Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-08-20
NAMES OF THE CHINESE.
Pecuiiarities Of Family Name. in the Ceie..

Hecuitafitfes OF Family Names IN the Seies-
tiaI Kin-Jom-Funny Combinations.
the names OF Cinnamon translated into
Eag'is,i. said laun Try MAJ the other day,
">cual and hook ridiculous, AMI afford nc
idea whatever of their real meaning In tbs
Celestial kin -dom family mans is carried
ar uni for thousands Of year,, through 100
Gen,rationS 1t can bs spellei only pho
neticailv in any other language. a few of
the most common family names are: Funy,
Hing, Hop, Lee, Lum. Nom, Sing. Sang.
Tong AMI Wah. To thess are ailel sur
name; equivalent t. the English John.
Thomas, and SO on, but. unlike these sur
names. they are in every instance de CRY
tive of sons trait or custom, or p'rpstuate
som, deed or sons event in the family his
tory. Their are in the entire Chinese en-.
pire not over 1000 different family names.
while in tie Unitei States there are in a
population not one-teutA "a great, -, 600
distinct family names. AM 5000 surnames,
nearly all Of them purely arbitrary, 50 far
as they have any longer any exc,p. an obso-
lete Specification.
The family nams of a Mongolian NAV
sometimes convey a lulicrous meaning.
For instance, Fung means "the worshipsr OF
the divine chop-sticks7 Ges means handy
legged, ami, therefor, Fung Gee means
the baniy-leSSel rshipper o. the divine
chop-stick,.T Guny means lover Of rats,
and the original meaning Of a family name
will not lafraquently become gradually
broadensd in its Implication, so that Fung
Gung means il popular language, a fat rat
eater. This has been corrupted
into good eater. Hing is a
family name that signifies cross eyei,
and Hing Funy IN his own country would
became a cross-eyei worshipper OF the
divine chop-s.ickS OF course. tho original
Mr.. Hing wa afflicted with s;rahismus. but
the blow fa,l, heavily on his descendants
who are no. CT 1Ss-eyci Hop expresses ths
idea o. 10! a. bai man. a pirate in bygons
days, peraapS or n money changer. AMI
Han means rink-cheekei; 50 you have Hop
Han a. tn pink checked pirate Of the
Chinese main Les, ous of the most COM
mon family narles, means n musician. one
who plays on the hazco. sni Sun means
rough fellow. ole uatamei In other
words. Sun Lee, or Lee san, can with perfect
proprie,y e aiiressei a the will Mon
golian bazoo player.
'Bnt the funniest combination I ever
know ssh the waterman. sinking his fal-
setto voics into a whisper that his partner.
VINO was urF lnS s1-TtS IN tue othe- room.
might no; hear him was Yuny Fgng Lang
Tunz means lsuei-ss-bali-h.aisi Flns
is a MINERAL for S.eO). referring PROBABLY -
the date Of the origin OF the Yuny family
Luns means one having isfo-nsi .sst cor-
cred with earns or wars al affection 11its
common among tis lower c,assei IL
Cinnamon Join the three name, To-
gether and zee what nice thing you
have Tee taii-headai one with 500
Germs on his feet. ,ha: IS literal tran-ss-
tion Lee, IS told VOC, msaas musician,
and Tong express ses the lea OF large
mouth. literally big and ugly featured. sni
Tong Lee Is therefo-e. more accurately re-
ferred TO as TIE large -nouthei blower u
the bold tazoaT
MANY o. the Chinese family names ex-
press ssnt;ments saca a. Wah, gentle lover
Fay. rics-e2ter full o. isF'; Lam. brave
hunter Nom, Mum. Nun o. Mong. 'celes-
tai comforter akin 70 priest; Wing. soft
eyed opium guzzler'. Yik. pissler.' ami
Woa. Taanisrin' I'd, kAki and Tsoraki
are rurai nams<'