Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-05-12 07:03
The 2nd most common Chinese surname is WANG (王) or King (002)
Wang means: the king; the ruler;
The surname Wang is about 2,500 years old.
The surname Wang 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
location of 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).
It was during the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時間 722BC to 481BC) that
in 571BC, Ji Xiexin (姬泄心) was crowned Zhou King Ling (周靈王), the 23rd
King of the Zhou Dynasty (1134BC to 256BC). Zhou King Ling reigned until
545BC. His eldest son, Ji Jin (姬晉), was inducted the Crown Prince. When
Ji Jin was a teenager he was well known among the officials in the Zhou
Court as a smart, intelligent and clever lad.
Ji Biao (姬彪), the 29th ruler of the State of Jin (晉國 present day Yi
Cheng county 翼城縣in Shanxi province), who ruled Jin from 557BC to 532BC,
sent an envoy, Shu Yu (叔譽), to the Zhou Court to have an audience with
Zhou King Ling. After Shu Yu had completed his official business he met
the Crown Prince, Ji Jin, in the palace. They had a long talk about current
affairs. Shu Yu was greatly impressed by the Crown Prince's intellect.
Shu Yu returned to Jin and told Ji Biao about the Crown Princ, Ji Jin. However,
another official by the name of Guang (矌) did not believe what Shu Yu
had told Ji Biao. In order to prove that Shu Yu was right, Guang went to
Cheng Zhou (成周 present day city of Luoyang 洛陽in Henan province 河南省
), the Zhou capital, and asked to see Ji Jin, the Crown Prince. Guang and
Ji Jin had a long discussion about politics, the policy of a good government,
astrology and many other subjects. Guang was surprised to see that the Crown
Prince was indeed a smart and intelligent boy. Guang told Ji Jin, "I have
never seen such an intelligent lad as you are, in my whole life." Guang
went back to Jin and told Ji Biao that whatever Shu Yu had said about the
Crown Prince was true.
In 550BC, the two rivers of Gu (谷) and Luo (洛) near the capital had overflowed
their banks. The flood inundated the areas in the vicinity of the two rivers.
Water from the two rivers was jeopardizing the palace buildings. Zhou King
Ling ordered that the water rushing into the palace buildings be blocked
off. However, Crown Prince Ji Jin had another idea and he told his father
not to block off the water but to drain it off just like what Yu Di (禹帝
2205BC to 2197BC) had done 1600 years ago. Ji Jin argued that the dikes
could not hold the flood. Besides if the dikes collapsed the water could
severely damage the palace buildings. To drain off the water by digging
many small channels was the only way to save the palace buildings. Zhou
King Ling refused to listen. Father and son argued and argued for many days.
Eventually Zhou King Ling was infuriated and he sacked Ji Jin as the Crown
Prince and banished him and his family to Langye (瑯琊 present day county
of Gaomi 高密縣 in Shandong province 山東省).
Langye was a place under the jurisdiction of the State of Qi (齊國) which
was a powerful State. Jiang Guang (姜光), the 23rd ruler of the State of
Qi, who ruled Qi from 553BC to 547BCBC, did not want Ji Jin to stay in Qi.
Zhou King Ling was also afraid that his recalcitrant son might have political
influence on the ruler of Qi. So Zhou King Ling disowned Ji Jin and striped
him off his royalty and Ji Jin eventually became a commoner. Zhou King Ling
also ordered Jiang Guang to expel him from the State of Qi. Ji Jin was told
to leave Qi by Jiang Guang. So Ji Jin took his family and went north to
Jinyang (晉陽 present day city of Taiyuan in Shanxi province), which was
a city in the State of Jin (晉國). The ruler of the State of Jin was Ji
Wu (姬午), the great-grandson of Ji Biao who admired Ji Jin's talent. Ji
Wu ruled the State of Jin from 511BC to 474BC.
