Chinanews client, Beijing, December 16th (Reporter Song Yusheng) Recently, Qin Shihuang has become a hot topic in both the TV series "Fu of the Great Qin" and the variety show "National Treasure".
Speaking of Qin Shihuang, you might blurt out two words: Ying Zheng.
But is he really called Ying Zheng?
"Da Qin Fu" stills.
Picture courtesy
What is Qin Shihuang's name?
At the beginning of "Da Qin Fu", Qin Shi Huang called himself "Ying Zheng"; in "National Treasure", the angry Prince Yan called Qin Shi Huang "Zhao Zheng".
How did one person have two names?
Is it possible that Qin Shihuang had a pseudonym?
In historical records, there is really more than one name of the first emperor.
In the Western Han Dynasty, Yang Xiong said in "Fayan", "Twenty-six years of Yingzheng, the world is good at Qin".
Here is Ying Zheng.
Sima Qian's "Historical Records: The Benji of Qin Shihuang" uses the words: Qin Shihuang "named Zheng, surnamed Zhao".
In the "History of Chinese Culture" written by Liu Yizheng in the 1920s, Qin Shihuang was called "Qin Zheng".
As far as these names are concerned, "Ying Zheng" should be the term most familiar to everyone.
This statement is easy to understand.
In most people's minds, King Qin's family is named Ying, and Qin Shihuang's name is Zheng, so he should be called Ying Zheng.
So, where did the claims like Zhao Zheng and Qin Zheng come from?
What is the historical basis?
Is this different surname related to the dispute over Qin Shihuang's biological father in history?
Lu Buwei in "Fu of Da Qin".
Picture courtesy
The Zhou Dynasty Surname System
This also starts with the Zhou Dynasty surname system.
The first thing to note is that people's surnames were not the same at that time.
Song Zheng Qiao believed that the family should not be high or low, and the family name should not be married.
In the Zhou Dynasty, both surnames and clan names were unique to nobles.
In daily life, the surname is not widely used, probably only used by aristocratic women.
As for the specific usage of the surname, there are also many kinds: some cases are prefixed with a "character" before the "surname", such as Meng Jiang, where "Meng" is a word and "jiang" is a surname; there are also cases where a husband's family country is prefixed before the "surname" The name or family name is like Luan Qi; women are often given posthumous names in front of the "surname" after death, like the posthumous name in Wen Jiang.
Men in the Zhou Dynasty did not call "surname", their address was "clan" + "first name", but the monarch of a certain country was called by the country.
For example, although the Emperor of Jin and Zhou Tianzi have the same surname as Ji, they were assigned to Jin, so the Jiantu League book recorded Jin Chonger as "Jin Zhong".
Among them, Jin is the name of the country, and "Zhong" is the name of the province with a heavy name.
Therefore, although Zhou Gongdan in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty was also surnamed Ji, people at that time would not call him "Ji Dan".
The so-called "Ji Dan" is obviously the work of later generations.
By analogy, although the monarch of Qin has the surname Ying, he should be called Qin.
Therefore, it is reasonable for Qin Shihuang to call "Qin Zheng".
Qin Shihuang in "The Da Qin Fu".
Picture courtesy
Zhao Zheng outside three generations
Here is a detail, according to Zhou Li, royal family, etc. only include the close relatives of each generation of monarchs.
Taking the Gongzu as an example, the son of the son is called the son, and the son is called the son; the son of the son is called the grandson, and the son is called the son.
Even here they belong to the public family.
But if you are the son of Gongsun, you will no longer be counted in the public clan, and if you need to establish another branch, you have to take another "clan".
In this case, the number of clan gradually increased: some of the sons of Gongsun use the character of Gongzi (that is, his grandfather) as his clan. "It's a clan; some people simply use official posts that have been passed down from generation to generation as a clan; and others use Shiyi, residence, etc. as clan.
Shang Yang is a typical example.
"Historical Records · The Biography of Shang Jun" contains that Shang Jun, Wei Zhi's concubine, the son of the evil man, the first name is Martingale, the surname is Gongsun, and his ancestor is Benji.
In other words, Shang Yang was originally the son of Wei Guo, so Shang Yang was also called Wei Yang.
Judging from his family name Gongsun, he should still belong to the family of Weiguo, whose surname is Ji.
The later generations called him Shang Yang because he was bestowed by Qin Xiaogong to Shang Yu Fifteen Yi.
Obviously, in that era, the clan of the same person could be changed continuously.
Qin Shihuang had a similar experience.
When he was born in the State of Zhao, he was the great-grandson of King Zhaoxiang Qin, the grandson of Wang Zizhu, and the son of Wang Sun Yiren.
He happened to be out of three generations and needed to establish another tribe, taking a clan that was different from the name of the country.
As for why Zhao is his family, historians have many opinions.
Some people think that according to the principle of residence as the family, it can be called Zhao Zheng.
Therefore, Gao You said in annotating "Huainanzi", "The First Emperor was born in Zhao, so it was called Zhao Zheng." There is also a saying that one of the ancestors of Qin Zhiying's surname was once called the Zhao family because it was in the city of Zhao.
Zhao Zhengzhi's "Zhao" originated from this, and traced back to the ancestors.
But in any case, taking Zhao as the clan has nothing to do with Qin Shihuang's biological father.
Data map: Cultural relics in the exhibition "Ping Tian Xia—Qin's Unity" in 2019.
China News Agency reporter Zhang Yuanshe
N names of Qin Shihuang
From this point of view, Zhao Zheng was the name of Emperor Qin Shihuang when he was in the State of Zhao and King Qin Zhaoxiang was alive.
After the death of King Qin Zhaoxiang, Wang Zizhu became King of Qin, as King Xiaowen of Qin. Zhao Zheng's title was no longer in line with his identity.
As the grandson of King Qin Xiaowen, he has been called "Wang Sun Zheng" within three generations.
King Qin Xiaowen died after only three days as King Qin.
At this time, the prince who had changed his name to Zichu came to the throne, and he was King Qin Zhuangxiang.
The name "Wang Sun Zheng" changed again and became "Prince Zheng".
After the death of Prince Chu of Qin Zhuangxiang, "Prince Zheng" became "Qin Wang Zheng" again.
According to the rule that the monarch is called the country, it can also be called "Qin Zheng".
This is the change of Qin Shihuang's name.
But in fact, from the perspective of the end of the Warring States period, the word "Ying Zheng", which is most well-known today, will not be called Qin Shihuang.
In the era where Qin Shihuang lived, there was already a phenomenon of surnames confluence.
By the Western Han Dynasty, the difference in surnames had gradually disappeared.
"Sui Shu·Ji Ji Zhi II" contains, Qin conquered the world, removed the old traces, and the descendants of the princes, lost their original line.
It can be seen that after Qin destroyed the six countries, the surname system that was originally bound to the patriarchal system withdrew from the stage of history.
In the eyes of later historians, the term "Ying Zheng" is exactly the leftover tail of the old surname system.
(Finish)
Reference materials:
"Historical Records", "Rizhilu", "The Evolution of the Chinese Surname System", "The Life and Death of Qin Shihuang", "Archaeological Discoveries and the Ancient Surname System", "Qin Shihuang's Surname as Zhao", "The Surname System in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period"