Why did the Manchus change their surnames to Han surnames?

The surnames of the Manchu people are one of the reflections of their culture in different historical periods. During the formation period of the Manchu homogeneity, their surnames were polysyllabic. When written in Chinese characters, they were composed of two or more Chinese characters. After the Manchu people entered the customs, their surnames gradually transitioned to monosyllables, that is, they were the same as the single-syllable surnames of the Han people. Their surnames essentially had the connotation of the original polysyllabic surnames, and also had the same monosyllable expression as the Han people's surnames, forming the Manchu-Han surname. The cultural characteristics of the surname are integrated.

The Manchu surname was formed in the clan society and is a title indicating blood relationship, which is called "Hara". Initially a hala was a mukun (family). As the population multiplied, it turned out that there were multiple halas within the same haramukhun. Therefore, the Manchus gradually formed numerous Hara (surnames).

There are 646 Manchu surnames recorded in the "General Chronicles of the Dynasty? Clan Briefing", and 33 surnames are not recorded in the genealogy, adding up to 679 surnames.

A comprehensive review of the origins of multi-syllable Manchu surnames can be divided into three major categories:

1. Surnames based on place names.

The surnames are based on the place of residence, such as: Wanyan, Guerjia, Niugulu, Shumulu, Ningguta, Wusu, Aihun, Saharacha, etc.

2. Borrow Han surnames.

Among the more than 600 Manchu surnames, there are Ma Jia, Tong Jia, Huang Jia, Qi Jia, Dong Jia, Yang Jia, Bao Jia, Fang Jia, Yao Jia and so on. Just looking at the first character, it is so similar to the Han surname, it is obvious that it comes from the Han surname. If "Jia" and "Jia" are homophonic, they become Ma family, Tong family, Huang family, Qi family, Dong family, Yang family... There is no doubt that these Manchu surnames borrowed Han surnames.

3. Choose your last name at will.

Some blood groups that form the Manchu ethnic group have great arbitrariness in choosing surnames. For example:

Xilin (Jueluo) - a quick soldier

Aha (Jueluo) - a slave

Erji - a prisoner< /p>

Dorgon - Badger

Ye He - helmet top bracket, white hemp

Tumen - Wan

Bushi - hairless deerskin

......

In short, Manchu surnames have their own national characteristics. Later, under the influence of Han culture, the original multi-syllables were gradually changed Surnames, and surnames with Chinese characters, are all monosyllabic characters.

For example, the eight famous Manchu surnames are: Tongjia, Guarjia, Majia, Suochuoluo, Qijia, Fucha, Nala, and Niugulu. The surnames changed to Chinese characters are: Tong, Guan, Ma, Suo, Qi, Fu, Na, Lang.

Manchu multi-syllable surnames are gradually changed to mono-syllable Chinese surnames, usually based on the homophony of the first syllable of the multi-syllable Chinese character. Syllable surnames, such as: Aixinjueluo - Jin; Tumen - Wan; Ning Qigu - Liu (six), etc.

As the clans multiplied and branched out, they sometimes took on different Chinese surnames. For example, at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the descendants of the Aixinjueluo family were divided, and the Han surnames they took were from the least to the most, mainly including: Jin, Zhao, Zhao, Luo, Ai, De, Hong, Yi, Hai, etc.

The naming of the Manchus, before they entered the customs, was highly arbitrary. Everything could become a person's name, and they could be picked at their fingertips without any consideration. Such as:

Duoduo - embryo. Nurhaci’s fifteenth son.

Amin——rear saddle bridge. The eldest son of Shuerhaqi.

Feiyanggu——the youngest son.

Yue Tuo——Dementia. Daishan's eldest son.

Such as this and so on can be found everywhere in Manchu names. However, after entering the customs, the Manchu people gradually adopted Chinese customs in naming. The main methods of naming are as follows:

1. Standardization of seniority. For example, the son of Kangxi started with the character "Yun"; the son of Yongzheng started with the character "Hong", etc.

