Chasing the origin of the surname Li

1. Origin of the surname Li

The "Li" in the surname Li originally refers to a plant - the plum tree, which belongs to the Rosaceae family. But the direct source of the surname Li is the official name of the Shang Dynasty - Dali.

The origin of the surname Li is closely related to the simple living habits of primitive humans. The original "Plum" refers to a certain plant, as "Shuowen" says: "Plum, fruit." The plum tree belongs to the Rosaceae family and is a deciduous sub-arbor, more than ten feet tall. Plum is its fruit, which is spherical, matures in summer, red and shiny, tastes sour and sweet, and is used for food. It is called Jiaqingzi.

Subsequently, with the evolution of the form and meaning of the Chinese character, "Li" became connected with legal principles, astrology and other meanings. As a surname of the Chinese nation, it can be seen in "General Chronicles, Clan Briefing, Officials as Surnames": "Li family, Gaotao was Yao and Dali, because the official family was named Li family. In the half year of the Shang Dynasty, Li Zheng was changed to Li family."

Some people have classified and arranged thousands of surnames in my country, among which the surnames are based on plants, such as flower, grass, tree, seedling, forest, wood, poplar, willow, peach, plum, osmanthus, etc. Ten or twenty kinds. This can be traced back to the totem worship of ancient clans. However, the earliest meaning of the surname Li was not the plant, but the "Li" of the official. It was not until the Shang Dynasty that it transformed into the "Li" of the plant.

From the distant ancestor Gaotao to the descendants of the Tang Dynasty, this is the process of the surname Li from its inception to its growth. Most of the 12 political regimes, 58 emperors, and countless generals, ministers and ministers in the bloodline of the Li surname appeared during this period.

In the history of the development of Chinese surnames, the surname Li appeared in historical records after the Zhou Dynasty. The surname Li is not found in the eight surnames after Zhu Rong in "Guoyu·Zhengyu", the twelve surnames after Huangdi in "Jinyu IV", and the ten surnames in the Western Zhou Dynasty recorded in "Zuo Zhuan". "Xing Jie" also says: "There was no Li family before the Zhou Dynasty." "Historical Records" records: "Since the Zhou Dynasty, there has been Lao Dan, surnamed Li."

Since then, the number of Li surnames has gradually increased. Regarding the origin of the surname Li, in summary, there are the following five types:

First, it is said that Gaotao, the leader of the Yi tribe in the Middle East (one who blamed Yao), once served as the Dali official of Yao and Shun (the official in charge of criminal law). ), so the Guanming clan was named the Li family ("Li" and "Li" in the ancient Chinese characters are connected).

Secondly, because his ancestors were Li officials, Lao Tzu took Li (or Li) as his surname. There is also a theory that Lao Tzu was born to a daughter of the Li family. Legend has it that Mother Li was pregnant for 81 years, and she was born under a Xiaoyao plum tree by cutting off her left organ. This refers to the tree as a surname, and has always been called the "Wang" theory.

Thirdly, the descendants of Wu Anjun, the general of Zhao State in the Spring and Autumn Period, were Li Zuoche, followed by the Li family.

Fourth, the Northern Wei Dynasty criticized Li’s changes.

Fifth, in the Tang Dynasty, Xu, Bing, An, Du, Hu, Hong, Guo, Ma, Xianyu, Zhang, Bu, Adi, Shili, Zhu Xie, Dong Luo and other clans contributed to the founding of the country. He was given the surname Li.

Among the five theories about the origin of the Li family, the first three are combined into one source in the "New Tang Book: Clan Genealogy Table". Gaotao, Laozi and Li Zuoche are figures in the same lineage. Some people have already raised questions about this. The "Li Surname is Feiyi" in Volume 50 of "Sheng'an Collection" puts it quite sharply, arguing that "Li from Longxi and Li from the Tang Dynasty are of different ancestry", and "New Book of Tang·Clan Genealogy Table" "Kuifuhui was written in vain. "The saying of charming time".

