Li (surname 李)
| Li | |
|---|---|
.svg)
The Chinese character for Li
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| Pronunciation | Lǐ (Mandarin) Lei (Cantonese) |
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Chinese |
| Meaning | Plum, plum tree |
| Other names | |
| Variant(s) | Lee, Lei, Lie |
| Derivative(s) |
Lee, Yi, Rhee (Korean) Lý (Vietnamese) |
Li (Chinese: ; pinyin: Lǐ) is the second most common surname in China, behind only Wang. It is one of the most common surnames in the world, shared by 92.76 million people in China, and more than 100 million worldwide. It is the fourth name listed in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.
The name is pronounced as "Lei" in Cantonese, but is often spelled as Lee in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and many other overseas Chinese communities. In Macau, it is also spelled as Lei. In Indonesia it is commonly spelled as Lie.
The common Korean surname, Lee (also romanized as Yi, Ri, or Rhee), and the Vietnamese surname, Lý, are both derived from Li and are historically written with the same Chinese character, 李. The character also means "plum" or "plum tree".
According to tradition, the Li surname originated from the title Dali held by Gao Yao, a legendary minister of the Xia dynasty, and was originally written with the different character, 理. Laozi (Li Er), the founder of Taoism, was the first historical person known to have the surname and is regarded as the founding ancestor of the surname.
As the surname of the emperors of the Tang dynasty, Li was bestowed upon or adopted by numerous people, including many foreigners, during the period, and became one of the most common Chinese surnames.
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