Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-27-12 13:26
有錢有酒多兄弟,---You3 qian2 you3 jiu3 duo xiong di4,
急難何曾見一人.---Ji2 nan2 he2 zeng jian4 yi ren2.
With money and wine one has many friends,
But, one will not see any of them when one needs help.
-------------------------------------------------------
The 73rd most common Chinese surname Meng 孟 (073)
Meng means: the first in a queue; the first season.
The surname Meng is about 2,600 years old.
The surname Meng originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝206BC to 220AD) as the Pingling prefecture (平陵郡). The present day
location of Pingling prefecture is in Licheng county (歷城縣 117.1 degree
East and 36.6 degree North on the world map) in Shandong province (山東省
).
Zhou King Cheng (周成王), the second King of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC
to 256BC), who reigned from 1115BC to 1079BC, conferred the heritable title
of Hou (侯) or Marquis to his first cousin brother Ji Boqin (姬伯禽). Zhou
King Cheng also delegated Ji Boqin the authority to rule a very large district
called Lu (魯 in the present day county of Qufu 曲阜縣 of Shandong province
山東省) which was renamed the State of Lu (魯國). Ji Boqin came to be known
as Lu Hou (魯侯) or the Marquis of Lu.
Fourteen generations after Ji Boqin, during the Spring and Autumn Period
(春秋時代 722BC to 481BC) in 711BC Ji Yun (姬允) was installed as the 15th
ruler of the State of Lu. Ji Yun's wife was Wen Jiang (文姜) who was the
sister of Jiang Zhuer (姜諸兒), the 14th ruler of the State of Qi (齊國
in the present day county of Linzi (臨淄縣) in Shandong province. In 694BC,
Ji Yun and his wife went to the State of Qi for an official visit. Jiang
Zhuer employed an assassin called Peng Sheng (彭生) and had Ji Yun murdered.
Before Wen Jiang married Ji Yun she had a love affair with her own brother
Jiang Zhuer and they committed incest. While on the visit, Ji Yun discovered
that the brother and sister had committed incest and became very angry.
However, before Ji Yun had the chance to inform the Lu Court Jiang Zhuer
hired Peng Sheng and had him murdered.
Ji Yun had four sons. The eldest son was Ji Tong (姬通), the second son
Ji Qingfu (姬慶父) with the aliases of Meng Sun (孟孫) and Zhong Sun (仲
孫), the third son Ji Shusun (姬叔孫) and the fourth Ji Jisun (姬季孫).
Ji Tong was the son by Ji Yun's official wife, Wen Jiang. Ji Qingfu, Ji
Shusun and Ji Jisun were the sons by the different concubines of Ji Yun.
According to tradition Tong succeeded his late father and became the 16th
ruler of the State of Lu. Ji Tong ruled Lu from 693BC to 662BC.
Ji Tong delegated authorities to his three younger brothers to administer
different regions in the State of Lu. The children of these three families
had to change their surnames, to avoid implications in the future succession
of the Lu Court. The children of Ji Qingfu chosed their father's aliases
as their surnames. Some adopted Meng (孟) and others Zhongsun (仲孫) as
their surnames. That was the origin of surname MENG. Thus the surnames of
Zhongsun (仲孫) and Meng (孟 ) came from the same ancestor Ji Qingfu (姬
慶父).
The couplet of surname Meng:
源自魯國,---Yuan2 zi4 Lu Guo,
望出平陵.---Wang4 chu Pingling.
The surname Meng started from the State of Lu,
And the clan began to spread from Pingling.
............................................................................
The prominent persons produced by the Meng Clan include
(1) Meng Jiangnu (孟姜女)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3a0vfUR5w
Meng Jiangnu, the heroine of a famous Chinese legend, was a woman of exceptional
beauty. She married a man by the name of Wan Xiliang (萬喜良) , who was,
shortly afterwards, drafted by the Qin authorities and pressed into work
gangs who were forced to build and link up all the walls already erected
in the State of Qin (秦國) to those in the States of Yan (燕國) and Zhao
(趙國).
Thousands upon thousands of men were conscripted and forced to march north
to work on the construction. These workers were generally subjected to great
hardships. Up in the mountain wilderness, usually dressed only in rags they
had to endure the bitterly cold northern winter, frequent hunger, exhaustion
and cruel supervisors. Sadly, untold numbers died from a combination of
all these factors.
Meng Jiangnu had no news about her husband and she began to harbour the
worst fears about the safety and well-being of her husband. Months later,
talk was rife in her village that construction of the Great Wall had reached
an advanced stage. Men were working in the far north where the winters were
freezing cold and hunger and exhaustion common place.
Meng Jiangnu made a quilted suit and boots for her husband. However, there
was no one to take the warm clothing to him. The roads to the north were
long and tortuous and passed through many unknown regions. However, her
longing for her husband was so strong that she decided to undertake the
dangerous journey by herself.
Meng Jiangnu started the arduous journey by walking in a general northerly
direction and plotting the route as she went along. She walked and walked.
She climbed mountain after mountain. She crossed river after river. Despite
suffering from hunger, blistered feet and the biting cold weather she continued
obstinately along her journey.
Finally, she arrived at her destination after seemingly insurmountable odds.
She knew then that the monstrous construction which twisted like a snake
and disappeared in the distant mountains was the Great Wall.
