Song (Chinese surname)
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Song[nb 1] is the pinyin transliteration of the Chinese family name 宋. It is transliterated as Sung in Wade-Giles, and Soong is also a common transliteration. In addition to being a common surname, it is also the name of a Chinese dynasty, the Song Dynasty, written with the same character.
History
The first written record of the character Song was found on the oracle bones of the Shang dynasty. The origin of the character can possibly be dated to an even earlier time (ca. 3800 BC). Structurally, the character has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 4,000 years. The etymology of the character can possibly be traced back to the abstract representation of a totem symbol. With the outer (upper) radical denoting preciousness, and the inner (lower) character representing trees or woods, the entire character literally means "holy wood" or "treasured tree", possibly a totem symbol from the late Neolithic and Bronze Age.
In the written records of Chinese history, the first time the character Song was used as a surname appeared in the early stage of the Zhou dynasty. One of the children of the last emperor of Shang dynasty, Weizi Qi - (子啟), was a duke named Song. The State of Song, Song's personal dominion, became part of the Zhou dynasty after the fall of the Shang dynasty. Citizens of the former State of Song, to commemorate the overthrow of their state in 286 BC by the State of Qi, began to use the character Song as their surname.
Variations
A less common Chinese family name (崇 pinyin Chóng) can also be transliterated to Soong in some Chinese dialects.
The surname is also used in Korea.
In Vietnam, the surname is pronounced as Tống.
Notable people
- Song Yu, Zhou Dynasty poet
- Song Yi, d. 207 BC, minister of Chu
- Consort Song, empress during Han Dynasty
- Empress Song (Han dynasty), empress during Han Dynasty
- Song Xian, Three Kingdoms era military officer
- Song Qian, officer of Eastern Wu during Three Kingdoms era
- Song Hun, d. 361, regent of the Chinese state Former Liang during the Sixteen Kingdoms era
- Song Bian, Northern Wei official, during Southern and Northern Dynasties period
- Song Jing, b. 663, Tang Dynasty chancellor
- Song Shenxi, d. 833, Tang Dynasty chancellor
- Song Di, b. ca. 1015, Song Dynasty scholar-official and artist
- Song Ci, b. 1186, Song Dynasty writer of Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified
- Song Zhun, Song Dynasty scholar
- Song Lian, b. 1310, Ming Dynasty historian
- Song Maojin, b. 1368, Ming Dynasty landscape painter
- Song Xu, b. 1525, Ming Dynasty landscape painter
- Song Yingxing, b. 1587, Ming Dynasty scientist and encyclopedist
- Charlie Soong, b. 1863, missionary and businessman, several of whose children were highly influential in early 20th century China:
- children include (see, chronologically, below): Soong sisters (Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling and Soong Mei-ling), and their brother T. V. Soong
- Sir Song Ong Siang, b. 1871, Singaporean lawyer and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Song Shijie, b. 1873, Chinese revolutionary
- Song Jiaoren, b. 1882, President of the Kuomintang
- Song Zheyuan, b. 1885, Kuomintang general
- Soong Ai-ling, b. 1890, wife of H. H. Kung
- Soong Ching-ling, b. 1893, wife of Sun Yat Sen
- T. V. Soong, b. 1894, businessman and Premier of the Republic of China
- Soong Mei-ling, b. 1897, wife of Chiang Kai-shek
- Song Shi-Lun, b. 1899, PLA general
- Song Renqiong, b. 1909, PLA general
- Song Ping, b. 1919, Communist Party official
- Song Xi, b. 1920, former President of the Chinese Culture University
- James Soong, b. 1942, Republic of China governor
- Song Defu, b. 1946, Communist Party politician
- Sung, Chi-li, b. 1948, Taiwanese religious leader
- Song Tao, b. 1955, diplomat and politician
- Song Xiaobo, b. 1958, female basketball player and coach
- Song Dandan, b. 1961, actress
- Song Lianyong, b. 1965, football player from Hong Kong
- Song Tao, b. 1965, basketball player
- Song Zuying, b. 1966, ethnic Miao Chinese singer
- Song Ligang, b. 1967, Chinese basketball player
- Song Weiping, b. 1967, billionaire
- Song Zude, b. 1968, entertainment manager
- Anna Song, b. 1976, Taiwanese American journalist
- Song Aimin, b. 1978, discus thrower
- Devon Song, b. 1980, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
- Song Lun, b. 1981, figure skater
- Song Zhenyu, b. 1981, football player
- Song Hongjuan, b. 1984, Chinese race walker
- Sarah Song, b. 1985, Miss Chinese International 2007
- Song Qian b. 1987, leader of the female South Korean group f(x)
- Brenda Song, b. 1988, American actress, singer, and model
- Song Dan, b. 1990, female Chinese javelin thrower
- Song Nan, b. 1990, figure skater
- Song Andong, b. 1997, first Chinese-born ice hockey player ever drafted by an NHL pro team (2015)
Fictional characters
- Song Jiang, major character in 14th century novel Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature
- Song Qing younger brother of Song Jiang
- Song Wan, fictional character in the Water Margin
- Song Yiren, character featured within the famed Ming Dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods
- Song Yuanqiao, b. 1295, character in novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong
- Song Qingshu, son of Song Yuanqiao
- Noonien Soong, The creator of the android Data in Star Trek
- Arik Soong, Great grandfather of Noonien Soong
See also
Notes
- ↑ The approximate pronunciation in English is /ˈsoʊŋ/.