GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 125

颜

颜 is read as yán.

Pinyin

yán

Script forms

Simplified 颜 · Traditional 顏

Basic meaning

face; complexion; color

Five element

Wood

Origin

Time: Spring and Autumn Lu lineage tradition; Spring and Autumn tradition, 770-476 BCE

Place: Lu state, today's Shandong Province

Origin note

Yan is historically visible through Lu scholarly lineages, including Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius. The page presents Yan as a Lu lineage/ancestor-name surname.

Historical figures

颜回 (Yan Hui)

521-481 BCE · disciple of Confucius

One of the most famous disciples of Confucius.

颜真卿 (Yan Zhenqing)

709-785 CE · Tang calligrapher

A major Tang official and master calligrapher.

Sources checked