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Post by YinLizi2 on Mar 12, 2004 20:34:33 GMT -5
What drives us to find out about our names and the people who passed it onto us?
In my case it was family myths and legends. Like many a young child, I used to sit in my father's shadow as he talked to friemds and family. Sometimes these conversations would go on until I fell asleep snuggled against his side. Sadly my father died when I was very young and many of my family including myself, have dispersed to the far corners of the globe.
What's in a name? To me, my name is full of mythical characters whose stories I have worked to verify. And in doing so, have come to realise the various elements that make up the person I have come to know as myself. What's in your name?
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Post by YinLizi2 on Mar 18, 2004 16:05:58 GMT -5
YIN (no.100)
Meaning: trustworthy Age: about 3,000 years
In approx 2357BC, JiFangXun was elected as the Chief of the Federated Tribes in the region of LinFen county (Shanxi). JiFangXun took the ruling name YaoDi. YaoDi employed a man by the name of Shou and employed him as his ShiYin or officer in charge of security.
Generations later, during the Xia Dynasty (2205BC- 1766BC), there was a powerful clan called Shang whose domain was the whole of the central plain of what is now known as China. King Jie was crowned King of Xia in 1818BC. Altho he was a very capable and powerful man, he was also a tyrant. He married a beautiful woman who loved to hear rhe sound of tearing silk. King Jie bankrupted the country employing silk weavers and building many palaces to keep his wife happy, whilst the people suffered greatly under his rule. The leader of the Shang Clan during that time was ZiTianYi. Suspecting that ZiTianYi would rebel against him, King Jie had him arrested and imprisoned. However for some reason, the King then changed his mind and released ZiTianYi who straightaway returned to his own domain and formed an alliance with Yi Yin who was the leader of the Xin Clan. YiYin who was the descendent of the man named Shou, lived in present day ChenLui county, Henan.
Together, ZiTainYi and YiYin overthrew the Xia dynasty in 1766BC. ZiTainYi took on the ruling name ChengTang and founded the Shang dynasty, with its capital at Bo (present day ShangQui county, Henan). He appointed YiYin as his prime minister.
The offspring of YiYin adopted Yin as their surname in remebrance.
Today, the name Yin is associated with the TianShui prefecture, in northwest TongWei county, Gansu.
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Post by Administrator on Mar 19, 2004 22:01:48 GMT -5
Hi YinLizi2, Thank you for sharing the meaning, origin, and history of the Yin surname. Wanting to precipitate but I can't because of laziness couple with a poor command of the English language. So I do it the old fashion way, Google for it. Here are some links on the Lee (Li) surname: www.yutopian.com/names/07/7li2.htmlExcerpt: The 2nd most common last name in China. The origin of the Li last name was quite complicated, having to do with the official title and tree name. There was a descendent of Shao Hao known as Ben Tao, who was an official of the Justice Department. Ben Tao was given the title of Da Li (Li which has the same pronouncement as the last name Li, means reasoning, and justice). According to the legend, Ben Tao has an unicorn which could distinguish criminals from innocent people. When brought in front of a lineup, the unicorn would point to the guilty party with its horn. Ben’s descendents held the office of justice for generations from Xia to Shang Dynasty, and was known as the Li’s (justice). At the end of Shang Dynasty, Li Zheng was executed by Zhou Wang for making a bad judgment. His wife and son Li Zhen escaped to ruins of Yi Hou. They found a lot of pear trees which helped them to escape starvation. To commemorate this, they change their last name from the Li of justice to the Li of pear. During the Tang Dynasty, many people (including Xu, Bing, Dong, An, Ge, Du, Wu, Ma, Zhang, and Hong) were give the name of Li for their contributions in establishing the Tang Dynasty, and Li became a big family. Hometown: Lan Zhou, Gong Chang, and Qin Zhou of Gan Su Province.
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Post by twoupman on Apr 8, 2004 16:18:07 GMT -5
Surname Li means plum and not pear . The "li" for pear is a different character.
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Post by Tao Jun Jie on Jun 22, 2004 13:54:39 GMT -5
Is king Jie the same as my name Jie. I was told that King Jie was the most wicked and cruel, a Hitler, or Stalin of his time. Is this true? Tao Jun Jie ҩrΠ tkdao@comcast.net
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