GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 118

申

申 is read as shēn.

Pinyin

shēn

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 申

Basic meaning

extend; state; ninth earthly branch

Five element

Metal

Origin

Time: Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn Shen state tradition; Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn tradition, 1046-476 BCE

Place: Shen state traditions, commonly associated with today's Nanyang, Henan Province

Origin note

A major Shen surname tradition traces 申 to the ancient state of Shen. It should be kept separate from 沈, another Shen surname with different written form and origin layers.

Historical figures

申不害 (Shen Buhai)

died 337 BCE · Legalist thinker

A Warring States political thinker associated with administrative methods.

申包胥 (Shen Baoxu)

Spring and Autumn period · Chu official

A Chu figure remembered for seeking Qin aid.

Sources checked