zhōng 钟

"The origin of the surname 'Zhong' is as follows: 1. It originated from place names. According to the "Tongzhi - Clan Strategy - Surnames Derived from Fiefdoms", during the Spring and Autumn period, Bo Zong, the great - grandson of Duke Huan of the State of Song, served as an official in the State of Jin. He had a son named Zhou Li, who fled to the State of Chu and was granted the fief of Zhongli (now in Fengyang City, Anhui Province; another saying is that it was five li east of present - day Hanchuan County, Hubei Province). Later, the Zhong and Zhongli clans emerged from his descendants. 2. It was changed from the Zhongli clan. According to the "Compilation of Surnames for Quick Reference", during the period between the Chu and Han dynasties, Zhongli Mei was a general under Xiang Yu. His second son, Jie, lived in Changshe, Yingchuan (the former city was west of present - day Changge County, Henan Province). His descendants later took the Zhong surname."