Why do most surnames have to be named after generations?
Kong's strict word school originated in the early Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang gave the royal family of Kong 10 the words: Cheng, Yin (Yan) (brackets changed to taboo, Hong changed to avoid long calendar, Yongzheng changed to taboo), stipulated that the family of Kong must be named according to the word school from the 56th generation, and promulgated that "descendants of Kong" did not respect the world, and those who clamored at will were not allowed to enter the spectrum. "After that, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, 65,438 +00 words were given: Xing Yu Guang Chuan, Zhao Xian Qing Fan Ji Shi, Daoguang nineteen years (65,438 +0839), and 65,438 +00 words were given: De Wei has been blessed, Qin Shao has been honored. In the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), Confucius, the 76th generation of the Duke of Kong Lingyi, was feasted and submitted to the Beiyang government for approval, with 20 words: Jiandao Dun Anding, Jianchang, Yuhe, and Xuchang in Yongxi.
However, other clans also stipulate that the name of school should be followed. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, most clans attached great importance to the word school. As a tool of clan integration, some clans even stipulate that the name must be based on the word generation. For example, Liu Yangzhong's "My clan has never rebuilt its genealogy in the past, so everyone can take the lead and the family can't draw one." Why not condescend? Today's genealogy is newly revised. I would like to take 40 sentences from people who don't violate taboos and compose them into rhymes. I will always set the ranking for my tribe. When I met you, who was the most respected? Who is humble? Li Ran is methodical. Which has a bright future? What is Mu? Rank is orderly. "
Of course, it doesn't mean that all clans are named by characters, but some clans are not fully integrated, or some clans have been integrated but neglected to use substitute characters because of privileges such as imperial examinations, but they are generally issued by characters.