Editing Chinese surname (section)

===''Shi''===
Prior to the [[Qin dynasty]] (3rd century BC), China was largely a ''[[fengjian]]'' (feudal) society. As fiefdoms were divided and subdivided among descendants, so additional sub-surnames known as  ''shi'' were created to distinguish between noble lineages according to seniority, though in theory they shared the same ancestor. In this way, a nobleman would hold a ''shi'' and a ''xing''. ''Xing'', however, was more important than ''shi''.

The difference between ''xing'' and ''shi'' became blurred in the [[Spring and Autumn period]] starting with women. For example: [[Spring and Autumn Annals|Chunqiu]] referred to Duke Xuan of [[Lu (state)|Lu]]'s consort Lady Mujiang (穆姜), who bore the clan name (姓, ''xing'') Jiang, as ''Jiangshi'' 姜氏, "[lady of the] Jiang ''shi''" (!).<ref name=pulleyblank>{{cite journal |url=https://www.bulgari-istoria-2010.com/booksBG/E_Pulleyblanck_JI_and_JIANG_2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707111756/http://bulgari-istoria-2010.com/booksBG/E_Pulleyblanck_JI_and_JIANG_2.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=7 July 2016 |author=Edwin G. Pulleyblank|date= 2000|title=Ji 姬 and Jiang 姜: The Role of Exogamic Clans in the Organization of the Zhou Polity|journal= Early China|volume= 25|pages= 1–27| doi=10.1017/S0362502800004259|s2cid=162159081|author-link=Edwin G. Pulleyblank}}</ref>

After the states of China were unified by [[Qin Shi Huang]] in 221 BC, surnames gradually spread to the lower classes. Most surnames that survive to the present day were originally ''shi''.