Zheng (surname)

Zhèng / Zheng4 (Hanyu Pinyin) or Cheng (Wade-Giles) is a Chinese word. It means "solemn", "formal", or "serious". It is a Chinese family name. And it is the name of an ancient state in today's Honan. It is written as 鄭 in traditional Chinese script or as 郑 in simplified Chinese script.

When China released its 2006 list of top 100 surnames, Zhèng was 21st in the list, making it the 21st most common name. Zhèng belongs to the second major group of ten surnames which makes up more than 10% of the Chinese population [ [http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200601/11/eng20060111_234647.html Order, the top 100 Chinese surnames in 2006 were: Li, Wang, Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Huang, Zhao, Zhou, Wu, Xu, Sun, Zhu, Ma, Hu, Guo, Lin, He, Gao, Liang, Zheng, Luo, Song, Xie, Tang, Han, Cao, Xu, Deng, Xiao, Feng, Zeng, Cheng, Cai, Peng, Pan, Yuan, Yu, Dong, Yu (literally means "the rest"), Su, Ye, Lü, Wei, Jiang (third tone), Tian, Du, Ding, Shen, Jiang (literally means ginger), Fan, Jiang (literally means river), Fu, Zhong, Lu, Wang (first tone), Dai, Cui, Ren, Lu, Liao, Yao, Fang, Jin, Qiu, Xia, Tan, Wei, Jia, Zou, Shi, Xiong, Meng, Qin, Yan, Xue, Hou, Lei, Bai, Long, Duan, Hao, Kong, Shao, Shi, Mao, Chang, Wan, Gu, Lai, Wu, Kang, He (fourth tone), Yan, Yin, Qian, Shi (first tone), Niu, Hong and Gong. National Natural Science Foundation, China. Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). China renews top 100 surnames, Li still the biggest, People's Daily, January 11, 2006.] ] [ [http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/CT/t56066.htm Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Huston, Texas] ] [ [http://books.google.com.my/books?id=l1vR-x9_pEEC&pg=PA37&vq=zheng&dq=Zheng+Surname&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U1LJrKvgiMj0lNq4Ryxfq0QDszcJQ Origins of Chinese Names By Chunjiang Fu, Asiapac Editorial, Wei Lin Chua, Joo Ling Choong Published by Asiapac Books Pte Ltd, 2007; ISBN 9812294627, ISBN 9789812294623; p. 37] ]

Zhèng was a major surname of the rich and powerful during China's Tang dynasty. [ [http://books.google.com.my/books?id=l1vR-x9_pEEC&pg=PA36&vq=zheng&dq=Zheng+Surname&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U1lqxPvGDr9YmI0iTxJZgXkx6SDfg Origins of Chinese Names By Chunjiang Fu, Asiapac Editorial, Wei Lin Chua, Joo Ling Choong Published by Asiapac Books Pte Ltd, 2007; ISBN 9812294627, ISBN 9789812294623; p. 36] ]

The meaning of the Zhèng surname can be translated roughly as an adjective: either "class" or as "seriousness", "sincere", or "reserved".

In Taiwan, the name is spelled "Cheng". The surname also has taken form outside of Han society as well: in Japanese as "Tei"; and in Vietnamese as "Trịnh". In Korean, the name appears as "Chung" or "Jeong" (정). 정 is the 4th most common Korean surname, with about 4.85% of the South Korean population (2,230,611 people) having this name.

The word Zhèng means solemn or sincere in Chinese. The use of it as a surname might have started as an adoption of the "Zheng" in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan where the family once ruled. However, the history of Zhengzhou predates the family as Aodu of the Shang Dynasty and subsequent renaming of the city came during Sui Dynasty in 581 A.D. after the family has already adopted Zheng as their name.

Origin

The Zhèng family originated in Henan Province. King Xuan or Xuan Wang (827–781 bc) the penultimate king of the Western Zhou Dynasty bestowed on his younger brother Ji You the title Duke Xuan of Zhèng, along with the fiefdom of Zhèng (today's eastern Hua county, Shaanxi), the last vassal state decreed by the Zhou Dynasty. Duke Xuan of Zheng was succeeded by his son, Luo Yang, Duke Gong of Zhèng. When Luo Yang was duke of Zhèng the king of Zhou was killed and his capital, destroyed. Luo Yang, Duke Gong of Zhèng moved his people to the east, where Henan province in central China lies, and established his new state, Zhèng, there, on the south banks of the Yellow River. His descendants took Zhèng as their surname. [Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4] [ [http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/weekendreview/story.html?id=32537115-d2c9-4c4d-8442-4406b5577300&p=1 Top 100 surnames: in the Lower Mainland by Chad Skelton, published in the Vancouver Sun, Saturday, November 03, 2007] ] [ [http://books.google.com.my/books?id=l1vR-x9_pEEC&pg=PA60&vq=zheng&dq=Zheng+Surname&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U1IDBfyNYzvAWu0TSg_VI1RKRBd-g Origins of Chinese Names By Chunjiang Fu, Asiapac Editorial, Wei Lin Chua, Joo Ling Choong Published by Asiapac Books Pte Ltd, 2007; ISBN 9812294627, ISBN 9789812294623; p. 60] ]

