Yi (Chinese surname)
| Yi | |
|---|---|
 Yi surname in regular script | |
| Pronunciation |
Yì (Pinyin) E̍k, Ī (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) |
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Chinese |
| Other names | |
| Variant(s) |
Yi, Yih (Mandarin) Yick or Yik(Cantonese) Ek, Yee (Hokkien) |
Yì (Chinese: 易; pinyin: Yì) is a Chinese surname, in Cantonese it is transliterated as Yick or Yik, the Chinese commercial code (CCC) of which is 2496. It is also rarely spelled as Yih or Ie, depending on where it is originated.
Yi is also different Chinese family names, written (Chinese: 伊; pinyin: Yì) and (Chinese: 弋; pinyin: Yì).
Place of origin
According to the book of Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓), Yi family originated from Jiang (姜) family who moved to Yi county (present day Chang county in Hebei province). The other place of origin is Yi county (present day Yi county in Hebei province). During the periode of Qin dynasty, Yi family were mainly situated at Shandong and Henan. At the end of Eastern Han dynasty until the beginning of Southern and Northern Dynasties period, they started to scatter across the central plains, and moving toward present day Hunan province.
Nowadays, Yi surname ranks 106th among other family surnames in mainland China with members up to more than 1.7 million, making 0.12% of total Chinese population.
Notable people (易)
- Yi Yuanji (易元吉, c.a. 1000-1064), styled Qingzhi (庆之), Northern Song Dynasty painter, famous for his realistic paintings of animals.
- Yi Zhongtian (易中天, born 1947), Chinese historian, author, scholar and TV personality.
- Yi Jianlian (易建联, born 1987), Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the CBA.
Notable people (伊)
- Yi Bingshou (伊秉绶) (1754-1815), Chinese calligrapher and political figure.
Fictional people
- Master Yi, the Wuju Bladesman, a playable champion character in the action real-time strategy video game League of Legends