Jin is the Hanyu pinyin transliteration of a number of Chinese surnames. The most common one, Jën , literally means "gold" and is 29th in the list of "Hundred Family Surnames". As of 2006, it is ranked the 64th most common Chinese surname and is sometimes transliterated as Chin.
The other, less common, surnames that are "Jin" in pinyin include Jìn (/) and Jìn ().
é (Jën)
Mythology
Jin is an ancient surname, dating back over 4,000 years. It was first mentioned during the period ruled by the Yellow Emperor, a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero, who is considered in Chinese mythology to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. The legend behind the Jin surname is as follows:
<blockquote>The Yellow Emperor's son, Yi Zhi (Shaohao), eventually succeeded him. On the same day he was installed as leader, a golden phoenix flew down and perched on top of a house exactly opposite of where he sat. His followers reckoned it was an auspicious beginning. They decided to use gold as the emblem of their tribe. Yi Zhi was retitled Jin Tian Shi ("golden skies") by his people, and headed the Jin Tian Tribe. Their settlement was located in Qufu (presently Qufu city in Shandong province). Yi Zhi died in 2515 BCE. Some of his descendants adopted Jin as their surnames and left off the words Tian Shi ("skies").</blockquote>
The surname also appeared in an area called Pengcheng (now known as Tong Shan Xian) during the Han dynasty, from 206 BCE to 220 BCE.
Origin of Surname Jën (éÂÂ)
- Jin Midi (éÂÂæÂ¥ç£¾) was with the Xiongnu people during the Han dynasty and received the surname Jën (éÂÂ) from Emperor Wu. His father, Xiutu (ä¼Âå± ) was a general-feudal lord of the Xiongnu. Jin Xuan (éÂÂæÂÂ) and Jin Yi (éÂÂç¦Â) were his descendants.
- Qiang people use the surnames Jën (éÂÂ), Chang (ç¾Â), Gong (Ã¥ÂÂ), and Ju-Goo (俱).
- Some of Qian Liu's (é¢éÂÂ) descendants received the surname Jën (éÂÂ).
- Jin was among the surnames granted to the Kaifeng Jews by an unnamed Song dynasty emperor.
- During the Yuan dynasty, the Chinese Liu (Ã¥ÂÂ) clan received the surname Jën (éÂÂ). Jën Fuxiang (éÂÂè¦Â祥).
- Mongolian Ye (ä¹Â) clan got the surname Jën (éÂÂ) during the Ming dynasty
- Taiwanese aborigines received surname Jën (éÂÂ), Zhang, amongst others, during the Qing dynasty.
- Aisin Gioro clan got the surname Jën (éÂÂ), as "Aisin" means "gold" in Manchu language, following the fall of the Qing dynasty.
- Jin uses the same character as the Korean surname, "Kim". Kim is Korea's most common surname and is also widely found amongst the ethnic Koreans in China.
Notables with the surname éÂÂ
- Jin Midi (éÂÂæÂ¥ç£¾)
- Jin Shengtan (éÂÂèÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ) (born Jin Renrui éÂÂ人çÂÂ)
- Jin Yuelin (éÂÂå²³éÂÂ)
- Jin Yugang (éÂÂçÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ), Chinese convicted murderer executed in Singapore
- Jin Di (sport shooter) (éÂÂ迪)
- Jin Jing (éÂÂæÂ¶)
- Jin Fengling (éÂÂé³³ç²)
- Jin Guliang (éÂÂå¤è¯), painter of the Wu Shuang Pu
- Jin Jingdao (éÂÂæÂŽÂÂ)
- Jin Liqun (éÂÂç«Â群)
- Keyu Jin
- Jin Luxian (éÂÂé²Âè´¤), bishop of Shanghai
- Jin Xing (éÂÂæÂÂ)
- Jin Li (éÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ)
- Larry Wu-tai Chin
- Jin Renqing (éÂÂ人æÂ
¶)
- Jin Yubo (éÂÂçÂ
ÂÃ¥ÂÂ)
- Jin Zhiyang (éÂÂå¿ÂæÂ¬)
- Elaine Jin (éÂÂçÂÂç²)
- Ha Jin (born Jin Xuefei éÂÂéªé£Â)
- Jin Chen Gina Jin (éÂÂæÂ¨), actress
- Jin Yuzhang, of the Aisin-Gioro house
- Jin Yong, penname used by Louis Cha
- Jin Boyang
- Jin Shan
- Jin Sha (singer)
- Jin Sha (poet), Cheng Youshu
- Deborah Jin (Jin Xiulan éÂÂç§ÂÃ¥Â
°), physicist
- Jin Shuren
- Jin Youzhi
- Jin Qicong
- Kinsen (éÂÂå· Jin Chuan), the voice actor for Xiao in Genshin Impact
- Michelle Jin (ç±³æÂÂå°Â÷éÂÂ), professional bodybuilder
- Zhi Jin (éÂÂèÂÂ), Chinese computer scientist
- Benjamin Kheng (éÂÂæÂÂæÂÂ), Singaporean singer-songwriter
- Narelle Kheng (éÂÂé¢ÂæÂÂ), Singaporean singer and actress
Cultural works
Variants
é³ (Jìn)
According to legend, Jìn () family name originated from Zhurong. It was later a clan in the Chu (state). Originally the name was Jian-Jin (篯), but was later changed to Jian-Qian (é¢) and Jìn (é³).
Notables with the surname é³
- Yue-Sai Kan (é³羽西)
- Jin Dong (Chinese: é³ä¸Â, born 1976), Chinese actor, known for his television roles in Legend of Entrepreneurship (2012)
- Jin Ye (é³ç¨; Jìn Yè; born 1988), Chinese dancer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned as Miss Universe
- Jin Ruchao, (é³å¦Âè¶Â
, 1960âÂÂ2001) perpetrator of the Shijiazhuang bombings
- Jin Zhun (鳿ºÂ) (died 318), official of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han-Zhao, who in 318 staged a coup against the Han-Zhao emperor and his son-in-law
- Empress Jin (é³çÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ/éÂÂçÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ) may refer to one of the following Chinese empresses: Jin Yueguang (鳿ÂÂÃ¥Â
Â) and Jin Yuehua (鳿ÂÂè¯), two of Han-Zhao emperor Liu Cong's
- Jin Yunpeng (é³äºÂé¹Â; 1877âÂÂ1951), Chinese general and politician
- Jin Hui (Chinese: é³è¾Â; born 1988), Chinese footballer who plays for Beijing Renhe in the China League One
- Andrew Jin Daoyuan (Chinese: é³éÂÂè¿Â; 1929âÂÂ2019), bishop of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association
- Jin Guidi (é³贵第; 1915âÂÂ1937), or Chin Kuai-Ti, Chinese soldier and boxer
- Jin Xi (Han), (鳿ÂÂ), general under Emperor Liu Bang who in 209 BC, "joined in the attack on Qin forces, defeating Li You"
- Empress Jin (Yin), (é³çÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ, personal name unknown), briefly an empress of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han-Zhao, wife of Liu Can (Emperor Yin)
æÂÂ/æÂ (Jìn)
Jìn ( family name originate from Táng ShÃ
« Yú (Ã¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂèÂÂ) the brother of King Wu of Zhou. He founded the state of Jin and his later descendants used the surname Jìn (æÂÂ).
Notables with the surname æÂÂ
References