hé 和

The origin of the surname "He": I. It is said to be the descendants of Xihe, who was in charge of astronomy and laws during the time of Emperor Yao. According to "Yuanhe Xingzuan", "Xihe was an official in charge of heaven and earth during the time of Emperor Yao. Hezhong and Heshu took it as their surname." This is a statement fabricated by later generations based on myths. II. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was Bian He in the State of Chu. He found a piece of uncarved jade (an unpolished jade stone). He presented it to the King of Chu twice but was considered to be offering a fake. He was accused of deceiving the king and had his two feet cut off respectively. After King Wen of Chu ascended the throne, Bian He hugged the jade and wept under Mount Jing. King Wen of Chu sent someone to get the jade. After carving, it turned out to be a precious jade, which was called the "He Shi Bi" (He's Precious Jade). There were people with the surname "He" among Bian He's descendants. III. It was changed from a compound surname of the Xianbei ethnic group. According to "Tongzhi - Shizu Lue", during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a compound surname "Suheshi" in the Northern Wei Dynasty in areas north of the Great Wall. They were descendants of Tan Shihuai of the Xianbei ethnic group. Since they were originally from the White Tribe, they were called "Suhe". After entering the Central Plains, they changed their surname to the Han surname "He".