Chen Yinke also conducted research on Li Yuan’s ancestors and believed that Li Yuan’s ancestors may be after the Li family in Zhao County, not after the Li family in Longxi, because their family was buried in Zhaoqing County, Zhaozhou (now Longping County, Hebei Province). ).

It can be seen from the above that there is controversy about the lineage recorded in the "New Tang Book: Clan Genealogy Table". However, in numerous surname studies, Gao Tao is the same as the ancestor of the Li surname. As for whether the Li family of the Tang Dynasty did not belong to the Han nationality but was a "Yi Di", there is no conclusive evidence. It is probably too arbitrary to judge their ethnic group based on Xiliang. The Li family in Longxi and the Li family in Zhaojun originally had the same ancestor, so tracing the origin of the Li family can still be based on the "Tangshu Clan Genealogy Table" as the main basis. From another perspective, it is precisely because of the research and detailed records of the Li family in the Tang Dynasty that the complete Li family genealogy exists today. It is rare for people with the Li family name to record their family origins in official history in detail. . Compared with other surnames, which are mostly passed down from family to family and recorded family origins, this is naturally more reliable and detailed.

2. Referring to a tree as a surname

"Referring to a tree as a surname" is the earliest origin of the surname Li.

According to the "New Book of Secrets" cited in "Compilation of Surnames" and "New Book of Tang: Clan Genealogy List": "The Li family is a descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu Gaoyang. Zhuanxu gave birth to a great cause, and a great cause gave birth to a female flower, and a female flower. Born Jiu Yao (Gaotao)".

Gaotao was the leader of the Dongyi tribe. The center of his activities was Yan (奄), which is now Qufu City, Shandong Province. "Historical Records of Zhengyi" quoted "Century" and said that Gaotao "was born in Qufu. Qufu is located in Yandi, so the emperor (Shun) gave him the surname Yan". This is what "Zuo Zhuan" said in "Zuo Zhuan" that "the emperor gave the surname because of his birth." Gaotao, when Yao was the leader of the Yanhuang Yi Alliance, served as a liguan, that is, the chief executive in charge of justice. "Historical Records: The Benji of the Five Emperors" records that he presided over the formulation of five types of punishments (Mo, Xian, (Feizhuo), Gong, and Dapi), and sentenced them according to the severity of the crime. He also exiled sinners who did not use the five punishments, which made the world People are convinced.

It is said that Gaotao specially trained a unicorn beast named Chu (Jiao Gui). This strange beast has a special function, that is, it can distinguish between good and evil and true from false. When it encounters a guilty person, it will strike with its sharp horn; when it discovers that someone is telling lies, it will become furious and frightening. Gao Tao could not have used such a strange beast to solve the case. Therefore, Gaotao is famous for his good management of punishment and prison. A myth is a myth after all, but this mythical story brings people to the distant ancient times, as if they can see the upright and decisive image of Gao Tao.

It is precisely because of Gaotao's lofty reputation that after Shun succeeded to the throne, Gaotao was still used as Dali. As a result, the evil in the world was rectified, and people lived and worked in peace and contentment. During his tenure, Gaotao put forward wise strategies many times, believing that to govern the world one must carefully cultivate one's character, with special emphasis on "knowing people" and "pacifying the people". His ideas were deeply appreciated by Emperor Shun. Emperor Shun regarded Gaotao as the most virtuous and selected him as a candidate for succession. However, before Emperor Shun could abdicate the throne to Gao Tao, Gao Tao died of illness.

