Chinese word

姓氏

Pronunciation

Pinyinxìng shì

Meaning

  • nounlast name

Example

你的姓氏是什么？nǐ de xìng shì shì shén me

What is your last name?

Illustration for 姓氏 (last name)

More examples

通过研究姓氏可以追溯家族渊源。tōng guò yán jiū xìng shì ké yǐ zhuī sù jiā zú yuān yuán

By studying surnames, one can trace family origins.

Core concept

A name shared by a family line and passed from one generation to the next.

Common phrases

  • 姓氏起源xìng shì qǐ yuán

    surname origins

  • 姓氏传承xìng shì chuán chéng

    surname transmission

  • 地方姓氏dì fāng xìng shì

    local surname

Similar words

姓xìng: A family name used to identify a person's family line.
名míng: A personal name used to distinguish one person from others, often used by family and friends.
姓名xìng míng: A person's full formal name, combining the family name and personal name.

Definition in Chinese

表示家族世代相传的名字，用于区分不同家族，通常在身份证、表格等处填写。biǎo shì jiā zú shì dài xiāng chuán de míng zì yòng yú qū fēn bù tóng jiā zú tōng cháng zài shēn fèn zhèng biǎo gé děng chù tián xiě

Word origin

姓氏 (xìngshì, "family name") joins 姓 (xìng, "family name") and 氏 (shì, "clan name"), terms whose older distinction faded as both came to refer to a family line.

Usage tips

  • Chinese names usually put the family name first, so the first part of a Chinese personal name often identifies the family rather than the given name.

Opposites

Related words

  • 姓氏学xìng shì xuésurname studiesnoun
  • 复姓fù xìngcompound surnamenoun

Word lists with this word