# 姓

| 姓 | U+59D3, &#22995; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-59D3 |
| ← 姒 [U+59D2] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 委 → [U+59D4] |

## Translingual
### Han character

姓 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女竹手一 (VHQM), four-corner 4541$_0$, composition ⿰女生)

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 259, character 5
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6178
* Dae Jaweon: page 524, character 9
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1037, character 12
* Unihan data for U+59D3

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

| | Old Chinese |
| 猜 | *sʰlɯː |
| 輤 | *sʰleːns |
| 綪 | *sʰleːns, *ʔsreːŋ |
| 倩 | *sʰleːns, *sʰleŋs |
| 棈 | *sʰleːns |
| 蒨 | *sʰeːns |
| 篟 | *sʰeːns |
| 生 | *sʰleːŋ, *sreŋs |
| 牲 | *sreŋ |
| 笙 | *sreŋ |
| 甥 | *sreŋ |
| 鉎 | *sreŋ, *sleːŋ |
| 珄 | *sreŋ |
| 鼪 | *sreŋ, *sreŋs |
| 猩 | *sreŋ, *seːŋ |
| 狌 | *sreŋ |
| 眚 | *sreŋʔ |
| 貹 | *sreŋs |
| 崝 | *zreːŋ |
| 精 | *ʔsleŋ, *ʔsleŋs |
| 菁 | *ʔsleŋ |
| 鶄 | *ʔsleŋ, *sʰleːŋ |
| 蜻 | *ʔsleŋ, *sʰleːŋ |
| 鼱 | *ʔsleŋ |
| 婧 | *ʔsleŋ, *zleŋs, *zleŋʔ |
| 睛 | *ʔsleŋ, *sʰleŋʔ |
| 箐 | *ʔsleŋ |
| 聙 | *ʔsleŋ |
| 旌 | *ʔsleŋ |
| 清 | *sʰleŋ |
| 圊 | *sʰleŋ |
| 請 | *sʰleŋʔ, *zleŋs, *zleŋ |
| 凊 | *sʰleŋs |
| 䝼 | *zleŋs, *zleŋ |
| 靚 | *zleŋs |
| 情 | *zleŋ |
| 晴 | *zleŋ |
| 夝 | *zleŋ |
| 靜 | *zleŋʔ |
| 靖 | *zleŋʔ |
| 睲 | *seŋʔ, *seːŋs |
| 惺 | *seŋʔ, *seːŋ |
| 性 | *sleŋs |
| 姓 | *sleŋs |
| 靗 | *l̥ʰeŋs |
| 鯖 | *ʔljeŋ, *sʰleːŋ |
| 青 | *sʰleːŋ |
| 靘 | *sʰleːŋ, *sʰleːŋs |
| 掅 | *sʰleːŋs |
| 胜 | *sleːŋ |
| 曐 | *sleːŋ |
| 星 | *sleːŋ |
| 鮏 | *sleːŋ |
| 腥 | *seːŋ, *seːŋs |
| 鯹 | *seːŋ |
| 醒 | *seːŋ, *seːŋʔ, *seːŋs |
| 篂 | *seːŋ |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *sleŋs): semantic 女 (“woman; female”) + phonetic 生 (OC *sʰleːŋ, *sreŋs).

