guì 桂

### Migration and Distribution (Not available) The Gui surname is not listed among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The Gui surname originated from the Ji surname. At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, there was a court academician named Ji Zhen in the State of Qin, who was a descendant of the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty. Later, during the event of "burning books and burying scholars alive" by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ji Zhen was also executed. Ji Zhen had a younger brother named Ji Sui, who was worried that it would implicate Ji Zhen's four sons, so he asked them to change their surnames and flee to other places. Among them, Ji Zhen's eldest son took the homophone "Gui" of his uncle Ji Sui's name "Sui" as the surname. Since the characters "Sui" and "Gui" were interchangeable in ancient times, they were called the Gui clan. Passed down from generation to generation, it formed today's Gui surname. During the Five Dynasties, in order to avoid the war, the Gui clan migrated south to areas such as Guangxin and Shangrao. In the early days, the Gui clan was relatively unknown. After the Song and Ming Dynasties, the situation was completely different. Especially the Gui clan in Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, was very prominent in the Ming Dynasty, making the Gui clan, which originated in the north, quickly become a well - known and distinguished clan in the south of the Yangtze River. The person who laid the foundation for the Gui clan in Ningbo, Zhejiang, should be Gui Yanliang, who was praised by Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty as "Among the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River, only you are outstanding" at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Historical records show that when Zhu Yuanzhang was fighting all over the country, Gui Yanliang was the headmaster of Baoshan Academy and was well - known for his profound knowledge of the classics. When Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen and others invited him to join their staff, he refused. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he entered the officialdom. He was known for "always giving correct answers when consulted". Gui Yanliang's nephews, Zongru and Zongfan, were both good at literature and were the compilers of the Yongle Encyclopedia. His grandson, Gui Gong, was a well - known filial son. Gui Yanliang's cousin, Gui Mengcheng, served as the magistrate of Heyuan County and had good administrative achievements. Besides Gui Yanliang, Gui Boliang, Gui Lian and others in Cixi were also well - known. The prominent branch of the Gui clan lived in Tianshui (now southwest of Tongwei County, Gansu Province).