After Gaotao died, he was "buried in Liu". "Historical Records" quoted "Kuo Di Zhi" as saying: Shouzhou (Anhui) 130 miles south of Anfeng County, so east of Liucheng), Yu granted his youngest son the title On the sixth day, in order to worship him. From then on, Liu became a small country with the surname Yan. King Mu of Chu destroyed him without any trace. Gaotao had his eldest son Boyi. "Emperor Century" said: "Bo Yi (Yi), because King Shun had many livestock, was given the surname Ying." It can be seen that Boyi was given the surname Ying by Emperor Shun because he was good at training birds and animals. , became the leader of the tribe surnamed Ying. Gaotao's second son was named Zhongzhen, also called Zhongyan, and still took Yan as his surname. From then on, the surname Yan took Gaotao as his ancestor and took his surname as his surname. After Gaotao, he lived through the Yu, Xia and Shang dynasties, and became an official in the twenty-sixth generation. According to the ancient custom of naming officials as surnames, Gaotao and his descendants were called Li surnames. The Li family, whose surname was the official, was passed down to Li Zheng and served as the official of King Zhou of Shang Dynasty. At that time, King Zhou of Shang Dynasty was mediocre and indulged in women. Li Zheng repeatedly gave advice and failed to enforce the law. He was a cowardly Zhou. If the king does not tolerate it, he will eventually suffer death. Li Zheng's wife Qi He escaped with her young son Li Zhen and ran to the ruins of Yihou (in today's Henan Province). She was very hungry. When she saw a tree bearing fruit, she picked it and ate it, and the mother and son survived. Later, Li Zhen was afraid of being pursued by King Zhou and did not dare to take the surname Li, so she changed her name to Li because of "Muzi"'s life-saving grace. This is the later saying of "referring to trees as surnames". According to this theory, the origin of the surname Li should be at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty.

It can be seen from the above that the surname Li has Gaotao as its ancestor, a descendant of the surname Yan, and the surname Li was once named after the official. According to the "Shiben" compiled by Qing Dynasty Confucian Qin Jiamo, the three characters "Gu Li", "Li" and "Li" are combined. "Historical Records of the Five Emperors" records Gaotao as Dali, while "Guanzi Fafa" records that Gaotao was Li (Li); "Historical Records of the Wei Family" records it as "Li Ke", while "Han Shi Wai Zhuan" records it as "Li Ke" "Rick", etc. Therefore, it is not false to believe that Gao Tao, a Li official, was the ancestor of the Li surname. As the blood ancestor of the Li surname, Gaotao was upright, courageous, creative, and highly meritorious. He was a role model and pride for the descendants of the Li surname. According to the saying of "referring to a tree as a surname", Li Zhen, the upright son of Li Zheng, should be the ancestor of the surname Li.

3. Changing the surname to Li

Since the Tang Dynasty, the surname Li has been at its peak, and the trend of attaching surnames and changing surnames has emerged. Many famous people have been given the surname Li.

Wen Tingyun, a poet and lyricist in the late Tang Dynasty, said: "Since Hu Chu became the prime minister today, all the barbarians in the world have changed their surname to Linghu. Woohoo! The power of the prime minister only lasted 10 years, but people actually changed their surnames to follow it. The situation is dignified. The emperor has been unified for 300 years, and his subordinates have cost hundreds of millions.

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From Wen Tingyun’s words, we know that in addition to the surnames given by the Tang Dynasty, there are many people with non-Li surnames who changed their surnames or assumed the surname Li because they envied the surname of the Tang Dynasty. In addition, there are The surname of Li was changed from Chinese to Li or for other reasons.

The "Guan Shi Zhi" of the Later Wei Dynasty records that the surname was changed to Li. This is obviously the Chinese change of the Tuoba family of Xianbei. The result of the policy. After the Later Wei Dynasty changed the Li family name to the Li family name, people called it Henan Li family after their residence in Henan County (now Luoyang County, Henan Province).

Liucheng, Qianyan. Murong (Huang Guang), a Hu man, once built a city here and ruled Chaoyangnan in present-day Liaoning Province. According to the "Ancient and Modern Surname Book Differentiation", there are two clans of the Li clan in Liucheng. One clan is the Li clan of the Xi clan, namely Zhang Zhongshi, the adopted son of Zhang Suogao. The changed Li family gradually merged with the Khitan, so they were classified as the Li family in Liucheng; the other Li family in Liucheng was the Li Guangbi family. This family has been prominent for generations and was well-known in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Guangbi's ancestors were all Khitan chiefs. His first generation ancestors migrated to Wannian, near Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and settled there. They gradually became Chinese and changed their surname to Li. After that, they lived in Liucheng for generations, so they were also called "Liucheng Lis"

