ⅠLegends of Origin of the Chinese Surname /1-26
The Origin of Xing /1
The Origin of Ming /12
The Appearance of Shi /18
Ⅱ The Formation of Surname Rules and Customs /27
Early Traces of Surname Customs /27
Large-cale Granting of Land in the Xi Zhou Dynasty /39
Acquiring Ming and Selecting Zi /49
Summary /57
Ⅲ Establishment of the Surname System in the
Feudal Society /60~83
Large cale Changes in the Early Hart Dynasty /60
The Custom of Acquiring Ming in the Han and Wei
Dynasties /69
Tracing Nicknames /75
Naming Taboos and Changing the Surname /77
The RAse of Powerful Families /82
IV Publicizing the Honorable Surnames /84
The Family-oriented Society /84
The Popularization of GenealogicaI Charts /91
Surnames of Celebrated Families and Ancestral Hall Names/94
V The Times of a Variety of Names /103~134
The Decline of Aristocracy /103
Name-choosing Customs of the Wei-Jin Dynasties and Afterwards /107
Aliases and Elegant Titles /111
Nicknames /121
Imperial Titles /126
VI The Era ofthe Popularization of Full Names /135-177
The Appearance of Popular Surnames /135
Genealogical Records and the Ordering of Names /141
Stage Nanaes /147
Naming Traditions after the Song and Yuan Dynasties /151
Name and Fate /161
Pen Names /164
Names in Poetry /170
Name Couplets /173
VII Trends in Contemporary Name Development/178-192
Overview of the Twentieth Century /178
Future Naming Trends /184
Translator's Note /193