GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 46

苏

苏 is read as sū.

Pinyin

sū

Script forms

Simplified 苏 · Traditional 蘇

Basic meaning

perilla; revive; old place or state name

Five element

Wood

Origin

Time: Western Zhou tradition; Western Zhou tradition, 1046-771 BCE

Place: Su/Wen fief-state tradition; later geography places old Wen near today's Wen County, Henan Province

Origin note

A major Su surname tradition connects the surname with Su Fensheng and a Su/Wen fief-state layer. The received Shangshu passage itself names Su Gong as sikou; Zuozhuan Cheng 11 gives the direct Su Fensheng and Wen wording, and later commentary identifies Su Gong with Su Fensheng. Traditional geography places the old Wen site in the Wen County area of Henan. The character also means revive or perilla, but those meanings are separate from the surname-origin layer.

Historical figures

苏轼 (Su Shi)

1037-1101 CE · Northern Song writer, poet and artist

Also known as Su Dongpo, one of the most celebrated literary figures in Chinese history.

苏秦 (Su Qin)

Warring States period · strategist

A famous political strategist associated with vertical-alliance diplomacy in Warring States tradition.

Sources checked