100 Surnames+

cài

Cai
艹 + 祭
flowers + offer sacrifice

Ms. Cai is religious about taking flowers to offer sacrifice to her ancestors.

táo

pottery
阝 + 匋táo
pinnacle + lidded clay pot

The pinnacle of Mr. Tao's pottery is his lidded clay pot.

qín

Qin
𡗗 + 禾
bonsai + grain

Can't you imagine the first emperor of China, Qin, demanding that his imperial gardens and fields be replicated in miniature in his tomb? Picture bonsai trees and bonsai grain fields.

host [n.]
黍 + 勹 + 丿
grain tarp + bound up + slash

Ms. Li gathers a host of grain under a tarp, tied loosely so she can add more.

xiāo

desolate
艹 + 肃
flowers + solemn

As Ms. Xiao looked at the solemn flowers around her at the funeral, she felt desolate.

gōng

Gong
龙lóng + 共gòng
dragon + together

Ms. Gong cannot be separated from her dragon; they'll be together forever.

cáo

Cao
一 + 曲 + 日
one + bent + day

Think of Cao Cao having one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bent day.

曹操 Cáo Cāo was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (c. 184–220)

shào

Shao
召zhào + X阝
summon + city walls

Mr. Shao was summoned to the city walls for execution?

hóu

marquis
亻 + ユ + 矢
persona + iron + dart

Marquis Hou gets to know the maid as she irons. (Max Dart)

pān

Pan
氵 + 番fān
water + fertilizer

Mr. Pan adds water and fertilizer to his garden.

mèng

Mencius
子 + 皿mǐn
child + dish

The "child in the well" is one of the most famous parables used by the Confucian philosopher Mencius (Mengzi) to illustrate his foundational belief that human nature is inherently good. Mencius argued that if a person suddenly sees a young child about to fall into a well, they will experience a spontaneous feeling of alarm and compassion.

Mencius was the oldest child, so he got fed first.

yáng

poplar
木 + 2yáng
tree + piglet

Mr. Yang planted a poplar tree when Wilbur was born.

xuē

Xue
艹 + 丶 + 㠯 + 辛xīn
flowers + drop + boss + peppery

Ms. Xue has cultivated a special type of flower inspired by memories of a previous boss. She uses a peppery fertilizer.

zōu

Zou
刍 + X阝
flying witch + city walls

The flying witch Zou circles the city walls.

Wu
口 + 天
mouth + heavens

口天吴: The family Wu hopes to taste heaven.

Trumpeter Wu: what comes from his mouth is heaven.

zēng

Zeng

a common surname, see (曾 céng formerly, *gremlin)

Mr. Zeng looks like a gremlin.

cuī

Cui, *wild turkey
山 + 隹
mountain + special bird

Mr. Cui hunts wild turkeys in the mountains.

yuán

Yuan
土 + 口 + 𧘇
soil + mouth + scarf

Picture a man named Yuan, silenced with soil and mouth tied with a scarf.

féng

Feng
冫 + 马
ice + horse

Mr. Feng’s horse moves very slowly in the cold.

merchant
西 + 贝
Wild West + shells

Mr. Jia is a merchant in the Wild West who trades for shells.

sòng

Song
宀 + 木
house + tree/wood

The Song Dynasty-style house with a tree growing it its center courtyard.

Song dynasty architecture: wooden houses and pagodas.

yáo

*ceremonial guard
戈 - 丶 + 儿
unloaded rifle + human legs

 A ceremonial guard named Yao: he could almost be a statue, his human legs are so still.

Louvre
卜bǔ + 尸
magic wand + flag/corpse

Night at the Louvre Museum where Mr. Lu uses magic to bring some corpses to life.

liào

Liao
广 + 翏liù
cave + kiddie cocktail

Mr. Liao started a caveman-themed resort, complete with kiddie cocktails served at the pool-side cave.

wèi

Wei
委wēi + 鬼guǐ
committee + ghost

The former Ms. Wei heads the committee of ghosts that haunt her hometown.

chén

exhibit [v.]
阝 + 东dōng
pinnacle + east/rickshaw

The pinnacle entrance to the ceremony will be Miss Chen exhibited on a rickshaw.

