GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 204

晏

晏 is read as yàn.

Pinyin

yàn

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 晏

Basic meaning

peaceful, quiet; clear; late in the day

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Ancient Yan An/Yan Long traditions; Spring and Autumn Qi Yan Ruo and Yan Ying record layer; Spring and Autumn tradition, 770-476 BCE

Place: Qi-state/Shandong layer around Yan Ruo and Yan Ying, with older Yan An/Yan Long traditions treated separately

Origin note

has both older legendary surname traditions and a clearer Spring and Autumn historical family layer. One traditional source connects the surname with Yan An, a descendant line of Zhuanxu through Wu Hui and Lu Zhong, and also mentions the Yao-era figure Yan Long. Another source-backed line comes through Qi: Yan Ruo, also called Yan Huanzi, became an important Qi official, and his son Yan Ying is one of the best-known statesmen of the Spring and Autumn period. The page therefore presents the ancient Yan An/Yan Long accounts as traditions and treats the Qi Yan Ruo/Yan Ying family as the concrete historical layer.

Historical figures

Historical figures to enrich

This surname page is ready for a fame-ranked figure list. Later passes can add generals, poets, rulers, artists, scholars and modern public figures with source links.

Sources checked

  • 23mofang surname library: - Cao-surname Yan An tradition and Jiang-surname Qi Yan Ruo origin layer
  • Wikipedia: - Yan An, Yan Long, and Qi Yan Ruo historical-family discussion
  • Wikipedia: - Qi Yan clan layer with Yan Ruo and Yan Ying as Spring and Autumn officials
  • Han Dian: - basic character meaning and surname listing