líng hú 令狐

### Migration and Distribution (No specific information) The Linghu surname is not among the top 100 surnames on the Chinese mainland or in Taiwan. The term "Linghu" was originally a place name in the Spring and Autumn Period. According to the "Annotation to the Frozen River in the Book of Waterways" which states that "Linghu is the area of Yishi", it is now the west of Yishi County, Shanxi Province. So, how did this place name become a double - barreled surname? According to the "Table of the Genealogy of Prime Ministers in the Tang Book", the State of Jin, which once dominated the feudal lords in the Spring and Autumn Period, was divided into three states by its officials Han, Zhao, and Wei in 376 BC. The Wei family that participated in the division of the Jin State was descended from Duke Gao of Bi, the son of King Wen of Zhou. Bi Wan, a descendant of Duke Gao of Bi, first became a high - ranking official in the Jin State, and his influence grew day by day. By the time of Wei Chou, the grandson of Bi Wan, according to historical records, Wei Chou was a famous general in the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period. He accompanied Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er, in his exile for many years. After Duke Wen of Jin ascended the throne, he made Wei Chou a high - ranking official and let him inherit the fief of the Wei family. Wei Chou had a favorite concubine named Zu Ji. It is said that every time Wei Chou went to war, he would tell his family, "If I die in battle, let Zu Ji remarry. Don't waste her youth." But when Wei Chou was seriously ill and on his deathbed, he asked his family to let Zu Ji be buried alive with him. After his death, his youngest son, Ke, thought that his request was made when he was in a state of mental confusion, which was inconsistent with his usual views, so he insisted on letting Zu Ji remarry. Later, when Ke was fighting against Du Hui of the Qin army, he was steadily losing and was pushed back to a meadow. Du Hui was very fast on his feet and chased after him. But when he reached the middle of the meadow, suddenly he had difficulty walking and almost fell several times. Ke was very surprised. After a closer look, he found that there was an old man lying in the grass, tying the long grass together to form a series of tripwires. When Du Hui got there, he was like being caught in a net. Ke was overjoyed, quickly drove forward in his chariot, captured Du Hui, and defeated the Qin army. Later, Ke learned that this old man was Zu Ji's father. He risked his life to help Ke because he was grateful for Ke's kindness in saving his daughter. To reward Ke for this merit, Duke Jing of Jin granted him the fief of Linghu. Ke's son, Wei Jie, took the fief as his surname and became known as the Linghu family. It has been more than 2,300 years since then. The Linghu surname is well - known to originate from the Taiyuan Commandery and is mainly distributed in the area of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.