Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-25-12 18:59
一好遮不了百醜,---Yi hao3 zhe bu4 liao3 bai3 chou3,
百好遮不了一醜.---Bai3 hao3 zhe bu4 liao3 yi chou3.
A single merit cannot block off the one hundred demerits,
A hundred merits cannot hide a single demerit.
--------------------------------------------
The 71st most common Chinese surname SHI 石 (071)
Shi means: stone; rock.
The surname Shi is about 2,700 years old.
The surname Shi originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Wu Wei prefecture (武威郡). The present day
location of Wu Wei prefecture is the Wu Wei county (武威縣 102.8 degree
East and 37.9 degree North on the world map) in Gansu province (甘肅省).
It was during the reign of Zhou King Ping (周平王770BC to 720BC), the 13th
King of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC to 256BC) that in 757BC the 11th ruler
of the State of Wei (衛國) was Ji Yang (姬揚). The State of Wei was located
in the present day of Qi county (淇縣) of Henan province (河南省). Ji Yang
married Zhuang Jiang (莊姜), the daughter of the ruler of the State of Qi
(齊國 present day Linzi county 臨淄縣 of Shandong province 山東省).
Despite being married for many years Zhuang Jiang and Ji Yang did not have
any children. Desiring a child (preferably a son), Ji Yang married the
two sisters, Li Gui (厲媯) and Dai Gui (戴媯), from the State of Chen (陳
國 present day Huaiyang county 淮陽縣 of Henan province). The elder sister
Li Gui did not bear Ji Yang any children, however, the younger sister Dai
Gui bore him two sons, Wan (完) the eldest, and Jin (晉). Zhuang Jiang, the
first wife of Ji Yang raised Wan as if he was her own son.
Ji Yang married a third time. This time he married a lady-in-waiting in
his palace. This girl also give birth to a son who was named Zhou Xu (州
吁). Ji Yang only loved Zhou Xu who was spoiled by his father. Zhou Xu spent
most of his childhood indulging in martial art and dreaming about war and
its spoils.
Shi Que (石碏), an old official, who was the eighth generation offspring
of Kang Shu (康叔), the founder of the State of Wei, was unhappy about the
behaviour of Zhou Xu. He complained to Ji Yang that Zhou Xu was supposed
to be filial piety but he was evil, wicked, vicious and crooked. He advised
Ji Yang not to spoil and pamper him. He also told Ji Yang that in order
to avoid future trouble after his death, Zhou Xu should be inducted as his
heir apparent. But, Ji Yang ignored Shi Que's advice.
One of Shi Que's sons, Shi Hou (石厚) was a good friend of Zhou Xu. Together
they often went hunting and trekking the countryside, causing all sorts
of troubles to the local people. Eventually, Shi Hou was forbidden by his
father from seeing Zhou Xu. Shi Que even went so far as to incarcerate his
son at his home. However, Shi Hou managed to escape and went to live with
his good friend Zhou Xu.
In 735BC, the old ruler Ji Yang died and Wan became the new ruler of Wei
who ruled Wei until 719BC. Shi Que retired.
Shi Hou told Zhou Xu that he should be the ruler as he was much better,
clever and stronger than Wan. Shi Hou taught Zhou Xu how to murder the new
ruler.
The central authority in the land at that time was Zhou King Ping who died
in 720BC and his grandson Ji Lin (姬林) succeeded him and was crowned Zhou
King Huan (周桓王719BC to 697BC). A month later, Zhou King Huan invited
Wan for an audience with him.
The night, before his departure to the capital Cheng Zhou (成周 present
day Luo Yang 洛陽 city in Henan province), Zhou Xu invited his eldest brother
Wan for a feast. Zhou Xu and Shi Hou planned to kill Wan when he arrived
for the dinner, however, Wan arrived with 50 body guards. While toasting
Wan's health and a safe journey, Zhou Xu took out a dagger and stabbed his
brother at the back and killed him. Zhou Xu then coerced Wan's guards into
confessing that Wan died of a natural causes. Jin the younger brother of
Wan fled to the State of Xing (邢國 present day Xingtai county 邢台縣 of
Hebei province 河北省).