Li Guangbi's great-grandfather Li Lingjie was once a general of the Tang Dynasty and deputy envoy of the Youzhou Economic and Strategy Army; his grandfather Li Chong served as the Honglu Qing of the Tang Dynasty and the governor of Tanzhou; his father Li Kailuo (Luo), was granted the title He is the Duke of Ji County. Li Guangbi himself was a famous general in the Tang Dynasty with outstanding military achievements. The Li family in Liucheng has produced generals for generations, including the Gaozong Dynasty, Wuhou Dynasty, Xuanzong Dynasty, Wuzong Dynasty and Xianzong Dynasty. The Li family in Liucheng wrote a glorious chapter in the history of the Li family. Both the Li family in Liucheng were from the Khitan tribe. Therefore, the Li family in Liucheng was originally from the Donghu tribe. They must be descendants of the Donghu people. The Khitan Li family also includes Li Huhuo, Li Guozhe, Li Tuguan, Li Jinzhong, Li Shaoguo, Li Yuqian, Li Pogu, Li Kuge, etc., all of whom are leaders of the Khitan Dahe tribe.

4. Granting national surnames

The large-scale granting of surnames in the Tang Dynasty was a turning point for the Li family.

There are many people who were granted surnames by the Tang Dynasty. There are quite a number of people in the historical records: the Xu family, the Bing family, the An family, the Du family, the Hu family, the Hong family, the Guo family, the Ma family, and the Xianyu family. The Zhang family, the Abu family, the Atiao family, the Dong family, the Luo family, and the Zhu Xie family were all given the national surname Li. From then on, the history of the Li family opened a new page. /p>

The Li family of Xi'an is the Wuwei Li family. It is derived from the surname Ji. An (son of Chang Yi), a descendant of Huangdi, lived in the west and named himself Xi'an at the end of the Later Han Dynasty. When his son entered the imperial court, he soon moved to Luoyang (now Luoyang, Henan Province). During the Jin and Wei Dynasties, he lived in Anding (now Jingchuan County, Gansu Province), and later moved to Liaozuo. During the Zhou and Sui Dynasties, they lived in Wuwei, Liangzhou (now Wuwei, Gansu Province). Because they settled in Wuwei, they were called the Wuwei Li family. During the Tang Dynasty, several descendants of the Wuwei Li family were given the surname Li. Among them were the Tang Dynasty general Li Yuanliang. Li Baoyu, a minister of the Tang Dynasty, was given a name during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong; Li Baozhen, a minister of the Tang Dynasty, was given a national surname; Li Guochen, a general of the Tang Dynasty, was given a national surname.

The Li family in Jitian was originally a descendant of the Atiao tribe of the Hequ tribe. Because of his contribution to the Tang Dynasty, he was given the surname Li.

Jitian is a state established by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty in the early years of Kaiyuan, which is now the area of ??Ningwu County, Ningxia Province. This place originally belonged to the Turks, but later it was returned as a land. The Tang Dynasty established it as Jitian Prefecture according to its old name. The Li family of Jitian, a descendant of the Atiao tribe of Benhequ tribe, has been hereditary governor of Jitian for several generations. During the Tang Dynasty, two brothers, Guangjin and Guangyan, were born in the Jitian governor's family. Guangjin served as the military governor of Zongwu, and Guangyan served as the military governor of Hedong. Both of them contributed to the Tang Dynasty and were given the national surname Li by the Tang Dynasty. Shi.

The Daibei Li family lived in the Dai County area of ??Shanxi Province. They were originally from the Shatuo tribe of the Western Turkic tribe. Their surname was Zhuxie. Zhuxie was given the surname Li in the Tang Dynasty because of his sincere and meritorious service.

Daibei belonged to Yanmen Road at that time, which was the Yanmen County of Zhao during the Warring States Period. After the Qin Dynasty, it was also called Yanmen County in the Han Dynasty, and it was changed to Daizhou in the Sui Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, Daizhou was still established. During the Zhonghe period, Daibei Jiedu, also called Yanmen Jiedu, was established to govern Daizhou, which is now Dai County, Shanxi Province. Li Keyong's son Li Cunxu destroyed the Later Liang Dynasty and established the emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty. Li Siyuan, Li Jiqi and others succeeded him as emperors of the Later Tang Dynasty.