2. Pay attention to the meaning of words. There are many examples of this.

3. Named after numbers. For example: forty-one (sixth grandson of Duduo), sixty-eight (fifth grandson of Abai).

4. Choose a name that respects Buddha. Such as: Puzhao, Tiebao, Guanyin cloth, etc.

The country has its history, the local area has its ambitions, and the family has its genealogy. A family genealogy is the history of a family. It is difficult for national history to be exhaustive, but family history can be meticulous, which is exactly the shortcomings of national history and local chronicles. Therefore, genealogy, like history and annals, has a certain role in “governing, preserving history, and educating”.

Before Emperor Taizu Nurhaci of the Qing Dynasty launched his army, the basic unit of Jurchen social activities was the "Mukun" clan organization. By the time of Nurhaci, "Mukun" began to be gradually replaced by Niulu, which became the grassroots organization of society. After the establishment of the Eight Banners system in the Qing Dynasty, the original Haramkun organization quickly differentiated and was replaced by the Gushan Niulu (Eight Banners organization). Because in the Eight Banners system of the Qing Dynasty, the succession of status and official positions required genealogy as evidence, so genealogy books recording family blood relationships are particularly important.

In the Qing Dynasty, almost every Manchu family compiled genealogy, which was the heyday of Manchu genealogy. There have been four climaxes in Manchu genealogy revision. The first time was during the prosperous times of Kangxi and Qianlong. This was a reflection of the country's stability, economic development, and people's living and working in peace and contentment. The second time was during the Jiaqing period, when the civil war was calming down and people were looking forward to the revival of the Qing Dynasty, so there was another upsurge in genealogy editing.

The third climax of genealogy revision occurred during the Guangxu period in the late Qing Dynasty, and people's psychology was the same as that of the second time. The fourth climax was formed after the September 18th Incident, when the Japanese invaders advocated Manchu and Mongolian autonomy and established a puppet regime. Nowadays, newly revised genealogy books have become a trend. Many Manchu families use genealogy to record family history, and use genealogy to educate young people to love their motherland and hometown.

Generally, Manchu family trees are divided into two types. One is compiled into a book called genealogy book. One is a genealogical list that only records the descendants of the current branch of the clan or several descendants of the original ancestor, and is a genealogical list specially used for sacrifices during the Spring Festival. Manchu genealogy sheets were usually written on Korean paper, white fine cloth, or cowhide. A common type of family tree is called genealogy. The content recorded in genealogy books is relatively rich, and generally includes the following contents: 1. Preface to the genealogy; 2. Sect; 3. Origin of lineage; 4. Family laws and regulations; 5. Sacrifice rules; 6. Documents (wills, contracts), etc.; 7. Biographies; 8. Important events; 9. Atlas; 10. Notes on the spectrum, etc.

The sect chapter in the book of music, that is, the composing song of the generations, commonly known as the word "Fan", is one of the main contents of the book of music. It has 8, 10, 20, and 28 words in poetry. , is the basis for naming male members of the same clan. From the Aixinjueluo royal family to the Kangxi Dynasty, the generation system was imitated by the Han genealogy. Xuan Ye is the 35th prince, and has changed "Cheng", "Bao" and "Chang" successively. This phenomenon reflects the mentality of people who adopted both cultures during the period when Manchu and Han cultures blended together, and it was difficult to make a choice. Twenty years after Kangxi, Xuan Ye ranked the prince according to "Yin" and named the prince. From now on they are: Hong, Yong, Mian, Yi, Zai, Pu, Yu, Heng, Qi, Tao, Kai, Zeng and Qi.

Charts and notes are the main contents of the music book. A map is a lineage, or a sect. It is used to distinguish lineage, so only male names are listed. The annotations include world tables and chronological records, and they are also centered on men. Women do not have an independent category in the genealogy. They can only write their names under the names of their parents, which is suitable for a certain family.

Studying Manchu genealogy has important cultural significance. The Manchu family tree is an important material for studying the history of the Manchu people and a valuable heritage of the Chinese national culture. It is a precious material for studying demography, sociology, folklore, economic history, characters, clan systems, and local history. It has high academic value and application value. This is because genealogy mainly records the historical evolution, lineage reproduction, population changes, residence migration and marriage of a certain family, the status, role and deeds of family members in political life such as imperial examinations and palace titles, as well as the management of the family. Clan rules, clan laws, etc. formulated to educate the clan members. Therefore, a family tree is a record that can truly reflect the historical outlook, the spirit of the times, and social trends.