| C: | 上古八大姓 |
| P: | Shànggǔ Bā Dàxìng |
The eight great surnames of Chinese antiquity were among the most important Chinese surnames in Chinese antiquity.[1] [2] They are all Chinese ancestral surnames, and as such, have Chinese clan surnames branching off from them.[3] During the earliest Chinese antiquity, Chinese society focused on women. Family names often passed from women to their children. Because of this phenomenon, these eight surnames have a component of their hanzi representing the character woman (女).[4]
As of 2019, very few people had one of these surnames as a family name. An exception is the surnames Yao[5] and Jiang.[6] Of these, there are some well-known Chinese of modern times with these names today. One example is Yao Ming (姚明).[7]
姞 is also sometimes considered one of the eight great surnames of Chinese antiquity.姞 then replaces the surname 妊.
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Jyutping | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 姜 Jiang | jiāng | goeng1 | |
| 姬 Ji | jī | gei1 | |
| 姚 Yao | yáo | jiu4 | |
| 嬴 Ying | yíng | jing4 | |
| 姒 Si | sì | ci5 | |
| 妘 Yun | yún | wan4 | |
| 妊 (replaced with 姞 Ji in some sources) | rèn | jam4 | |
| 媯 Gui | guī | gwai1 | |
| 姞 Ji (in some sources, replaces 妊) | jí | gat1 |