百家姓 (Bǎi Jiā Xìng) — the classic thousand-year-old text that taught Chinese children their surnames through rhythmic verse.
The Hundred Family Surnames is one of the three classic Chinese primers for children, alongside the Three Character Classic (三字经) and the Thousand Character Essay (千字文). Together they are known as the "Three, Hundred, Thousand" (三百千).
Date: Early Northern Song Dynasty (circa 10th century CE)
Author: Unknown — likely an anonymous scholar from the Wuyue Kingdom (modern-day Zhejiang)
Wang Mingqing's deduction is widely accepted by modern scholars. The internal evidence — the order of the opening surnames — fits the political landscape of early Song China perfectly.
The opening four surnames are not arranged by population. They reflect the power structure of early Northern Song China — a political snapshot preserved in a children's textbook:
| Surname | Refers to | Why first |
|---|---|---|
| Zhao 赵 | Emperor Taizu of Song (Zhao Kuangyin) | Imperial surname of the reigning dynasty — placed first out of deference |
| Qian 钱 | King Qian Chu of Wuyue | Wuyue peacefully surrendered to Song; the author, a Wuyue man, honored his former king |
| Sun 孙 | Lady Sun, Qian Chu's queen | Consort to the Wuyue king, placed after her husband |
| Li 李 | Li clan of Southern Tang | Southern Tang was the last major southern kingdom; Li was its royal surname |
This arrangement explains everything: the author was an educated man from Wuyue. He respected the Song emperor (Zhao first), honored his own kingdom's ruler (Qian second, Sun third), and acknowledged the other major southern power (Li fourth).
The classic version is written in four-character lines, each containing four surnames, making it easy for children to memorize and chant. Below is the opening section, from Zhao (赵) through to Liang (梁) — with pinyin pronunciation.
Above: the opening 112 surnames (28 verses of four). The complete standard edition contains 444 single-character surnames and 60 double-character surnames — 504 in total, ending with the line "Di Wu Yan Fu" (第五言福).
Northern Song (10th century): The original text was a bare list of surnames — no annotations, no origins. Its sole purpose was for children to memorize characters through recognizable family names.
Southern Song (12th-13th century): Annotated editions appeared, adding clan origins (郡望) and lineage notes for each surname. The text took on a secondary function as a genealogical reference.
Ming Dynasty (14th-17th century): The Hongwu Emperor commissioned an alternative version, The Imperial Ming Thousand Surnames (皇明千家姓), which opened with "Zhu" (the Ming imperial surname) and the phrase "Receiving Heaven's Mandate" (奉天承运). It failed to replace the original.
Qing Dynasty (17th-20th century): The Kangxi Emperor commissioned a "Confucius-first" edition, placing Kong (孔) at the head. This too failed to displace the Song-era text.
Modern era: The text retired from formal education with the rise of modern schooling, but remains a cultural touchstone. The line "Zhao Qian Sun Li, Zhou Wu Zheng Wang" is still the first thing millions of Chinese people think of when they hear the word "surnames."
Want to explore individual surname origins? Browse our Surname Directory
with detailed histories for 100 major Chinese surnames, each citing historical sources.
Curious about naming principles? See Name Culture for the Five Principles,
Five Elements, zodiac influences, and naming taboos.