Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 05-09-12 16:35
中國姓氏故事 - 雷姓
今朝有酒今朝醉,---Jin zhao you3 jiu3 jin zhao zui4,
明日愁來明日憂.---Ming2 ri4 chou2 lai2 ming2 ri4 you.
Whatever wine you have today drink it today.
Let tomorrow's worries worry tomorrow.
A Chinese proverb
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Surname LEI (雷姓)
Lei means: thunder
The surname Lei is more than 3,000 years old.
The surname Lei originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Fengyi prefecture (馮翊郡). The present day
location of Fengyi prefecture is in Da Li county (大荔縣, 109.9 degree East
and 34.7 degree North on the world map) of Shaanxi province (陜西省).
The surname Lei is a very old surname, as old as Huang Di (黃帝) or the
Yellow Emperor, the leader of the united tribes during the ancient time.
Since the development of Chinese characters the way of writing the character
Lei (雷) has changed ten times through out recorded history. The surname
Lei is so ancient that much of the information about surname Lei has been
lost or not been preserved properly.
According to Shi Ji (史記) or the Historical Records, the surname of Yellow
Emperor's wife Lei Zu (嫘祖) was Fang Lei (方雷). In actual fact Fang Lei
was the name of a tribe. Lei Zu was the daughter of the leader of the Fang
Lei tribe. Yellow Emperor employed a herbalist by the name of Lei Gong
(雷公), who was originally a member of the Fang Lei tribe. Lei Gong was
well known for his herb mixing techniques. Any sick patient who came to him
for treatment had a good chance of recovery after taking his herbal medicine.
His medicine was like a panacea at that time. Yellow Emperor adored him.
Many generations after Lei Gong, his descendants adopted LEI (雷) as their
surname and left off the word Gong, which means grandfather, a title given
in respect by his patients.
The couplet of surname Lei is a poem combined
by the two radicals Yu (雨) and Tian (田)
雨露滋潤禾稼莊,---Yu3 lu4 zi run4 he2 jia4 zhuang,
田疇沃腴稻菽香.---Tian2 chou2 wo4 yu2 dao4 shu xiang.
Moistened by rain and dew, young crops grow strong,
In the fertile land.
.............................................................
Prominent persons produced by the Lei Clan
(1) Lei Zhen (雷震) who lived during the Song Dynasty (宋朝 960AD to 1279AD),
was a famous poet. This is one of his many poems.
村晚 An evening in a village
草滿池塘水滿陂,---Cao3 man3 chi2 tang2 shui3 man3 po,
山銜落日浸寒漪;---Shan xian2 luo4 ri4 jin4 han2 yi;
牧童歸去橫牛背,---Mu4 tong2 gui qu4 heng3 niu2 bei,
短笛無腔信口吹.---Duan3 di2 wu2 qiang xin4 kou3 chui.
The explanation in plain Chinese and English
(1) 青草生滿了池塘, 綠水又漲滿了陂岸,
There are full of green grasses growing in the pond and the water in the
pond is so full that it has reached the shore of the pond.
(2) 這時候, 天色快將要晚下來, 西邊山上, 好像嘴巴啣著落下的太陽, 返照的日
光, 浸在寒冷的流水中.
Evening is approaching and the sun is setting through the west side of the
mountain that looks like it is holding the sun by its mouth;
(3) 祇見看牛的牧童, 也要回到村裏去了, 橫坐在牛背上,
The shepherd boy is going home sitting on the back of the buffalo,
(4) 雙手拿著一枝短竹笛, 他是沒有腔調的, 不過隨口亂吹罷了.
His two hands are holding a short bamboo flute to his mouth simply blowing
some music without a tune.
..................................................
(2) 雷大升 (Lei Dasheng 1662AD to 1794AD)
He was born in Chang Zhou (長州 the old name of Changzhou county which is
under the jurisdiction of Wu county 吳縣 in Jiangsu province 江蘇省). He
was a very smart boy and loved to read books. Any books that came to him
he read them. He was good in playing Qin 琴 too. (Qin, a seven-stringed
plucked instruction in some ways similar to the zither (齊特琴). He was
a poet too.
Lei Dasheng dedicated his life in medicine research. He could cure any incurable
old sickness. He became a well known doctor (藥到病除). He had written many
books. His most popular medical books were "金匱辨正﹔經病方論﹔要症論略﹔
丹丸方論﹔etc"
.................................................................
(3) 雷海青 (Lei Haiqing 716AD to 755AD)
He was a famous Pipa ( 琵琶) player. He played for Emperor Xuan Zong Li
Longji of the Tang Dynasty (713AD to 755AD) 唐玄宗皇帝李隆基. An Lushan
(安祿山), a Tang Governor in the north rebelled against the Tang Dynasty
(唐朝 618AD to 917AD). An Lushan occupied the Tang Capital Changan city.(長
安市 present day Xi An city 西安市). Lei Haiqing was captured by An Lushan
who took him back to his home base in Luoyang City. An Lushan wanted Lei
Haiqing to play Pipa music for him. However, Lei Haiqing, not only refused
to play for An Lushan, he threw the Pipa at An Lushan trying to kill him.
Lei was eventually executed by An Lushan.
(王維, the famous Tang poet, 有詩吟之).
.....................................................
Note:
Surname LEI (雷姓) is the 78th most common Chinese surname in the world.
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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