Ji Jin with his family settled down permanently in Jin Yang city. Residents
in Jin Yang city knew this newly arrived family was once a Wang Jia (王家
) or King's family. They called Ji Jin's family Wang Jia. As time went by
the descendants of Ji Jin gave themselves the word WANG (王) or King as
their surname and left off the word Jia (家) or family.
The couplet for surname Wang is;
傳家節操同松竹,---Chuan2 jia jie2 cao tong2 song zhu2,
報國功勛并斗山.---Bao4 guo2 gong xun dou3 shan.
The family tradition is like the bamboo joint,
The dedication to the country is like mountain.
The famous persons produced by the Wang clan:
(1) Wang Wei (王維701AD to 760AD)
Wang Wei was from the present day city of Taiyuan in Shanxi province). He
graduated as a scholar during the early reign of Emperor Xuan Zong Li Longji
(玄宗皇帝李隆基 713AD to 755AD) of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝 619AD to 907AD).
Wang Wei was appointed as a high official. He was very interested in poetry,
writing and painting. At his leisure he wrote essays, composed poems and
paint. Eventually, he became a famous poet and writer. His paintings had
been described as being so vivid that it affected the senses like poetry.
Su Dongpo (蘇東坡 1036AD to 1101AD), the famous poet during the Song Dynasty
described Wang Wei's painting and calligraphy:
詩中有畫,---Shi zhong4 you3 hua4,
畫中有詩.---Hua4 zhong4 you3 shi.
There are paintings in the poems,
And there poems in the paintings.
This is one of Wang Wei's famous poem titled
Sending off a friend (送別)
山中相送罷,---Shan zhon4 xiang song4 ba4,
日暮掩柴扉.---Ri4 mu4 yan3 chai2 fei;
春草明年綠,---Chun cao3 ming2 nian2 lu4,
王孫歸不歸.---Wang2 sun gui bu4 gui.
In the forest, it is already evening after I have sent off my friend.
I close the doors of my house. I begin to wonder.
Next year when spring comes the green grass will grow.
However, I am not sure my friend will come and see me again.
----------------------------------------------
(2) Wang Zhihuan (王之渙) who was an official during the Tang Dynasty.
登鶴雀樓 Deng He Que Lou (Ascend to the Crane Sparrow Pavilion)
白日依山盡,---Bai2 ri4 yi shan jin4,
黃河入海流.---Huanghe ru4 hai3 liu2.
欲窮千里目,---Yu4 qiong2 qian li3 mu4,
更上一層樓.---Geng shang4 yi ceng2 lou2.
The explanations in plain Chinese and English
(1) 我登在鶴雀樓[1]上一望, 看見白色的太陽, 靠著山邊落下去;
Looking out from the Crane Sparrow Pavilion [1A], I can see the white sun
slowly setting behind the mountains.
(2) 那黃河裏的水, 一直流到海中.
The water in the Yellow River is flowing straight into the sea.
(3) 我覺得要看完一千里以外的景物,
Wanting to see more scenery of the far distance,
(4) 須要再走上一層樓, 纔可見到哩.
I have to climb up another storey to see it.
Note:
[1A] Crane Sparrow Pavilion 鶴雀樓
Crane Sparrow Pavilion is in the southwest of the present day county of
Yongji (永濟縣 in Shanxi province (山西省). There used to have many cranes
and sparrows dwelled in the pavilion. Therefore it was named Crane Sparrow
Pavilion. Although the pavilion is only three storeys high, you can see
Mount Zhongtiao (中條山) and the Yellow River.
---------------------------------------
(3) Wang Shizhen (王士禎 1641AD to1711)
Wang Shizhen was born during the end of the Ming Dynasty (明朝 1368AD to
1644AD). He became a famous poet for decades in the beginning of the Qing
Dynasty (清朝 1644AD to 1911AD). H left behind him many famous poems.
This is his famous couplet:
教子孫兩行正路,---Jiao zi3 sun liang3 hang2 zheng4 lu4,
惟讀惟耕.-------------wei2 du2 wei2 geng.
The two right ways that you teach your descendants,
Are to study and to till the land.
---------------------------------------------
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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