In addition, the Shatuo generals Li Kening, Li Kerang, Li Kexiu, Li Kegong and Li Sihu in the late Tang Dynasty were all famous.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a Xiren from Fan Yang (ruling today's Daxing County, Shaanxi Province), whose original name was Zhang Zhongshi (the adopted son of Zhang Suogao, with the surname Zhang). He first served as an Anlushan general and participated in the "Anshi Rebellion" . When the Shi Dynasty died, his land was surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. He was named Li Baochen and became the King of Sikong Qinghe. Li Baochen had sons Li Weiyue and Li Weijian, who adopted the national surname.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was Kedu, the leader of the Xi tribe alliance. During the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong, he led his people to join the Tang Dynasty and was given the national surname Li Kedu. There was also Suo Gao, the leader of the Xi tribe. When Xuanzong surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, he was given the national surname Li Suogao; in addition, Li Riyue, Li Guiguo, Li Yanchong and other famous leaders of the Xi tribe were all given the surname Li or adopted the surname Li.

Bohai Li's original surname is Ru. Ru was often given the surname Li by the Tang Dynasty for his many military exploits.

The Bohai Kingdom was founded by Da Zuorong, a Mohe native. At that time, its territory included Hamjing and Ping'an Roads in today's Korea, and later expanded to include part of today's Jilin. Bohai Li family, whose surname is Ru.

During the Tang Dynasty, Ru Chang, a native of Mohe in the Bohai Sea, was a general in the Shuofang tribe. Due to his many military exploits, he was given the surname Li by the Tang Dynasty and was renamed Jiaqing. His son Li Huaiguang was Shuo Fang Shuai, reaching the rank of Sangong. There are also famous Li families in Mohe, such as Li Duozuo, a minister of the Tang Dynasty who was brave and good at shooting. He was a tribal leader in his previous life, and later moved to the Central Plains and got the surname of Li; He led an army of 100,000 people. The Mohe Li family given the surname by the Tang Dynasty added fresh blood to the Li family.

Dangxiang Li's original surname was Tuoba, and his chief Tuoba Chici led his people to join him. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty gave him the surname Li.

Dang Xiang Li. Dangxiang is a branch of the Qiang people. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was distributed in the meander of the river in the southeast of today's Qinghai Province and the valley west of Songpan, Sichuan.

During the Tang Dynasty, they were forced by Tubo and migrated to Gansu, Ningxia and northern Shaanxi. Their original surname was Tuoba. In the early Tang Dynasty, Tuoba Chici, the chief of Dangxiang, led his people to join him. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty gave him the surname Li. After that, Tuoba Sigong was also given a surname by the Tang Dynasty for his meritorious service in suppressing the Huang Chao uprising. During the Song Dynasty, Li Yuanwu of the Tuoba Li family established the Xixia regime, which was in confrontation with the Song and Jin Dynasties and flourished for a while. Among the Tuoba Li family there are Li Liangzuo, Li Jipeng, Li Qianshun, Li Jichong, Li Jizhou, Li Jiyuan, Li Jijun and others who are well-known in the world.

A large part of the recipients of surnames in the Tang Dynasty were ethnic minorities, that is, surnames were given to foreign ethnic groups. Granting a surname is not an ordinary reward, but the most powerful means used by the Tang Dynasty to recruit ethnic minority leaders and loyalists. Once a surname is given, the person to whom it is given means becoming a member of the Tang Empire. For this highest honor, people in society are generally envious and longing for it, not to mention ethnic minorities. Being given the surname Li not only means that they are absorbed into the Li clan with noble blood, but also marks that they will never know the name again. He was ridiculed by others because of his Yi and Di origins, but he became an upright member of the Han nationality. This honor prompted more ethnic minority leaders to join the Tang Dynasty. In this sense, the Tang Dynasty's granting of surnames made a significant contribution to the development of our multi-ethnic country.