Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-06-12 17:58
貧人居市無人識,---Pin2 ren2 ju shi4 wu2 ren2 shi2,
富在深山有遠親.---Fu4 zai4 shen shan you3 yuan3 qin.
No one knows a poor man living in the city,
A wealthy man living in a remote mountain has many distant relatives.
...............................................................
The 12th most common Chinese surname SUN 孫 (012)
Sun means: grandchild; all the offspring.
The surname Sun is about 2,600 years old.
The surname Sun originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Yuean prefecture (樂安郡). The present day
location of Yuean prefecture is in Guangrao county (廣饒縣 118.4 degree
East and 37.1 degree North, on the world map) of Shandong province (山東
省).
Ji Fa (姬發), the leader of the Zhou Clan (周族), destroyed the Shang Dynasty
(商朝1783BC to 1122BC) and established the Zhou Dynasty (周朝1134BC to 256BC
). He was installed the first King and was crowned Zhou King Wu (周武王).
He gave authorities to his eighth younger brother, Ji Shuchu (姬叔初), to
rule a place called Kang (康 in an area north of the present day county
of Yuzhou 禹州縣 in Henan province 河南省). Ji Shuchu came to be known
as Kang Shu (康叔).
Zhou King Wu died in 1116BC and was succeeded by his eldest son called Ji
Song (姬誦) who was crowned Zhou King Cheng (周成王 1116BC to 1079BC). Zhou
King Cheng transferred Kang Shu, his uncle, to the State of Wei (衛國 in
the present day county of Weihui 衛輝縣 in Henan province). Zhou King Cheng
bestowed Kang Shu the heritable title of Hou (侯) or the Marquis. Marquis
Kang Shu ruled his new domain until he died of old age.
Eight generations after Kang Shu, in 771BC, one of his descendants, Ji
He (姬和), was installed as the tenth ruler of the State of Wei. Ji He ruled
Wei until 757BC. The central authority in the land was Zhou King You (周
幽王 781BC to 771BC) the 13th King of the Zhou Dynasty.
In the year of 771BC, Quan Rong (犬戎), the nomadic tribes from the northwest,
overran, and destroyed the capital of Zhou Dynasty, Hao (鎬 present day
Xian 西安city in Shaanxi province 陜西省),. Zhou King You (周幽王), the
12th King, was killed in the turmoil. His son, Ji Yijiu (姬宜 臼), the Crown
Prince, who was in exile in the State of Shen (申國 present day Nanyang
county 南陽縣 in Henan province), formed an army from several vassal States,
including the troops from the State of Wei and had the Quan Rong thrown
out of the capital.
Ji Yijiu was crowned Zhou King Ping (周平王 771BC to 720BC) and he moved
his capital from Hao to Chengzhou (成周present day Luoyang 洛陽 city in
Henan province) because Hao was totally destroyed by the Quan Rong and was
rendered uninhabitable. (Historians called this event as the beginning of
the Dong Zhou Dynasty 東周朝 or East Zhou Dynasty 770BC to 250BC).
The 10th ruler of the State of Wei, Ji He (姬和 812BC to 758BC), not only
helped Zhou King Ping in expelling Quan Rong from the Hao but also assisted
him in moving his capital to Chengzhou. Ji He was greatly rewarded.
Ji He appointed one of his many sons called Ji Huisun (姬惠孫), a brilliant
scholar, as the Premier of Wei. Ji Huisun fathered Ji Er (姬耳). Two generations
later Ji Wuzhong (姬武仲), in remembrance of his grandfather, adopted SUN
(孫) as his surname. The descendants of Ji Wuzhong continued to use Sun
as their surname.
The couplet for surname Sun is,
願乘風破萬里浪,---Yuan4 cheng2 feng po4 wan4 li3 lang4,
甘面壁讀十年書.---Gan mian4 bi4 du2 shi2 nian2 shu.
Daring to ride the wind and brave the waves for ten thousand miles,
I endure to lock myself up and study for ten years.