pelling and Pronunciation

Famous people named 鄭/郑

There are over 400 Zhengs listed in the Who's Who in Chinese History. [Who's who in China, 1919] [Who's who in China, Containing the Pictures and Biographics of Some of China's Political, Financial By John Benjamin Powell, Hollington Kong Tong Published by Millard's review, 1920] [Who's who in China [Supplement to the 3d Ed.] edited by John Benjamin Powell Published by The China Weekly Review, 1928] [Who's who in China: Biographies of Chinese : Supplement By China Weekly Review Published by China Weekly Review, 1931] [Who's who in China: Containing the Pictures and Biographies of China's Best Known Political, Financial, Business and Professional Leaders ... By Zhixiang Hao Published by The China weekly review, 1931] [Who's who in China Published by China Weekly Review, 1936; Item notes: 1936] [Who's who in China: Biographies of Chinese Leaders. Chung-kuo Ming Jen Lu Published by The China Weekly Review, 1936] [Who's who in China: Biographies of Chinese Leaders : Supplement to Fifth Edition : (including a Section Embracing Those who are Affiliated with Japanese-sponsored Administrations Within Areas Controlled by the Japanese Military Forces Published by The China weekly review, 1940] [Who's who in China By Who's Who Staff Published by AMS Press, 1950; ISBN 0404569684, ISBN 9780404569686] [Who's who in China; Biographical Sketches of 542 Chinese Communist Leaders.: Biographical Sketches of 542 Chinese Communist Leaders By Donald W. Klein Published 1959] [Who's who in China, 1918-1950: With an Index By Jerome Cavanaugh, Chinese Materials Center Published by Chinese Materials Center, 1982; Item notes: v.1] [Who's who in China: Current Leaders By Who's Who in China, "Zhongguo ren ming da ci dian" bian ji bu; Published by Foreign Languages Press, 1989; ISBN 0835123529, ISBN 9780835123525] [Who's who in China: Chinese-English Manual of Chinese Leaders and Government Organizations = 汉英中国领导人暨政府机构手册 Published by TWL, 1993] [Who's Who in China By Sony Imagesoft Published by Sonic Books, 1994; ISBN 1566731356, ISBN 9781566731355] [Who's who in China: [a First-ever Comprehensive Compilation of the Powerful, Affluent, and Influential in China - Their Stories, Net Worth and Networks] Contributor Gerald Leong Published by Inspire Publ, 2004; ISBN 3938159006, ISBN 9783938159002]

Some famous people named Zhèng are:

* Adam Cheng (b. 1947), Hong Kong singer and actor
* Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902–75), martial artist, doctor, calligrapher, painter, poet
* Cheng Yu-tung (b. 1925), Hong Kong billionaire
* Chung Keng Quee
* Chung Thye Phin
* Chung Thye Yong
* Chung Kok Ming
* Chang Min Tat
* Ekin Cheng (b. 1967), Hong Kong singer and actor
* Kevin Cheng (b. 1969), Hong Kong actor
* Nien Cheng (b. 1915), author and survivor of seven years of solitary confinement at the hands of the Communist party
* Sammi Cheng (b. 1972), Hong Kong singer and actress
* Taksin (1734–82), born Zheng Chao, king of Siam
* Teh Hong Piow (b. 1930), chairman of Public Bank Berhad in Malaysia
* Zheng Banqiao (1693–1765), famous artist and poet, Qing Dynasty
* Zheng Chenggong (1624–62), Ming dynasty military leader better known in the West as Koxinga
* Zheng He (1371–1435), Chinese mariner and explorer (Please note: Zheng He was not an original Zheng. The original name of Zheng He was Ma (马). He was a native of Yunnan and was given the surname Zheng during his service with a Ming prince.)
* Joe Cheng (b. 1982), Taiwanese actor and model
* Zheng Jie (b. 1983), Chinese tennis player
* Zheng Zhenduo (1898–1958), journalist, modern writer, archeologist and literature scholar
* Zheng Zhi (b. 1980), Chinese footballer
* Zheng Tian Shou a pirate who pillaged during the Bei Song Dynasty

Famous people named 정

*Jung Myung Seok, a controversial Korean religious leader
*Rain (singer), a male R&B and pop singer whose birth name is Jung Ji-Hoon
*Jeong Cheol, Korean administrator and poet of the 16th century
*Jeong Seon, Korean landscape painter of the Joseon era

External links

* [http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/CT/t56066.htm Categories of Chinese Surnames]
* [http://202.108.249.200/geography/mfms/20010627/248.html History of Zheng in Chinese]

ee Also

* Surnames of a Hundred Families (Bai jJia Xing), 960AD-1127AD
* Annal of Surnames by Gao Shilian, 627AD
* Chinese Dimensions: Their Roots, Mindset and Psyche by Dr.Yow Yit Seng, 2006, Malaysia, 1st Edition; ISBN: 9679789276

References