Zhang (surname) Totally Explained

Everything about Zhang totally explained

Zhang is among the most common Chinese surnames. In the 1990 edition of Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as the world's most common surname, with over 100 million people worldwide with this surname. It was also ranked third in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in early 2006. (External Link

). The use of this surname dates back to about 4,700 years ago.
Zhang is pronounced and transliterated in a variety of ways. In Mandarin Chinese it's Hanyu Pinyin: Zhāng, Wade-Giles: Chang, Tongyong Pinyin: Jhāng. In Cantonese it's Yale: Jèung, Jyutping: Zoeng1, Hong Kong Government: Cheung. In Minnan, it's Pe̍h-oē-jī: Tiuⁿ, in Southeast Asia where a variety of dialects are spoken: Teo or Teoh in the Minnan/Teochew dialects, Chong in Hakka, Cheong in Cantonese and many other spellings based on the romanisation of the Chinese dialects used. The corresponding Korean surname is 장 which is frequently transliterated as Jang or Chang. Some confusion arises with the surnames Zhuang (莊) and Jiang (蔣) that are also written as 장 in Korean, and which are also frequently transliterated as Jang or Chang. The corresponding Vietnamese version is Trương or Trang.
Another Zhang, 章, is a less common surname which also has the same pronunciation of Zhāng in Mandarin, Cheung in Cantonese, and Jang in Korean. However, this name is pronounced differently in Minnan (Chiong) than Tiuⁿ (張). Likewise, the Vietnamese can clearly distinguish this name, pronounced Chương, or Trang from Trương (張).

Character analysis

The character (張) comprises 弓 (gōng -- a bow used in warfare) and 长 (cháng or zhǎng -- "length" "long" or "to grow," though it's probably the latter that contributes to the notion of an expanding bow). Appropriately, the ancient form of this character uses 巨 (jù -- huge, towering) in place of 长, thereby suggesting an even more concrete idea; this form is considered today to be that of an ancient variant which has since faded from everyday usage. Zhāng's literal translation is "to open forth", or "to spread", although its common use is a measure word for (relatively) flat objects such as paper and mattresses.

History of the surname (張)

The origin of the surname Zhang is legendary. The fifth son of Huāng Dì (Emperor), the legendary supreme ancestor of all Han Chinese, was Qīng Yáng Shì (青阳氏). Qīng Yáng Shì's son Huī (挥) was inspired by the Chinese Arc Constellation -- Tiān Gōng Xīng (天弓星) in the sky and invented the bow. Later Hui was assigned as Gōng Zhèng (弓正), the minister in charge of observing the Arc Constellation and making bows. Then Hui and his descendants were bestowed the surname Zhang, which, if broken into its constituent radicals, would mean "the master of bows" in Chinese. It is believed that the ancestors of Zhangs were archers and the bow as a totem of their tribe.
Zhang had also been a surname by which Manchus and Mongolians chose to sinicize their names since the beginning of the Republic (1912).

Prominent people with Chinese family name 張/张

Entertainment

Chang, Fei, Taiwanese talk-show host, more commonly known as Fei Ge
Chang, Hui Mei, Taiwanese singer/ Tribal Princess
Chang, Jeff, Taiwanese singer
Chang, Phil, Taiwanese singer-songwriter and TV presenter
Chang Yu-Sheng (1966 – 1997), Taiwanese singer and producer
Chang Chen-yue, Taiwanese rock musician
Cheung, Cecilia, actress and singer from Hong Kong
Cheung, Jacky, actor and singer
Cheung, Leslie (1956 – 2003), actor and singer
Cheung, Maggie or Zhang Man Yu (born 1964), actress
Cheung, Sharla, actress
Cheung Tak Lan, singer
Teoh Lai-Poh, Arianna, Miss Malaysia, 1997
Teoh, Lina, Miss Malaysia, 1998
Zhang Liyin, Chinese singer but a Korean artist. Part of SM Entertainment.
Zhang Yang, Chinese film director
Zhang Yimou (born 1950), Chinese film director

Literature, writing, journalism

Chang, Iris (1968 – 2004), American writer

Chang, Jung or Zhang Rong (born 1952), author of Wild Swans

Zhang Ailing or Eileen Chang (1920 – 1995), female romantic story writer

Zhang Chengzhi (born 1948), writer

Zhang Dai (1597 – 1689) Ming dynasty essayist, historian.