Relief soon gave way to anxiety. Every worker she met and asked, knew nothing
about the whereabouts of her husband. Day after day she persisted with her
enquiries but drew a blank every time. Nobody seemed to know her husband.
Finally she came to a group of workers who had worked with her husband before.
They told her that Wan Xiliang had died of exhaustion after days of continuous
hard labour without a break. They also told her that he had been buried
under the Great Wall. She asked to be led to the section of the wall under
which her husband was entombed. Arriving at the spot she began to cry. She
cried and cried. She cried unceasingly for many days and many nights. Her
grief was so great that God had pity on her. It raised a big snow storm.
The section of the wall under which Wan Xiliang was buried collapsed, delivering
forth her husband's body.
"The Great Wall was torn down by the tears of Meng Jiangnu" The news spread
far and wide throughout the country.
The reports of the fallen wall reached the Qin Court. The First Emperor
was shocked and in disbelief. He wanted to go and witness the spectacle
for himself. He traveled north to see the woman whose tears were so powerful
that they could tear down his wall.
When the First Emperor confronted Meng Jiangnu, he was surprised to see
the bewildering beauty before him. He was awe-struck and speech deserted
him. Finally, he simply said to her,
"You are so beautiful.
You are like a fairy.
I want to marry you".
Meng Jiangnu responded immediately and pondered. What would she achieve
if she were to accept his proposal? Nevertheless, she reluctantly agreed
to marry him. But he had to grant her three wishes. Firstly, she wanted
her late husband's body to be placed in a lanmu wood coffin. Secondly, she
wanted the Emperor to give her husband a state funeral. Finally he and all
his ministers and generals to mourn for her husband. The First Emperor gladly
agreed to all three conditions.
The funeral was arranged exactly as Meng Jiangnu desired. Behind the coffin
walked the Emperor and all his ministers and generals. The spot she chose
as her husband's final resting place was an overhanging cliff under which
was the deep valley. The funeral party arrived at the cliff side. The First
Emperor and all his ministers and generals stood solemnly at the grave side
of Wan Xiliang.
With her husband finally laid to rest, Meng Jiangnu stopped weeping. She
slowly rose from her knees and with a last glance at her husband's grave,
threw herself from the cliff side into the deep valley. She fell to her
death.
Years later, people built a shrine in her cherished memory at the very spot
where she committed the ultimate sacrifice. The shrine is believed to be
still standing to this day.
When all the walls were eventually connected they formed an incredibly long
wall from Shanhaiguan (山海關) in northern province of Hebei (河北省) to
Yumenguan (玉門關) in Gansu province (甘肅省). This long wall came to be
called "Wan Li Chang Cheng 萬里長城 " (Ten Thousand Li Long Wall).
......................................................................
(2) Meng Ke (孟柯 mencius 372BC to 289BC)
Meng Ke was born in the State of Zou (鄒國 the present day county of Zou
鄒縣 in Shandong province 山東省) during the Warring States Period (戰國
時代 453BC to 221BC). He was a descendant of the aristocrat Meng Sun of
the royal familiy of the State of Lu (魯國貴族). Meng Ke's father died when
he was very young. His mother Chou Shi (仇氏) did not remarry. She worked
as a weaver to support the family.
They lived in a place near the cemetery. Meng Ke was a very smart boy and
he learned from the priests how to say pray to the deceased during the funeral.
His mother was not happy and considered that the place was no good for
bringing up her son. They shifted to live in the city at a place near the
abattoir. Meng Ke learned from the butchers the business of buying and selling
animals and slaughtering. "I don't want my son to be a butcher. I must try
to find a place near a college to live. " Chou Shi said to herself. Eventually,
they relocated themselves to a place near an institute of higher learning.
In the beginning of each month, officials came to the institute to perform
their duties as officials. Such duties like saluting, prostrating, bowing
and the sense of propriety. All these Meng Ke learned them by heart. Chou
Shi was very happy to see her son learning from the officials.
Meng Ke studied diligently and when he grew up he became one of the great
philosophers. He had written eleven parts of his philosophy but only seven
parts have been found to this day.
...................................................................
(3) Meng Haoran (孟浩然 689AD to 740AD)
春眠不覺曉,---Chun mian2 bu4 jiao4 xiao3,
處處聞啼鳥;---Chu3 chu3 wen2 ti2 niao3;
夜來風雨聲,---Ye4 lai2 feng yu3 sheng,
花落知多少.---Hua luo4 zhi duo3 shao.
Sleeping during spring time I always forget to get up,
When I get up I hear birds singing everywhere;
The wind was howling last night,
I wonder many flowers have dropped?
Meng Haoran was born in Xiangyang (襄陽縣 in the present day province of
Hubei 湖北省) during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618AD to 907AD). His poems were
very popular at that time. At the age of 40 he traveled to the capital Changan
(長安 the present day city of Xian 西安市 in Shaanxi province 陝西省) and
was asked to have an audience with Emperor Xuan Zong Li Longji (玄宗皇帝
李隆基 713AD to 755AD). Emperor Xuan Zong admired his poems. However, there
was one line in one of his poems said that: "不才明主棄" which meant that
his talent was not good enough therefore the Emperor discarded him. But
the Emperor knew that he was not told by his officials about his talent.
Therefore this line was to criticize him. Due to this line, the Emperor
did not appoint him as an official. Meng Haoran returned to his home and
continued writing his poetry. He died of sickness at the age of 51.
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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