### Etymology

Specialised form of 性 (xìng): “human nature; what is inborn” > “surname; clan name”.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): xìng (xing$^4$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄥˋ
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): щин (xin, III)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): sing$^3$ / seng$^3$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): lhen$^1$
* Gan (Wiktionary): xiang$^4$ / xin$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): siang
    (Hailu, HRS): siang$^ˇ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): xiang$^4$
* Jin (Wiktionary): xing$^3$
* Northern Min (KCR): sia̿ng
* Eastern Min (BUC): sáng / síng
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): sa$^4$ / saⁿ$^4$ / sing$^4$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): sèng / sìⁿ / sèⁿ
    (Teochew, Peng'im): sên$^3$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$shin
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): sin$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: xìng
*** Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄥˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: sìng
*** Wade–Giles: hsing$^4$
*** Yale: syìng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shinq
*** Palladius: син (sin)
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕiŋ⁵¹/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: щин (xin, III)
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕiŋ⁴⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sing$^3$ / seng$^3$
*** Yale: sing / seng
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sing$^3$ / seng$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: xing$^3$ / séng$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɪŋ³³/, /sɛːŋ³³/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: lhen$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬen³³/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: xiang$^4$ / xin$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕiaŋ³⁵/, /ɕin³⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siang
*** Hakka Romanization System: xiang
*** Hagfa Pinyim: xiang$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /si̯aŋ⁵⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: siang$^ˇ$
*** Sinological IPA: /siaŋ¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: xiang$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /siaŋ⁵³/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: xing$^3$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕiŋ⁴⁵/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sia̿ng
*** Sinological IPA : /siaŋ³³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: sáng / síng
*** Sinological IPA : /sɑŋ²¹³/, /sɛiŋ²¹³/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: sa$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬa⁴²/
** (Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: saⁿ$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬã⁴²/
** (Putian, Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: sing$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬiŋ⁴²/
* sa4/saⁿ4 - vernacular;
* sing4 - literary.
* Middle Chinese: sjengH
Rime :
| Character | 姓 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 心 (16) |
| Final (韻) | 清 (121) |
| Tone (調) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 息正切 |
| Baxter | sjengH |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /siᴇŋ$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /siɛŋ$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /siæŋ$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /siajŋ$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /siɛŋ$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /sĭɛŋ$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /si̯ɛŋ$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | xìng |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | sing$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*seŋ-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*sleŋs/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 姓 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | xìng |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ sjeng$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*seŋ-s/ |
| English | surname |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. ||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 姓 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 11359 |
| Phonetic component | 生 |
| Rime group | 耕 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 性 |
| Old Chinese | /*sleŋs/ |

### Definitions

姓
* surname; family name; clan name
       Nǐ de xìng zěnme pīnxiě? [Pinyin]
       How do you spell your last name?
    您貴姓？／您贵姓？ ― Nín guìxìng? ― What is your surname? [honorific]
    Coordinate term: 名 (míng)
* to have the surname of
    我姓陳。／我姓陈。 ― Wǒ xìng Chén. ― My surname is Chen.
    From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE, translated based on Herbert J. Allen's version
    Huángdì zhě, Shàodiǎn zhī zǐ, xìng Gōngsūn, míng yuē Xuānyuán. [Pinyin]
    The Yellow Emperor (Huangti) was the son of Shaotien; he [was originally] surnamed Kungsun, and his prename (given name at birth) was Hsienyüan.
* (figurative, often officialese) to belong to; to be classified as
    黨媒姓黨／党媒姓党 ― dǎngméi xìng Dǎng ― the Party's media must follow the Party's will
       xìng zī xìng shè [Pinyin]
       follow the capitalist way or follow the socialist way
    From: 2014, 周佳凡 (Zhou Jiafan), 《深圳坪山占米话研究》 (thesis), Xiamen: Xiamen University, page I
    Wǒmen de yánjiū bìngfēi yào jízhe zhēnglùn tā jiūjìng xìng “kè” háishì xìng “yuè”, wǒmen gèng gǎn xìngqù de shì zhè zhǒng hùnhéyǔ jiūjìng shì rúhé xíngchéng de. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    From: 2020 November 28, 《以考古之光 照亮文明深处与细节——中国考古与历史主题新书访谈》, in 《光明日报》 [Guangming Daily], →ISSN, page 09
    Háiyǒu yī diǎn zhídé shuō de shì, Huáng Hé “xìng huáng”, Huáng Hé bìjìng liújīng Huángtǔ Gāoyuán, méiyǒu bìyào zhuīqiú juéduì de qīngchè. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
* a surname