Zhou Xu became the new ruler. The people of Wei were not happy with Zhou
Xu. There was no way that he could persuade the people to recognize him
as the rightful ruler. He asked Shi Hou for advice. He told Zhou Xu to re-employ
his father because people respected him.
Bearing gifts, Zhou Xu went to see Shi Que and ask him to come back and
work for him. Unfortunately for Zhou Xu, Shi Que turned down his offer on
the ground that he was too old.
Finally Shi Hou went home and begged his father to come out of retirement
to serve the State. Shi Que advised them to go to the capital and pay homage
to the Zhou King Huan. If the King accepted Zhou Xu's request for an audience
than he would have the implied support of the King, and therefore be regarded
as the rightful ruler.
Zhou Xu and Shi Hou could not just simply seek an audience with the King
without a reason. Shi Que advised them to go to the State of Chen and asked
its ruler to convince the King for an audience with Zhou Xu. The ruler of
Chen was Bao (鮑), the 12th ruler of Chen, who was a loyal and respectful
official of the Zhou Court.
Zhou Xu and Shi Hou were very happy to visit the State of Chen. However,
unbeknownst to the two, Shi Que bit his finger and used the blood from his
finger and wrote a letter to his best friend Bao, the ruler of Chen telling
him how Zhou Xu and his son Shi Hou murdered the previous ruler of Wei.
Shi Que asked Bao to arrest them when they arrived in his State.
Zhou Xu and Shi Hou were arrested when they arrived at Chen. The ruler of
Chen sent a message back to Shi Que stating that he had in custody of Zhou
Xu and Shi Hou, and was awaiting further instructions from Shi Que.
Shi Que left Zhou Xu's case to the Wei Court to decide. It decided that
Zhou Xu should die for what he had done to his elder brother Wan. They sent
an executor to Chen and had Zhou Xu executed. Shi Que sent his family butcher
to Chen and had his own son killed. Shi Que then sent for Jin who was installed
as the new ruler of Wei who ruled Jin until 700BC.
People said that Shi Que killed his own son to up-hold the law. After the
death of Shi Que, his descendants adopted SHI (石) as their surname in remembrance
of his propriety.
The couplet of surname Shi
祖先石碏,---Zu3 xian Shi Que,
望族武威.---Wang4 zu2 Wuwei
The progenitor was Shi Que,
And it was originated from Wuwei
..........................................................
Historical prominent persons produced by the Shi Clan include:
(1) Shi Dakai (石達開 1830AD to 1863AD)
Shi Dakai was born in Gui county (貴縣) in Guangxi province (廣西省). He
was a wealthy gentry before he took part in the Jin Tian Cun (金田村) uprising
of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (太平天國 1851AD to 1864AD). He was a leading
general in the Kingdom and he was titled the Assistant King (翼王). He was
so angry over the killing of Yang Xiu Qing (楊秀清 1820 to 1856), the Eastern
King (東王), the co-founder of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, by Wei Chang
Hui (韋昌輝) another Taiping general, that he took his army of over 100,000
and marched westward. His entire army was decimated by the Qing Army at the
Lu Ding Bridge (瀘定橋) over the Dadu River (大渡河) in Sichuan province
(四川省). Shi Da Kai was captured by the Qing soldiers and later executed.
...................................................
(2) Shi Mingsan (石明三)
Shi Mingsan was an ordinary citizen who was born during the Yuan Dynasty
(元朝 1206AD to 1368AD). His father died when he was a young boy. His mother
worked very hard to raise him up. One day his mother was killed by a tiger
while she was collecting firewood in the forest. Shi Mingsan was very sad
and furious. He vowed to take revenge on the tiger. Armed himself with an
axe and bow and arrows he went to the forest hunting for the tiger. It was
believed that he killed five tigers. People nicknamed him 打虎天神 Da Hu
Tian Shen or The Deity of Tiger Killing.
Note:
[The surname of my elder sister-in-law is 石 (Shi or Stone) She often complained
that other than her siblings and relatives were surnamed Shi and she did
not know there were any families in town or her village with this surname.
After my explanation
she was happy.]
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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