GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 106

伍

伍 is read as wǔ.

Pinyin

wǔ

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 伍

Basic meaning

five-person military unit; company

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Spring and Autumn Chu/Wu Zixu historical layer; Spring and Autumn tradition, 770-476 BCE

Place: Chu and Wu state historical regions, today's Hubei/Jiangsu area

Origin note

Wu surname traditions include official or military grouping meanings and historically visible Chu/Wu figures such as Wu Zixu. The page presents it as an office/ancestor-name layer, not merely the number five.

Historical figures

伍子胥 (Wu Zixu)

died 484 BCE · Spring and Autumn statesman

A famous Chu-born figure who served Wu.

伍廷芳 (Wu Tingfang)

1842-1922 CE · diplomat and jurist

A late Qing and Republican-era diplomat and legal figure.

Sources checked