耳东陈

tán

Tan-2
讠 + 覃tán
microphone + Tan/Qin

In the microphone: we'd like to welcome to the show the biographer of Mr. Tan, the first person in the West to cultivate sunflowers. She is Ms. Tan, Tan's granddaughter.

shěn

Shen
氵 + 冘yín
water + crown prince

Shen is the Crown Prince’s valet, responsible for washing him, dressing him, etc.

tán, qín

Tan/Qin
西 + 早
Wild West + sunflower

Mr. Tan was the first person to cultivate sunflowers in the West.

jiāng

ginger
羊yáng + 女
sheep + woman

Ginger Jiang, a shepherdess, forages for wild ginger while tending her sheep.

qiū

Qiu
丘qiū + X阝
hill + city walls

The Qiu family are all buried on Qiu hill, which is surrounded by city walls.

Ke
木 + 可kě
tree + can

Mr. Ke is a can-do "feller".

wāng

tearful
氵 + 王wáng
water + king

Mr. Wang was known as the "water king" because he is always so tearful.

dèng

Deng
又 + 阝
right hand + city walls

Mr. Deng lives to the right of the city.

Picture Mr. Deng swearing loyalty to the city with his right hand raised.

táng

Tang
广guǎng + 肀 + 口
cave + rake + mouth

You have an experiment of sorts going on in your cave. You got so much juice from your tangerine spearing that you have dried it into a primitive Tang powder. You made yourself a mini rake to mix it and sample it regularly with your mouth. (Now, of course, this character does not refer to the fake orange drink, but the Tang dynasty of China.) (Hunter-Gatherer)

liáng

roof beam
氵 + 刅chuāng + 木
water + bloody blade + wood

Lady Liang (like Lady Macbeth) tries to wash her guilt, but when her bloody blade won't come clean, she hangs herself from a wooden roof beam.

jiǎng

Jiang
艹 + 将jiàng
flowers + General

Ms. Jiang was given flowers by the General.

zhèng

Zheng
关 + 阝
shut + city walls

It's serious: Mr. Zheng has been shut out from the city.

liú

Liu
文 + 刂
gentleman farmer + sword

Liu is a noble family that defended itself with the sword.

péng

Peng
壴 + 彡
drummer boy + bird tail

The drummer boy, named Peng, adds a bird tail to his cap.

yáo

Yao-2
女 + 兆zhào
woman + omen

Ms. Yao saw the turtle shell left on her doorstep as a good omen.

mentor
亻 + 尃fū
persona + thumb prick

Mr. Fu has been my mentor at the lab, teaching me how to efficiently administer the thumb pricks before patients have time to think about it.

zhào

Zhao
走 + 乂
walk + sheaf/X

Mr. Zhao forbids us to walk through his property.

hǎo

Hao
赤 + X阝
crimson + city walls

Ms. Hao gets arrested for painting crimson graffiti on the city walls.

prevent
木 + 土tǔ
tree + soil

Ms. Du studies how trees prevent the soil from eroding.

yán

Yan
门 + 臽xiàn
gate + trap

Mr. Yan places a trap at the city gate to catch his love? his enemy?

Yu, *clothing pully
干 + h
clothesline + “hook”

Mrs. Yu invented the clothing pulleys that are installed outside people’s apartment windows.

yǐn

overseer, *mop
彐 + 丿
broom + slash

Mr. Yin is overseer of the janitors.

100 Surnames+

Quiz

chén

exhibit [v.]

cuī

Cui, *wild turkey

Yu, *clothing pully

tán, qín

Tan/Qin

yǐn

overseer, *mop

Show Answers