### Compounds

* 一姓
* 上姓 (shàngxìng)
* 九姓
* 二姓
* 五姓
* 五姓蕃
* 他姓
* 仝姓
* 代姓
* 俗姓
* 假名托姓
* 備百姓 / 备百姓
* 億姓 / 亿姓
* 允姓
* 兆姓
* 內姓 / 内姓
* 兩姓 / 两姓
* 兩姓之好 / 两姓之好
* 八姓
* 公姓
* 共姓
* 冒姓 (màoxìng)
* 出姓
* 別姓 / 别姓
* 十姓百名
* 十姓部落
* 千家姓
* 受姓
* 右姓
* 同姓 (tóngxìng)
* 名姓 (míngxìng)
* 合姓
* 吹律定姓
* 命姓
* 單姓 / 单姓 (dānxìng)
* 四姓
* 四姓小侯
* 國姓 / 国姓 (guóxìng)
* 國姓爺 / 国姓爷 (Guóxìngyé)
* 圍姓 / 围姓
* 土姓
* 士姓
* 外姓 (wàixìng)
* 大姓 (dàxìng)
* 夫姓
* 姓名 (xìngmíng)
* 姓名條例 / 姓名条例
* 姓名權 / 姓名权
* 姓名牌 (xìngmíngpái)
* 姓字
* 姓族
* 姓望
* 姓氏 (xìngshì)
* 姓第
* 姓系
* 姓號 / 姓号
* 子姓
* 字姓
* 宗姓
* 客姓
* 寓姓
* 尊姓 (zūnxìng)
* 尊姓大名 (zūnxìngdàmíng)
* 小姓 (xiǎoxìng)
* 小百姓
* 屬姓 / 属姓
* 希姓
* 常姓
* 平等百姓
* 平章百姓
* 平頭百姓 / 平头百姓
* 庶姓
* 強姓 / 强姓
* 得姓
* 復姓 / 复姓 (fùxìng)
* 指名道姓 (zhǐmíngdàoxìng)
* 指樹為姓 / 指树为姓
* 提名道姓
* 揚名顯姓 / 扬名显姓
* 改名換姓 / 改名换姓 (gǎimínghuànxìng)
* 改名易姓 (gǎimíng yìxìng)
* 改姓易代
* 改姓更名 (gǎixìng gēngmíng)
* 改朝換姓 / 改朝换姓
* 族姓
* 易姓
* 晐姓
* 更名改姓 (gēngmíng gǎixìng)
* 更姓
* 更姓改物
* 有名有姓 (yǒumíngyǒuxìng)
* 望姓
* 本姓
* 東京六姓 / 东京六姓
* 柳車變姓 / 柳车变姓
* 正姓
* 氏姓
* 漢姓 / 汉姓 (hànxìng)
* 甲姓
* 異姓 / 异姓 (yìxìng)
* 百姓
* 百姓之心
* 百姓公
* 百家姓 (Bǎijiāxìng)
* 萬姓 / 万姓 (wànxìng)
* 萬姓統譜 / 万姓统谱
* 稱名道姓 / 称名道姓
* 種姓 / 种姓 (zhǒngxìng)
* 素姓
* 緣姓 / 缘姓
* 群姓
* 老百姓 (lǎobǎixìng)
* 臣姓
* 舊姓 / 旧姓 (jiùxìng)
* 著姓
* 裔姓
* 複姓 / 复姓 (fùxìng)
* 覆姓 (fùxìng)
* 記姓名 / 记姓名
* 詭姓 / 诡姓
* 諸姓 / 诸姓
* 變名易姓 / 变名易姓 (biàn míng yìxìng)
* 豪姓
* 貴姓 / 贵姓 (guìxìng)
* 賤姓 / 贱姓
* 賜姓 / 赐姓 (cìxìng)
* 跟官咁耐唔知官姓乜
* 還姓 / 还姓
* 郡姓
* 都頭異姓 / 都头异姓
* 重姓
* 闈姓 / 闱姓
* 隱名埋姓 / 隐名埋姓
* 隱姓埋名 / 隐姓埋名 (yǐnxìngmáimíng)
* 雜姓 / 杂姓
* 革姓
* 頂名冒姓 / 顶名冒姓
* 題名道姓 / 题名道姓
* 顯姓 / 显姓
* 顯姓揚名 / 显姓扬名
* 風姓 / 风姓
* 高姓
* 黎民百姓
* 黑姓
* 鼎姓 (dǐngxìng)

### Descendants

* → Japanese: 姓(せい) (sei)
* → Korean: 성(姓) (seong)
* → Vietnamese: tính (姓)
Others:
* → Khmer: សែ (sae)
* → Thai: แซ่ (sɛ̂ɛ)

### References

* “姓”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
* Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00909
* “姓”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji)
* clan
* surname

#### Readings

* Go-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: せい (sei, Jōyō)
* Kun: かばね (kabane, 姓)

