| Qu / Wat | |
| Romanization: | Qu (Mandarin) Wat (Cantonese, Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong) |
| Pronunciation: | Qu1 (Mandarin) Wat1 (Cantonese) |
| Language: | Chinese |
| Language origin: | Old Chinese |
| Meaning: | "bend; crook; bow; flex"[1] |
| Popularity: | 180th in China based on 2013 survey [2] [3] |
Qu is a Chinese surname. The Chinese family name 屈 is transliterated as Wat in Cantonese Jyutping, Yale, and Hong Kong romanization. It is also transliterated as Qū in pinyin. The surname Qu (屈) is listed 124th on the famous Song dynasty book of common Chinese surnames, Hundred Family Surnames, contained in the verse 熊紀舒屈 (Xiong, Ji, Shu, Qu).
The origin of the Qu (屈) surname is from the Hubei (湖北) region.[4] Historically, the Hubei region was part of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient Chinese history. The King Wu of State of Chu awarded his son Xia with the Qu Yi as feud to recognize his outstanding service to the court of Chu. The people called Xia "Qu Xia" and the offspring of Xia adopted Qu as their surname.[5]
The royal family of State of Chu was descendants of Zhuanxu, the grandson of Emperor Huangdi (i.e. Yellow Emperor). Therefore, Qu is also the descendant of Emperor Huangdi. During the reign of the Northern Wei dynasty, the people with last name of Qutu (屈突) adopted Qu as their surname.
The most famous individual with surname Qu, is Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet of the State of Chu in the Warring States period of ancient Chinese history. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the Chu Ci and Li Sao anthology. His works is still widely read by many people till this very day. On May 5 of every year dragon boat races are held to celebrate the Duanwu Festival across the country and in communities across the world in honor of Qu Yuan.
屈 is also romanized as Wat in the Cantonese dialect. In Hong Kong and Macau and among the Chinese diaspora abroad, though, many choose to romanize their name according to their regional pronunciation. Within mainland China and Taiwan, names are written using Chinese characters and are currently romanized using the Hanyu Pinyin, but previously Wade-Giles was used and many people retain names as such.
Notable people with the surname Qu/Wat include: