xū 胥

### Migration and Distribution (No specific information) The Xu surname is not listed among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Xu Chen, a senior official of the Jin State, had his descendants take his given name as their surname, and the Xu surname has been passed down through generations. Regarding the Xu surname, scholars believe that the Xu clan can be traced back to ancient emperors. The "Huaxu Clan" (Fuxi and Nüwa had the surname Feng). It is said that "the people of this clan wandered about with full bellies and played around with food in their mouths, not knowing what was good or bad." Another clan, the "Hexu Clan", it is said that "they had remarkable virtues that made the people attach to them. Therefore, they were called Hexu, presumably referring to Emperor Yan." Generally, it is thought that the Xu surname descends from Xu Chen, a senior official of the Jin State. According to "Zuo Zhuan", during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 - 256 BC), when Duke Wen of Jin (Chong'er) was in exile, the ancestor Xu Chen, with the courtesy name Jizi, followed him and made outstanding contributions. Later, on a mission passing by Ji, he saw Ji Que working with farming tools in the fields while his wife brought him food, and they treated each other with great respect. So Xu Chen recommended Ji Que to Duke Wen. In the Battle of Chengpu between the Jin State and the Chu State, the ancestor covered himself with tiger skins and routed the Chu army. He was appointed as the "Sikong" (a high - ranking official position) and was granted the fiefdom of "Jiu", also known as Jijiu. Some of his descendants used the name of the fief as their clan name, calling themselves "Jiu" or "Jijiu". His son was Xu Jia, grandson Xu Ke, great - grandson Xu Tong, and great - great - grandson Xu Wu, all of whom held the positions of "qing" (high - ranking officials) and "daifu" (senior officials). After Xu Chen's death, in the fourth year of King Qing of Zhou, when the Qin and Jin states were at war, Xu Jia, Xu Chen's son, and Zhao Chuan leaked military secrets. The commander - in - chief Zhao Dun removed Xu Jia from his official position and exiled him to the Wei State, and promoted Xu Ke, Xu Jia's son. During the reign of Duke Li of Jin, Xu Tong, Xu Ke's son, served as a qing. He had deep grudges with the powerful officials Luan Shu and Zhonghang Yan. Later, Luan Shu and Zhonghang Yan were favored by Duke Li, and Xu Tong was killed. To avoid revenge and killings, some of his descendants took their grandfather's given name as their surname, changing "Xu" to "Tong", thus becoming the Tong surname (as recorded in "Tongzhi - Shizu Lue"). Shanxi and Shaanxi areas are the roots of our clan. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Song and Ming Dynasties, clan members expanded to present - day Gansu, Shandong, Hebei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan, Anhui, Henan, Northeast China, Sichuan and other places. The "Hundred Family Surnames" lists the "Junwang" (a term referring to a prestigious and influential lineage in a certain region) of the Xu surname as the "Langya Commandery". In the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 256 BC), it referred to the "Qi" region, which is now Langya, Jiaonan City, Shandong Province. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 - 479 AD), when the Central Plains residents migrated southward, Baixia (now the area north of Nanjing and southwest of Mufu Mountain) was a "settlement area for migrants" also known as the Langya Commandery. Since the "Hundred Family Surnames" was compiled in the Song Dynasty, it indicates that at that time, the Xu surname became a prominent and influential clan in the Langya Commandery (possibly in Shandong Province or Nanjing).