#### Compounds

* 姓氏(しょうじ) (shōji)
* 姓氏(せいし) (seishi)
* 姓階(せいかい)制度(せいど) (seikaiseido)
* 姓族(せいぞく) (seizoku)
* 姓名(せいめい) (seimei)
* 五姓(ごしょう) (goshō)
* 四姓(ししょう) (shishō)
* 素姓(すじょう), 種姓(すじょう) (sujō)
* 俗姓(ぞくしょう) (zokushō)
* 百姓(ひゃくしょう) (hyakushō)
* 異姓(いせい) (isei)
* 易姓(えきせい) (ekisei)
* 改姓(かいせい) (kaisei)
* 外姓(がいせい) (gaisei)
* 下姓(かせい) (kasei)
* 旧姓(きゅうせい) (kyūsei)
* 現姓(げんせい) (gensei)
* 国姓(こくせい) (kokusei)
* 三姓(さんせい) (sansei)
* 四種姓(ししゅせい) (shishusei)
* 四姓(しせい) (shisei)
* 氏姓(しせい) (shisei)
* 賜姓(しせい) (shisei)
* 俗姓(ぞくせい) (zokusei)
* 他姓(たせい) (tasei)
* 同姓(どうせい) (dōsei)
* 万姓(ばんせい) (bansei)
* 百姓(ひゃくせい) (hyakusei)
* 複姓(ふくせい) (fukusei)
* 別姓(べっせい) (bessei)
* 本姓(ほんせい) (honsei)
* 五姓田(ごせだ) (Goseda)
* 百姓(おおみたから) (ōmitakara)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 姓
* かばね Grade: S
* kun'yomi
From Old Japanese.
Ultimate derivation unclear. Some theories derive this as a Japanese compound of 株 (kabu, “stock, root”) + 根 (ne, “root, origin”) or 名 (na, “name”). However, the required /u/ → /a/ sound shift would be unusual.
Another thought is that this might be a borrowing from, or somehow otherwise related to, Korean 골품 (golpum), a Sino-Korean term also spelled 骨品 (literally “bones + goods”), the name for a kind of kinship hierarchy that was prevalent in the Silla kingdom. This latter theory and its related “bone” sense might also account for the homophony with 屍 (kabane, “corpse, dead body”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かばね [kàbáné] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ka̠ba̠ne̞]

#### Noun

姓(かばね) • (kabane)
* a clan
    Synonym: 氏 (uji)
* (historical) a kind of hereditary title bestowed to clans in ancient Japan

##### Derived terms

* 姓(かばね)書(がき) (kabane-gaki): (historical) someone's full name, written out with the status of their clan appended
* 姓(かばね)名(な) (kabane na, “clan name”)
* 八色(やくさ)の姓(かばね) (Yakusa no Kabane), 八色(はっしき)の姓(かばね) (Hasshiki no Kabane): a specific set of eight kabane titles promulgated by Emperor Tenmu in 675 CE

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 姓
* せい Grade: S
* on'yomi
From Middle Chinese 姓 (MC sjengH). The kan'on, so likely a later borrowing. Compare modern Min Nan reading sèⁿ.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) せー [séꜜè] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [se̞ː]

#### Noun

姓(せい) • (sei)
* surname, family name
* clan

##### Derived terms

* 八姓(はっせい) (hassei)

##### Idioms

* 姓(せい)を冒(おか)す (sei o okasu): to be adopted by a different clan; to take on a different surname

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 姓
* しょう Grade: S
* on'yomi
/siau/ → /ɕjɔː/ → /ɕoː/
From Middle Chinese 姓 (MC sjengH). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing. Compare modern Hakka reading siang.
This reading is less common than sei above.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しょー [shóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [ɕo̞ː]

#### Noun

姓(しょう) • (shō)
* (uncommon) surname, family name
* (uncommon) clan

##### Derived terms

* 上姓(じょうしょう) (jōshō)
* 下姓(げしょう) (geshō)
* 小姓(こしょう) (koshō)

### Etymology 4

* Kanji in this term
* 姓
* しょう > そう Grade: S
* irregular
A shift from shō above to use the 直音 (chokuon, “"straight" pronunciation”, dropping out any /j/ or /w/ glides).
This reading is not used in modern Japanese, and is only found in historical texts, such as the Utsubo Monogatari from the late 900s.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [so̞ː]

#### Noun

姓(そう) • (sō)
* (historical, obsolete) surname, family name
* (historical, obsolete) clan

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

### Further reading

* Etymology at Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)

## Korean
### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 姓 (MC sjengH). Recorded as Middle Korean 셔ᇰ (syeng) (Yale: syeng) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [sʰɘ(ː)ŋ]
* Phonetic hangul: [성(ː)]
** Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

### Hanja

Wikisource 姓 (eumhun 성씨 성 (seongssi seong))
* hanja form of 성 (“clan; family name”)

#### Compounds

* 동성 (同姓, dongseong)
* 백성 (百姓, baekseong)
* 본성 (本姓, bonseong)
* 성명 (姓名, seongmyeong)
* 성씨 (姓氏, seongssi)
* 성함 (姓銜, seongham)
* 통성명 (通姓名, tongseongmyeong)

### References

* 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

姓: Hán Nôm readings: tính
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.