GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 1

王

王 is read as wáng.

Pinyin

wáng

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 王

Basic meaning

king; ruler; royal title; leading figure

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Pre-Qin royal-descendant traditions; major Ji-surname branch associated with King Ling of Zhou, 6th century BCE

Place: Zhou royal-house tradition; later major lineage centers in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province and Langya, Shandong Province

Origin note

A major Wang origin traces to descendants of the Zhou royal house. Tradition connects it to Prince Jin, also called Wangzi Jin, a son of King Ling of Zhou. Later descendants were associated with the idea of a royal family, or wang jia, and Wang became the surname. Important later Wang lineages were linked with Taiyuan and Langya.

Historical figures

王翦 (Wang Jian)

late Warring States; died c. 214 BCE · Qin general

A leading general of Qin whose campaigns helped Qin conquer rival states before the creation of the first unified imperial dynasty.

王羲之 (Wang Xizhi)

303-361 CE · Eastern Jin calligrapher

Traditionally honored as the Sage of Calligraphy. His name gives Wang a strong cultural association with refinement, brushwork and literary prestige.

Sources checked