Chinese surname · rank 349
衣
衣 is read as yī.
yī
Simplified and traditional 衣
clothes, clothing; cover, skin; Kangxi radical 145
Earth
Time: Spring and Autumn tradition, 770-476 BCE
Place: Qi-region Yin-to-Yi pronunciation tradition; later regional and ethnic layers recorded separately.
Origin note
Yi is treated here as a rare surname whose best-supported core is a pronunciation and surname-splitting tradition from Yin. The main source layer says that in the speech of Qi, was pronounced close to , so some descendants or branches associated with Yin came to use Yi as the written surname; this preserves a Zi-surname/Yin connection without claiming that every Yi family has a single documented Yin ancestor. 23mofang also notes that Xingyuan records the surname but not its full origin, which is why this page keeps the early evidence cautious. Later surname summaries add several regional and clan traditions, including Shangyi office or garment-office explanations, Ma-to-Yi changed-surname stories, and Hui or Mongol Yi families. Those later layers are recorded as family-tradition or changed-surname material rather than as proof that the word clothing itself created all Yi surnames.
Historical figures
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