Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 04-18-12 03:08
中國姓氏故事 - 閻姓
守口莫談人過短,---Shou3 kou3 mo4 tan2 ren2 guo4 duan3,
自短何曾說與人.---Zi4 duan3 he2 zeng shuo yu3 ren2.
Do not talk about other people's shortcomings,
How often do you talk about your own shortcomings to other people?
A Chinese proverb
...........................................................
Surname Yan (閻姓)
Yan means: the gate of a lane.
The surname Yan is about 2,500 years old.
The surname Yan originated in an area referred to during the Qin Dynasty
(秦朝 221BC to 207BC) as the Taiyuan prefecture (太原郡). The present day
Taiyuan prefecture is the city of Taiyuan (太原市 112.6 degree East and
37.8 degree North on the world map) in Shanxi province (山西省).
In 1122BC, Zhou King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty (商朝1783BC to 1122BC)
and established the Zhou Dynasty (周朝1134BC to 256BC). Zhou King Wu moved
his capital from Qishan (歧山 in the present day city of Qishan of Shaanxi
province 陜西省) to Hao (鎬 present day city of Xian 西安市 in Shaanxi province)
.
Zhou King Wu inherited a vast country; the primitive communication at the
time made centralized control of the land impossible. Instead, Zhou King
Wu gave authority to rule on his behalf to relatives, officials, generals
and aristocrats; creating a large number of vassal states. No one really
knew how many of them were created. However, according to the Historical
Records there were more than 170 vassal States during the Zhou Dynasty, who
all acknowledged Zhou King Wu's (and his subsequent replacements) sovereignty.
Zhou King Wu gave the great-grandson of Zhong Yi (仲奕) the authority to
rule a settlement called Yanxiang (閻鄉 located in the west of present day
Anyi county 安邑縣 in Shanxi province 山西省). Zhong Yi was the elder brother
of Zhou King Wu's grandfather, Zhou King Tai (周太王).
During the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時代 722BC to 481BC) the town of
Yanxiang was absorbed by the State of Jin (晉國 present day Yicheng county
翼城縣 in Shanxi province). The offspring of Zhong Yi subsequently adopted
YAN (閻) as their surname.
In 606BC, Ji Heitun (姬黑臀) became the 25th ruler of Jin who ruled Jin
until 600BC. Ji Heitun appointed one of his sons Ji Yi (姬懿) to rule Yanxiang.
Ji Yi renamed his domain the State of Yan (閻國) which became a protectorate
State of Jin.
In 533BC, during the reign of Zhou King Jing (周景王 544BC to 520BC), 24th
King of the Zhou Dynasty, the State of Jin had a dispute with the Zhou Court
over the land over the jurisdiction of the State of Yan. Ji Biao (姬彪)
the 29th ruler of Jin absorbed the State of Yan and ceded it to the Zhou
Court. This was to show other States in the land that the State of Jin
still respected the Zhou Court as the central of authority (although it was
very weak by this point of time). The offspring of Ji Yi relocated themselves
south and settled down along the Huanghe or the Yellow River. They adopted
YAN as their surname. People bearing the surname of Yan are either the descendants
of Zhong Yi or Ji Yi.
The couplet of surname Yan:
望出太原,---Wang4 chu Taiyuan
源自閻鄉.---Yuan2 zi4 Yanxiang
The surname Yan was originated from Taiyuan
It began to spread from Yan village
..............................................................
Prominent persons produced by surname Yan Clan
(1) Yan Liben (閻立本 ? to 673AD),
Yan Liben, the famous artist, was born in Yongzhou Wanniam (雍州萬年 in
present day city of Xi An 西安市 in Shaanxi province 陜西省) during the
Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618AD to 907AD). He was a scholar and a brilliant artist.
From the year 656AD on, in the reign of Emperor Tai Zong Li Shimin (太宗
皇帝李世民 627AD to 649AD), he was considered one of the best painters in
the country. He was appointed as a high official in the Department of Works
(工部尚書). His paintings were so good that he could paint ancient things
to suit the contemporary of his time or 變古象今 (Bian gu xiang jin). He
painted a picture portraying Emperor Tai Zong receiving the envoy from Tu
Fan (吐番 present day province of Xizang 西藏省) to fetch the Princess who
was to be married to the ruler of Tufan. The painting is currently stored
in Boston Art Gallery in USA. His paintings of 凌煙閣功臣圖 (Ling yan ge
gong chen tu); 步輦圖 (Bu nian tu) and 歷代帝王圖 (Li dai di wang tu) are
also currently stored in the Art Gallery of Boston in USA.
(2) Yan Yingyuan (閻應元 ? 1645AD)
Yan Yingyuan, an anti-Manzhou (滿洲) general, was born in Tong Zhou (通州
present day Tong county 通縣 in Hebei province 河北省) during the Ming
Dynasty (明朝 1368AD to 1644AD). The Manzhou from the northeast had occupied
northern China. In 1645AD, the Manzhou occupied the city of Nanjing (南京
市) and issued decree that all the male citizens should keep a queue. The
people living in Jiang Yin (江陰), a suburb in Nanjing, staged an uprising
against the decree. The Manzhou sent in troops to crush them. Yan Ying Yuan
led the people to defend the walled city which was surrounded by Manzhou
troops. The battle waged on for 81 days. Eventually Jiang Yin was overrun
by the Manzhou troops and Yan Yingyuan was captured. He was executed.
(3) Yan Ruoju (閻若璩 1636AD to 1704AD)
Yan Ruoju was born in the city of Taiyuan (太原市 in Shanxi province 山西
省) during the Qing Dynasty (清朝 1644AD to 1911AD). He was a historian,
man of letters and philosopher. Since he was a man of great learning the
Qing Government (清朝廷) invited him to take part in compiling the "大清
一統志 or the Annals of the Great Qing Dynasty".
-----------------------------------
Note:
Surname Yan (閻姓) is the 75th most common Chinese surname in the world.
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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