Surname Overview
Overview of the Chi Surname
The Chi surname has multiple origins. It is outside the top 500 surnames in mainland China and ranks 1,661st in Taiwan; its principal commanderies are Jian'an, Qinghe, Xiajin, and Baozhou.
shí Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 16shí
Origins
Three Origins
Three origins are recorded: one branch descended from people banished by the Yue ruler in the late Spring and Autumn period to Chidi and adopted the place name; another arose from the ritual vessel called chi used for blood oaths; a third came from the Bian-chi clan of the Jianguzhou Jurchen Dong'e tribe, many of whom adopted Chi as a Han surname in the late Qing period.
Historical Records
Readings and Records
The surname is recorded with two readings, shí and chí. The shí branch appears in Xu Tongzhi: Clan Records and Xinbian Qianjiaxing; the chí branch appears in Shanxi Population Surname Compendium and in the Zhongwen Da Zidian citation of Wanxing Tongpu.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Halls
The ancestral halls include Jian'an Hall, also called Nanping or Shaowu Hall; Qinghe Hall; Xiajin Hall, also called Shu County Hall; and Baozhou Hall, also called Qingyuan, Fenghua, Taizhou, or Baoding Hall.
Migration and Distribution
Distribution
Chi surname communities are recorded in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Xinzhou and Yuanping in Shanxi, Suide in Shaanxi, and Pingdu and Changyi in Shandong; they are also recorded in Anguo in Hebei, Huainan in Anhui, and Taoyuan in Taiwan.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Historical figures include Chi Guang, a native of Pucheng in Shaanxi who became a tribute student during the Jiajing period and served as a prefectural judge; Chi Beiyue, a Ming native of Penglai who served as a commander; and Chi Wenxue, who served as a county assistant registrar in Zanzhuang.
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