姓氏 (xìng shì) — family name; surname | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

姓氏 (xìng shì) is the formal written term for 'surname, family name,' used in formal or literary contexts. In everyday speech, use 姓; 贵姓 is the polite way to ask someone's surname.

noun

family namesurname

Measure word · 个

Examples

姓氏？
Qǐng wèn nín de xìng shì zěn me chēng hu?
May I ask what your family name is?
，姓氏。
Zài zhōng guó, lǐ hé wáng shì zuì cháng jiàn de xìng shì.
In China, Li and Wang are the most common surnames.
姓氏。
Tōng guò xìng shì kě yǐ liǎo jiě yí gè jiā tíng de lì shǐ.
Through one's family name, you can learn about a family's history.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

姓xìngsurname

氏shìclan name

姓氏 joins surname and clan name, both meaning family name.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

女生姓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

女女nǚwoman; female

Sound part声符shēngfú

生

生shēng姓xìng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

姓 combines 女 (woman) with 生, which gives the pronunciation.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 氏 is debated: one reading shows a stick with a mark on top for a clan, while others show a person bending or a tree root.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Identity & Titles

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