姓

xìng

verb HSK 2 #2,420

Meanings

Contains 女 (woman) + 生 (born) — in ancient China, surnames passed through the mother.

Nín guì xìng?

What is your surname? (polite)

Wǒ xìng Wáng.

My surname is Wang.

Tā xìng shénme?

What's his surname?

culture

您贵姓 (nín guì xìng) is the polite way to ask someone's surname. 贵 means 'noble/precious,' making it respectful. Never use it about yourself!

culture

The most common Chinese surnames are 王 (Wáng), 李 (Lǐ), and 张 (Zhāng). Together they cover about 20% of China's population.

姓 xìng