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Yu bloodline dates back over 1,800 years
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YU, literally meaning to understand or to use a simile, is a relatively rare Chinese surname, which ranks 247th in terms of prevalence. Around 800,000 people in China have the surname, which accounts for less than 0.06 percent of the country’s population.
One of Yu’s bloodline dates back more than 1,800 years to Yu Meng 谕猛, who was a descendant of the prominent Ji family. He was the administer of Cangwu in Western Han dynasty (202 BC-AD 8). Though it has different Chinese characters, some of his offsprings used 喻 as their surname, while some others preferred 谕.
The nobles who inhabited Yu County in the ancient state of Chu also used the surname. At that time they were surnamed Yufeng 俞豊 — one of the oldest Chinese compound surnames. Over time, Yufeng was shortened to simply Yu 俞, which later morphed into 喻.
Yu also originated from a government title named “shiyu,” whose job was to confer on messengers in the Qin (221-207 BC) and Han dynasties (202 BC-AD 220).
Today the Yu families are spread out across the country. That said, a considerable population bearing the surname congregate in the provinces of Shanxi, Hubei and Jiangxi. The surname has also been seen among Miao, Dong, Yi, Tujia, Dai and Tibetan ethnic minorities.
Although not a popular surname, Yu was associated with quite a few notable figures in ancient times.
As documented in the Yu genealogy, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, a total of 27 members of the Yu family received Jinshi, the highest degree in the imperial examination, which was essential for highest office in imperial China. Yu Maojian (1474-1566), for instance, was head of the Ministry of Criminal Justice in the Ming dynasty and compiled the Criminal Codes. He is still revered for his diligent service till this day.
In the Song dynasty, there were two notable figures — architect Yu Hao and scholar Yu Chu. There was also Yu Huihong (1071-1128), a famous monk and a man of letters commonly known as simply Huihong. Born to a poor family, Huihong lost both his parents at the age of 14 and subsequently became a Buddhist novice.
In his lifetime, Huihong was jailed twice and even exiled to Hainan once, mainly for political reasons. Well-versed in classical texts and Buddhist philosophy, Huihong was a versatile writer of poems, essays and novellas. Stylistically, he was influenced by famous Song poets, Su Shi and Huang Tingjian.
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