Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-19-12 17:21
萬事勸人休瞞昧,---Wan4 shi4 quan4 ren2 xiu man mei4,
舉頭三尺有神明.---Ju3 tou2 san chi3 you3 shen2 ming2.
When giving advice to people one should not deceive them,
As there are gods above one's head.
---------------------------------------------
The 63rd most common Chinese surname FANG 方 (063)
Fang means: direction; a four-sided shape.
The surname Fang is about 2,700 years old.
The surname Fang originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the He Nan prefecture (河南郡). The present day
location of He Nan prefecture is in the northeast of Luo Yan county (洛陽
縣 112.4 degree East and 34.6 degree North on the world map) of Henan province
(河南省).
Ji Yuan (姬袁) was an official in the Zhou Court (周室) during the reign
of Zhou King Xuan (周宣王 827BC to 780BC) of the Zhou Dynasty (1134BC to
256BC). At that time there were disturbances in the southern part of the
country caused by a small rebellion organized by the southern barbarians
of the Jing Tribe (荊族), originating from the southwest of what is now
considered in the country of Henan province. Zhou King Xuan instructed Ji
Yuan to suppress these disturbances.
Ji Yuan organized an army of about 3000 men and marched south. He had no
difficulty in crushing the rebellious Jing Tribe. Soon after the suppression
of the Jing Tribe there were incursions into the Zhou territory in the north
by the Xianyun Tribe (玁狁族). Once again, Zhou King Xuan appointed Ji Yuan
to lead a expeditionary force to subdue the northern intruders. Ji Yuan
easily pushed them back to the desert where they came from.
Zhou King Xuan was very grateful to Ji Yuan's assistance. In order to show
his appreciation Zhou King Xuan not only rewarded Ji Yuan the hereditary
title of Nan (男) or Baron but also bestowed upon him the surname of Fang
in honour of his ability to suppress uprisings from all sides. Ji Yuan was
then known as Fang Yuan (方袁) and he surnamed his children FANG (方).
The couplet of surname Fang
方姓望族---Fang xing wang zu
居河南郡---Ju Henan Jun
The origin of the surname Fang
Was from the Prefecture of Henan
........................................................
The prominent persons produced by surname Fang Clan include:
(1) 方靜音
As far as I could remember the singer was killed in a car accident in Hong
Kong in the early 1950s. She was a rising star in singing and was only in
her early 20s. What a waste of a talent.
My Third Elder brother went to study in Chung Ling High School , Penang
(鐘靈中學﹐檳城). During his school holidays he brought home a record (the
78 turns one) of this song. Our family had a very old record player. It
needed to be wound up (it worked by spring and through the glass we could
see the spring was loosing and we started to wind with a little handle)
and the needle needed to be sharpened before we could play the record. We
played and played and played the record, until it was broken. It was the
Emergency time (The British Colonial Authorities were fighting the Malayan
Communist Party) and we had nothing much to do under long hours of curfew.
We spent our time in reading Chinese books and newspapers. That was the
reason that almost all my friends in my age group became bookworms. One
of them was learning Chinese Classic. Later he became a Cabinet Minister
for 12 years in Dr. Mahathir's Administration.
Fang Jingyin - Shao Nu De Meng
少女的夢 - 歌手 - 方靜音
曲 : 姚敏 / 詞 : 杜庸
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVWpwJVudsE
春風拂柳露華濃 月光靜靜窺簾櫳
星星滿空 照著少女的夢
她做的不是富貴夢 萬家痛哭遍地哀鴻
只能點綴幾家歡樂的笑容
她做的不是桃色夢 萬花競艷朝夕相擁
輕輕把青春斷送 輕輕把青春斷送
她願人間沒苦痛 她願人們挺心胸
她願草長綠 花長紅 手挽手苦樂相共
.............................................................
(2) Fang Xiaoru (方孝孺 1357AD to 1402AD)
罵賊正氣壯山河,---Ma4 zei2 zheng qi4 zhuang4 shan he2,
十族願與一人榮.---Shi2 zu2 yuan4 yu3 yi ren2 rong2.
To uphold the righteousness of the country I curse the traitor,
One man's honour is being shared by ten clans.
