Li (surname)
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Li or Lee is a common transliteration of several Chinese family names. It can be a transliteration of 李 (pinyin Lǐ), the most common Chinese family name, or of other less common family names such as 黎 (Lí); 理 and 里 (Lǐ); 郦 （酈）, 栗, 厉 (厲), 力and 利 (Lì). Literally, 李 (the most common one) means 'son born beneath a plum tree'.
The spelling "Li" is derived from the PRC's pinyin system and is therefore used most widely in China. However, in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and in many overseas Chinese communities, the spelling "Lee" is more common.
About 7.9 percent of the Chinese population is surnamed 李. As of 2002, there were approximately 103 million people in China and 108 million worldwide with this surname. To date, this remains the world's most common surname. The Korean family name Lee and the Vietnamese family name Lý are related to the Chinese name.
黎 is more common in Central China, in South China (including Hong Kong) where it is transliterated as "Lai" (from the Cantonese language), and is one of the four most common surnames among ethnic Vietnamese, which in the Vietnamese language is "Lê".
In Indonesia, the surname may be spelt "Lie".
History
According to the Xing Zuan, the Chinese dictionary of surnames, the Li surname has a long history which goes back to Emperor Zhuanzu who was the first Li and lived before 2000 B.C.During the Tang Dynasty about 15 different emperors had the Li surname. Li Yuan was the founder of the Tang Dynasty which lasted from 618 to 906 A.D. In their dynasty, printing and paper money were introduced to China.
A legend about the Li family is that those who are the directly descended from rebel Emperor Zhuanzu have a genetic trait noticeable in their feet. The last toe on each foot would be pointing inward a little rather than being straight like the rest of the toes. This distinguished the "true" Li's from the other families with the name as they were born with perfect feet.
People with the name Li
Prominent people with family name 李
- Bruce Lee, martial arts practitioner, actor
- Li Lian-jie, known as Jet Li, (born 1963), Chinese martial arts practitioner, actor
- Ang Lee, acclaimed Academy Awards winning film director
- Yundi Li, the youngest pianist that won the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition.
- Li Si, prime minister of the Qin dynasty
- Li Yu, poet
- The Li royals of the Tang Dynasty
- Li Bai, Tang Dynasty poet
- Li Er, philosopher during Zhou Dynasty
- Li Hongzhang, (1823-1901), general and government minister during Ching Dynasty
- Li Hou Zhu, (931-978), poet
- Li Qingzhao, Song Dynasty poet
- Li Shangyin, poet
- Li Shizhen(李時珍), (1518 - 1593), one of the greatest physicians and pharmacologists in Chinese history, Ming dynasty
- Li Ka Shing, prominent Hong Kong businessman
- Lee Shau Kee, Hong Kong billionaire
- Li Lu, businessman, dissident, former student protestor
- Li Peng, Premier of the People's Republic of China (1987-1998)
- Lee Teng-hui, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (1988-2000)
- Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore (1959-1990)
- Lee Hsien Loong, current Prime Minister of Singapore
- Li Changchun, member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo
- Li Ao, Taiwanese writer, ROC legislator
- Tien-Min Li, ROC legislator and historian
- Kai-Fu Lee, founding president of Google China
- Li Cairong, a woman who lived longer than 100 years
- Li Guofan, politician
- Li Ruihuan, PRC politician
- Tsung-dao Lee, physicist
- Wen Ho Lee, physicist
- Yuan T. Lee, chemist
- Li Zicheng, Ming rebel
- Witness Lee, Christian minister
- Stephen W. Lee, scholar
- Junlong Lee, scholar
- Roland Li, scholar
Prominent people with family name 黎
- Li Yüan-hung, provisional ROC president
- Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily
- Leon Lai, Cantopop singer
- Lai Man-Wai, film director
Prominent people with family name 利
- Vivienne Poy née Lee, politician
- Matteo Ricci, adopted the name 利瑪竇
- Hysan Lee
Prominent people with family name 力
- Bing Lee, a businessman who owns many electronics stores in Australia
Fictional characters with family name 李
- Lee Bailong of Shaman King
- Lee Diendou of Fighter's History
- Li Kohran of Sakura Wars
- Meiling Li, Syaoran Li, and Yelan Li of Cardcaptor Sakura
- Jenrya Li or Li Jianliang (Henry Wong) and Shuichon Li or Li Xiaochun (Suzie Wong) of Digimon Tamers
See also
External Links
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