(By Sun Wen 孫文 the founder of the Republic of China).
.......................................................
Famous historical figures produced by the Sun clan.
(1) 孫文 (Sun Wen 1866AD to 1925AD).
The Chinese call Sun Wen Mr. Sun Zhongshan (孫中山先生) which in
Japanese is Nakayama that means like the central mountain towering
over every thing else. The European call him Dr Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙醫生).
Sun Wen was born in Cuiheng Cun (翠亨村 or blue thriving village) of Xiangshan
county (香山縣 or fragrant hills, present day Zhongshan county 中山縣) in
Guangdong province (廣東省) China. The village of Cuiheng, in the delta
of the Xijiang (西江 or West River), is situated about forty miles north
of Guangzhou (廣州) the provincial capital of Guangdong province.
Sun Wen's elder brother, Sun Mi, fifteen years his senior emigrated to Honolulu.
Sun Mi was one of the pioneers in the development of the low land in the
region of Pearl Harbour. A few years later Sun Mi's farm was well established.
When Sun Wen was twelve years old his elder brother came home for holidays.
Sun Mi wanted to take Sun Wen to Honolulu but his parents disagreed on the
ground that Sun Wen was still too young. In 1879, his parents allowed Sun
Wen to join his elder in Hawaii.
When he grew up he formed a party that overthrew the Qing Government (清
朝 1644AD to 1911AD) and established a Republic Government in China.. He
was elected the first President of China.
......................................................
(2) Sun Wu ( 孫武)
Sun Wu, who was born in the state of Qi (齊國) during the period of Spring
and Autumn (春秋時代 722BC to 481BC), was a military strategist. He was
the author of the book called "Sun Zi Bing Fa 孫子兵法 The Art of War".
Wu Helu (吳闔閭), the King of the state of (吳國), engaged him as a general.
In a battle in 508BC he defeated the army of the state of Chu (楚國) and
in 506BC he led the Wu army and occupied Ying Du (郢都), the capital of Chu.
He wrote a book, entitled Sun Zi Bing Fa (孫子兵法 or The Art of War), of
thirteen chapters about the Art of War, and one of which was
(1) 敵進我退=If the enemy advances, we retreat.
(2) 敵退我進=If the enemy retreats, we pursue.
(3) 敵駐我擾=If the enemy halts and encamps, we harass.
(4) 敵疲我打=If the enemy tires and seeks to avoid battle, we attack.
......................................................
(3) This is a poem written by Sun Di (孫逖) who lived during the Tang Dynasty
(唐朝 618AD to 907AD).
觀永樂公主入蕃 Guan Yong Le Gong Zhu Ru Fan
(Princess Yongle arrives in Xizang [西藏省]).
邊地鶯花少,---Bian di4 [*1A] ying hua [*2B] shao3,
年來未覺新;---Nian2 lai2 wei4 jiao4 xin;
美人天上落,---Mei3 ren2 tian shang4 luo4,
龍塞始應春.---Longsai [*3C] shi3 ying chun.
The explanation in Chinese and English
(1) 國家邊遠的地方, 那鶯花是很少的,
In this borderland flowers are rare,
(2) 就是到了那新年, 也不覺得有新鮮氣象;
Even in New Year Festival one cannot see any fresh atmosphere;
(3) 現在卻有位豐姿艷麗的美人, 從天上落下來,
Now there is a beautiful girl, who is like an angel, comes down from Heaven,
(4) 那時邊塞地方, 纔有陽和的春色了.
The frontier then has some sunlight and spring scenery.
Note:
(*1A) 邊地 (bian di4)
borderland (是中國和外國接近交界的地方).
(*2B) 鶯花 (ying hua)
It is a comparison of the flowers and birds during the spring time.
(是說中國春天景物的美麗, 以鶯鳥和花草比喻之).
(*3C) 龍塞 Longsai)
Is the name of a place in the borderland (是邊界地名).
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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