姓 (xìng): surname
姓 (xìng) is a Chinese character meaning “surname.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 女 (semantic) and 生 (phonetic). It ranks #1147 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 姓 woman. Its radical form 女 (woman) appears in many related characters such as 女 (nǚ, woman), 奶 (nǎi, grandmother, milk), 她 (tā, she).
Definitions
- surname
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 姓 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 姓
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 姓名noun | xìng míng | surname and given name | 2 |
| 老百姓noun | lǎo bǎi xìng | ordinary people | 5 |
| 贵姓noun | guì xìng | what is your surname? | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 百姓noun | bǎi xìng | common people |
| 姓氏noun | xìng shì | family name |
| 隐姓埋名phrase | yǐn xìng mái míng | to conceal one's identity |
| 百家姓proper-noun | bǎi jiā xìng | The Book of Family Names, anonymous Song dynasty reading primer listing 438 surnames |
| 复姓noun | fù xìng | to revert to one's original surname |
| 同名同姓 | tóng míng tóng xìng | having same given name and family name |
| 种姓制度 | zhǒng xìng zhì dù | caste system |
| 行不更名，坐不改姓 | xíng bù gēng míng , zuò bù gǎi xìng | I am who I am and not ashamed of it |
| 种姓制 | zhǒng xìng zhì | caste system (traditional Indian social division) |
| 行不改姓，坐不改名 | xíng bù gǎi xìng , zuò bù gǎi míng | see 行不更名，坐不改姓 |
| 平头百姓noun | píng tóu bǎi xìng | common people |
| 普通老百姓 | pǔ tōng lǎo bǎi xìng | common people |
| 只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯 | zhǐ xǔ zhōu guān fàng huǒ , bù xǔ bǎi xìng diǎn dēng | only the official is allowed to light the fire |
| 种姓noun | zhǒng xìng | caste (traditional Indian social division) |
| 娘家姓noun | niáng jia xìng | maiden name (of married woman) |
姓 appears in 26 compound words: 12 as the first character, 69 as the last, and 19 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 姓 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
请问您贵姓？我需要登记一下访客信息。
Qǐngwèn nín guìxìng? Wǒ xūyào dēngjì yíxià fǎngkè xìnxī.
May I ask your surname? I need to register visitor information.
视频丨姓氏为证、谱牒为桥 “板桥”牵起跨越海峡的...
shì pín 丨 xìng shì wéi zhèng , pǔ 牒 wéi qiáo bǎn qiáo qiān qǐ kuà yuè hǎi xiá de . . .
Video: Surnames as Proof, Genealogies as Bridges—"Banqiao" Forges a Bond Across the Strait...
才控朱姓男星约炮动手!林倪安遭爆是“窃盗惯犯” ...
cái kòng zhū xìng nán xīng yuē pào dòng shǒu ! lín 倪 ān zāo bào shì qiè dào guàn fàn . . .
Talent agency accuses male star surnamed Zhu of assault during a hookup! Lin Ni'an exposed as a "repeat thief" ...
...南农业大学茶学团队:用一片叶子 富一方百姓
. . . nán nóng yè dà xué chá xué tuán duì : yòng yī piàn xié zǐ fù yī fāng bǎi xìng
...The Tea Science Team at South Agricultural University: Enriching the Local Community with a Single Leaf
...山西长子:长子鼓书深耕乡土 让非遗融入百姓新春
. . . shān xī cháng zǐ cháng zǐ gǔ shū shēn gēng xiāng tǔ ràng fēi yí róng rù bǎi xìng xīn chūn
... Shanxi eldest son: The eldest son drum book is deeply cultivated in the countryside and integrates intangible cultural heritage into the people's New Year
“希望老百姓安宁幸福” 他的新春愿望和冬窝子的雪一....
xī wàng lǎo bǎi xìng ān nìng xìng fú tā de xīn chūn yuàn wàng hé dōng wō zǐ de xuě yī . . . .
"I hope the people are peaceful and happy" His New Year's wish is the same as the snow in the winter nest ....
我能问一下您的姓名和住址吗？
Wǒ néng wèn yīxià nín de xìngmíng hé zhùzhǐ ma?
Might I ask your name and address?
您可不可以告诉我您贵姓？
Nín kěbu kěyǐ gàosu wǒ nín guìxìng?
Can you tell me your last name?
你能告诉我你的姓名和手机号码吗？
Nǐ néng gàosu wǒ nǐ de xìngmíng hé shǒujī hàomǎ ma?
Could you tell me your name and your number?
兄弟，你到底姓什么啊？
Xiōngdì, nǐ dàodǐ xìng shénme ā?
Bro, what's your last name?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 姓 (xìng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 姓 and 胜?
How many strokes does 姓 have?
What is the radical of 姓?
What are the components of 姓?
What are common words containing 姓?
What characters sound the same as 姓 (xìng)?
Is 姓 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 姓 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.