Zhang Xiguo or Chang Hsi-kuo (born 1944), Taiwanese science fiction author

Sports

Chang, Michael (born 1972), tennis player

Zhang, Caroline, figure skater

Zhang Dan (born 1985) and Zhang Hao (born 1984), figure skaters. Won silver in Pairs and at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Zhang Juanjuan, athlete

Zhang Liangliang, Olympian, foil fencer

Zhang Ning (born 1975), badminton player

Zhang Yuning (born 1977), footballer aka Chinese David Beckham

Government, military

Teo Chee Hean, Singaporean Defence Minister

Zhang Aiping, Communist Party of China general

Zhang Chunqiao (1917 – 2005), member of the Gang of Four

Zhang Fei (167 – 221), military leader in the period of Three Kingdoms

Zhang Hongfan (1238-1280), Yuan Dynasty general

Zhang Liang, aide of Liu Bang. His ancestors were the ministers of State of Han

Zhang Liao, general of Wei during Three Kingdoms period

P. C. Chang (Zhāng Péngchūn) (1892-1957), Chinese scholar, diplomat, and drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Zhang Tingyu (1672 – 1755), Qing Dynasty politician

Zhang Tian Australian politician, Acting Member for Moreton and former Transport Minister

Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang (1901 – 2001), Manchurian warlord

Zhang Yang, northern warlord Three Kingdoms Period

Zhang Yi (died 309 B.C.), strategist during the Warring States Period

Zhang Yi, military general of the Kingdom of Shu during the period of Three Kingdoms.

Zhang Zhidong, Late-Qing Dynasty politician

Zhang Zizhong, military leader

Zhang Zongchang, (1881 – 1932), warlord in Shandong

Zhang Zuolin or Chang Tso-lin (1873 – 1928), Manchurian warlord, Zhang Xueliang's father

Zhang Jue Miao, lady of unmatched beauty and daughter of warlord Zhang Da Quan; the only female warrior in her time

Zhang Wentian, an important leader of Chinese Communist Party.

Others

Chang, Victor, surgeon

Zhang Shuanglin, prominent statistical genetician

Zhang, Dong-Yue "Cecilia", kidnapping and murder victim

Zhang Guo Lao, one of the Eight Immortals

Zhang Wen Bin, one of the phenomenon figure in Borneo 1889-1956

Zhang Hanyun, Super Girl

Zhang Heng or Chang Heng (78 – 139), astronomer and mathematician

Zhang Hongbao (1954 – 2006), businessman and founder of Zhong Gong

Zhang Qian or Chang Ch'ien (†113 B.C.), spent 12 years starting in 138 BC exploring much of Central Asia for Emperor Han Wu Di

Zhang Sanfeng or Chang San-Feng, semi-mythical Taoist master

Zhang Yang UMIST senior lecturer

Zhang Zilin, Miss World 2007

The Cheung family, active maintainers of the famous TheCheung.com

Prominent people with Chinese family name 章

Chang, John H., Taiwanese politician

Zhang Binglin, Phonologist

Zhang Zhong (born 1978), Chess player

Zhang Jun (born 1977), Badminton player

Zhang Ziyi (born 1979), Actress Zhang Ze duan- artist of the along the river during the qing ming festival.

Prominent people with Korean family name 장 (張/章)

Prominent people with Vietnamese family name Trương (張)

Truong My Hoa, Vice President of Viet Nam

Truong Dinh Tuyen, Min. of Trade of Viet Nam

Truong Vinh Trong, Viet Nam Dep. Prime Min.

Truong Van Cam-better known as Nam Cam, a famous Vietnamese gangster and former soldier

Others

Chang, Cho, fictitious character in the Harry Potter novels

P.F. Chang's China Bistro, a United States restaurant chainFurther Information

Get more info on 'Zhang'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://zhang__surname.totallyexplained.com">Zhang (surname) Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.