Bai Jia Xing compound surname #49
百里
百里 is read as Bǎilǐ. It is one of the 60 compound surnames in the expanded Bai Jia Xing sequence.
Bǎilǐ
Simplified 百里 · Traditional 百裡
fief or locality surname from Baili yi; literally 'hundred li' only secondarily
Earth
Time: Spring and Autumn period, 770-476 BCE
Place: Yu-to-Qin lineage; Baili fief or locality
Origin
百里 is traditionally traced to Ji-surname descendants from the state of Yu who moved to Qin. They were granted or associated with 百里邑, and descendants used the fief or locality name as the surname; the Spring and Autumn Qin minister Baili Xi is the clearest early figure.
Name meaning
Although 百里 can literally read as 'hundred li,' the surname's real cultural meaning is a feudal place-name. Baili Xi gives it associations with late-life recognition, statecraft, and Qin's rise.
Historical figures
百里奚 Baili Xi
Baili Xi was a Spring and Autumn Qin minister remembered for statecraft and late recognition.
百里奚
Baili Xi was a famous Spring and Autumn statesman, giving Baili an old political and diplomatic resonance.