Ye, 202270081630

Abstract

The Chinese food culture is very profound and dumplings are one of the most representative food eaten by Chinese people from the south to north all over the year. Although vary the customs and traditions of dumplings, the only thing that remains constant is the blessing behind them. This text will describe the Chinese dumpling culture in terms of its origins, allusions, customs, proverbs, and emotional connections.

202270081631 丁粤 Ding Yue 英语笔译(English translation)

The Development of the Talent Selection System in Ancient China

丁粤Ding Yue, 202270081631

Abstract

Talent is one of the most valuable wealth of a country. In order to consolidate their rule over the country, the ancient feudal rulers of China successively formulated and implemented a series of talent selection systems. Among them, the most influential ones are the hereditary official system, the recommendatory system, the Nine-grade appraisal system and the imperial examination system. This paper will introduce these talent selection systems in chronological order and analyze their influence on ancient Chinese society.

The Culture of Basic Courtesy in China

高燕Gao Yan, 202270081633

Abstract

China is an ancient civilization with a long history, and has formed noble moral standards and complete etiquette norms. This paper focuses on the etiquette culture of ancient China, including, traveling, sitting and prone position, banquet, wedding and funeral, birthday party, sacrifice-offering. It will also introduce the etiquette culture of the contemporary society in China, and discuss which ancient etiquette is still used today, and how it affects our life.