Ji (Jī) Surname#

Surname: Ji (Jī), pronounced as jī

Regions where the Ji Surname is Found#

• Henan Commandery: During the Qin Dynasty, it was known as Sanchuan Commandery. In the Western Han Dynasty, its name was changed to Henan Commandery. When the Eastern Han Dynasty established its capital in Luoyang, the officials in Henan Commandery were referred to as “Yin” instead of “Taishou” (governors) to signify its higher status.
• Qiao Commandery: The administrative center of Qiao Commandery was located in the area between present-day Anhui Province and Henan Province. The prominent Ji clans lived in Qiao Commandery, which corresponds to the Bozhou area of Anhui Province today.

Origins of the Ji Surname#

1. Derivation from the Ji Clan: According to “Yuanhe Xing Zuan” (A Compilation of Surnames from the Yuanhe Era), King Shao Kang of the Xia Dynasty enfeoffed his son, Ji Zhu, in Kuaiji, and from then on, the Ji clan emerged. In the early Han Dynasty, the Ji family moved to Jishan in Qiao Commandery and changed their surname to Ji. Another source, “Wen Zhang Xu Lu” (Records of Literary Works), states that Ji Kang, whose original surname was Xi, moved from Kuaiji to a certain county in Qiao Commandery and adopted the upper part of the character “Ji” as their new surname.
2. Conversion from a Xianbei Clan Surname: According to “Wei Shu·Guan Shi Zhi” (The Book of Wei: Records of Official Clans), during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a Xianbei clan with the surname Tong Ji in the Northern Wei. After moving into the Central Plains, they adopted the Han surname Ji.

Ancestor of the Ji Surname:
Ji Zhu is considered the ancestor of the Ji surname. According to “Yuanhe Xing Zuan,” after the death of Yu the Great around 4100 years ago, he was buried in Kuaiji Mountain. Shao Kang, the successor of the Xia Dynasty, enfeoffed Ji Zhu in Kuaiji to oversee the worship of Yu. Ji Zhu’s descendants were known as the Kuaiji clan. In the early Western Han Dynasty, they moved to Jishan in Qiao Commandery (present-day Bozhou, Anhui Province) and adopted the character “Ji” from the name of the mountain as their surname. Another version, based on “Wen Di Xu Lu,” suggests that Ji Kang, originally surnamed Xi and from Kuaiji, moved to a certain county in Qiao Commandery (west of present-day Su County, Anhui Province). They took the upper part of the character “Ji” from “Kuaiji” and added the character “shan” to form the surname Ji.

Hall Names associated with the Ji Surname:

• Henan Hall: Established based on the historical significance of Henan Commandery.
• Qiao Guo Hall: Established based on the historical significance of Qiao Commandery.
• Guangling Hall: Ji Kang was killed by the Sima family. On the day of his execution, he requested an ancient zither. After tuning it, he began to play the tune “Guangling San.” Suddenly, the execution ground fell silent. The melody was both passionate and mournful, with a lingering and resonant sound. After playing, Ji Kang sighed and said, “In the past, Yuan Xiaoni wanted to learn the tune ‘Guangling San’ from me, but I refused to teach him. Now, ‘Guangling San’ is lost forever.” Hence, the hall is named Guangling Hall.
• Zhu Lin Hall: Additional information is needed for this Hall.
• Song Yi Hall: Additional information is needed for this Hall.