GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 406

通

通 is read as tōng.

Pinyin

tōng

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 通

Basic meaning

pass through; common; communicate

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Spring and Autumn tradition, 770-476 BCE

Place: Ba-state Tongzhou place-name tradition around modern Dazhou, Sichuan; Che-to-Tong taboo-change layer in Qin-Han / Han Wudi context; Xihe commandery note

Origin note

Tong/通 is not explained from the everyday meaning of passing through. The first source-backed layer derives it from a Ba-state place name, Tongzhou, in present Sichuan / Dazhou-area tradition, where descendants used the locality as a surname. A second layer records Che/徹 surname or Chehou title descendants changing to Tong after the Han imperial name taboo on Liu Che. The page keeps the place-name and taboo-change layers distinct.

Historical figures

Historical figures to enrich

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Sources checked