Fang Xiaoru was born in Ninghai (寧海) in the province of Zhejiang (浙江
省), during the Yuan Dynasty (元朝 1206AD to 1368AD). Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元
璋), having destroyed the Yuan Dynasty, established the Ming Dynasty (明
朝 1368AD to 1644AD) and he was crowned Emperor Tai Zu (太祖皇帝 138AD to
1398AD), the first Emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang died in 1398AD. His grandson Zhu
Yunwen (朱允炆) became the Emperor who was crowned Hui Di (惠帝皇帝1399AD
to 1402AD). Fang Xiaoru was appointed a member of the Imperial Academy (翰
林學士). He compiled the biography of Emperor Tai Zu Zhu Yuanzhang (太祖
皇帝朱元璋).
In 1401AD, a civil war broke out between Emperor Hui Di and his uncle, the
Prince of Yan Zhu Di (燕王朱棣), the ruler of the present day city of Beijing
北京 in Hebei province 河北省. Emperor Hui was defeated in the civil war
by his uncle and it was believed that he fled to Nanyang (南洋 present day
Southeast Asia).
Prince Yan Zhu Di entered the present day city of Nanjing (南京 in Jiangsu
province 江蘇省) and was crowned Emperor Cheng Zu (成祖皇帝). Fang Xiaoru
was summoned to the palace by the Emperor. Fang Xiaoru arrived at the palace
dressed in mourning apparel and was crying. When the Emperor saw Fang Xiaoru
he told Fang Xiaoru that he should be happy and why in mourning. Fang Xiaoru
told Emperor Cheng Zu that he was mourning for his master, the preceding
Emperor. When Emperor Cheng Zu asked him to write the Imperial Edict Fang
Xiaoru refused to write. Emperor Cheng Zu descended from the dragon throne
and personally handed Fang Xiaoru the brush and the ink to write the Imperial
Edict. Fang Xiaoru received the brush and the ink and threw them on the floor
saying:
"死即死耳, 詔不可草.---Si3 ji2 si3 er3, zhao4 bu4 ke3 cao3".
"Even you kill me, I will not write".
Emperor Cheng Zu was angry and he had Fang Xiaoru and his whole family publicly
executed in the market place.
Fang Xiaoru was the author of many books. The most popular ones are these
three books;
(1) 遜志齋稿 (Xun Zhi Zhai Gao),
(2) 侯成集 (Hou Cheng Ji),
(3) 希古堂稿 (Xi Gu Tang Gao).
..........................................................
(3) Fang Gan (方干 ? to 888AD)
Fang Gan, a famous poet, was born in Tong Lu (桐廬) in the present day province
of Zhejiang (浙江省), with a cracked lips, during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝
618AD to 907AD). He was a man of letters. Due to the defect in his lips
he seldom appeared in public and he did not sit for any Governmental examinations.
He lived in seclusion near a lake called Jing Lake (鏡湖) in Zhejiang province.
He lived there all his life. This is his famous couplet:
歲月自消寒暑內,---Sui4 yue4 zi4 xiao han2 shu3 nei4,
榮枯盡在是非中.---Rong2 ku jin4 zai4 shi4 fei zhong4.
I have been living alone for years in hot or cold weather,
In flourishing or withering of my life.
.................................................................
(4) Fang Yizhi (方以智 1811AD to 1671AD)
Fang Yizhi was born in Tongcheng (桐城) in the province of Anhui (安徽省
). He passed the Imperial Examination during the reign of Emperor Yi Zong
Zhu Jian (毅宗皇帝朱檢 1628AD to 1643AD) of the Ming Dynasty (明朝 1368AD
to 1644AD) and became an Imperial Graduate (進士). He was appointed a high
official. Eventually he was appointed a member of the Imperial Academy (翰
林學士 Han Lin Xue Shi).
In 1644AD the Ming Dynasty collapsed and the Qing Dynasty (清朝 1644AD to
1911AD) was established. Fang Yizhi and many scholars organized an society
called Fushe (復社) trying to revive the Ming Dynasty, but of no avail.
He became a monk and changed his name to Hong Zhi (宏智). He was the author
of the book called Tong Ya (通雅).
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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