Chinese surname · rank 15

胡 is read as .

Pinyin

Script forms

Simplified 胡 · Traditional 衚

Basic meaning

ancient northern or western peoples; foreign; random/without order; why; beard; animal dewlap

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Western Zhou tradition, 1046-771 BCE

Place: Chen-state Gui Man / Chen Hu Gong tradition in the Huaiyang, Henan area; other Hu branches recorded separately.

Origin note

A major Hu tradition traces to Gui Man, founder figure of the Chen state, whose posthumous title was Hu Gong. Descendants in this line used Hu as a surname. Other Hu traditions include state-name origins and later adopted surnames, so this page keeps the Chen Hu Gong line as the main verified layer rather than the only origin.

Historical figures

胡适 (Hu Shih / Hu Shi)

1891-1962 CE · scholar, writer and diplomat

A leading figure in modern Chinese intellectual history and the New Culture movement.

胡雪岩 (Hu Xueyan)

1823-1885 CE · Qing merchant

A famous late-Qing businessman whose story is often used when discussing commerce, official networks and wealth in late imperial China.

Sources checked