Qian (;

Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the city of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan langua ...

: ), also spelt Chin, Chien, Tsien, or Zee in

Wu Chinese , region = Shanghai, Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, parts of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces; overseas and migrant communities , ethnicity = Wu , speakers = million , date = 2021 , ref = e27 , fa ...

, is a common

Chinese family name Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the W ...

. The name literally means "

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

". Qian is listed at the second place in the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

text ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...

'', in the line 趙錢孫李 ( Zhao, Qian,

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

, Li). As the royal surname of the kingdom of

Wuyue Wuyue (; ) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China and one of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period#Ten Kingdoms, Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of History of China, Chinese history. It wa ...

, Qian was regarded as second only to Zhao, the imperial surname of the Song. As of 2008, Qian is the 96th most common surname in China, shared by 2.2 million people, with the province with the most people sharing the name being

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, an area formerly within the Wuyue kingdom.

Origins

According to the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

book, '' Tongzhi'', the Qian surname is descended from

Zhuanxu Zhuanxu (), also known as Gaoyang (), was a mythological emperor of ancient China. In the traditional account recorded by Sima Qian, Zhuanxu was a grandson of the Yellow Emperor. Association with Four Barbarians At the age of ten with Shao ...

, one of the legendary Five Emperors, via Pengzu, the founder of the Peng kingdom in modern-day

during the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

. A

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

official, Fu, was a descendant of Pengzu and served in the royal Treasury, the ''Qianfu'' ("Money Office"). His descendants adopted the surname "Qian", literally "money", from his title. Being descendants of the Peng kingdom, the Qian family originally congregated around Xiapi, in modern-day

. The surname spread from there, now has its highest concentration of it in the

Jiangnan Jiangnan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu ...

region. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960),

Qian Liu Qian Liu (10 March 852Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter

and his descendants ruled the independent kingdom of

in south-eastern China. Qian Liu had many sons, who were posted to different parts of his kingdom, greatly increasing the density of the Qian surname within the former territory of Wuyue. This area comprises today's

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, southern

and northern

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

. After Wuyue submitted to the

in 978, the last king moved to

Bianjing Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east- central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is most known for having been the Chin ...

, the Song capital in modern-day

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

. The Qian family was thereafter prominent at the Song court, with Qian Chu's son, Qian Weiyan, serving as a prominent

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

. During this period, the Qian family also spread to northern China.

Notable people

Pre-modern

* (1686–1774), Qing dynasty minister * Empress Qian (?–1468), wife of the

Zhengtong Emperor , succession = Emperor of the Ming dynasty , reign-type = First reign , reign = 31 January 1435 – 22 September 1449 , coronation = 7 February 1435 , cor-type = Enthronement , regent = , reg-type = Regents , ...

of Ming *

Qian Qi Qian Qi (; 710–782) was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. Three of his poems have been included within the famous anthology '' Three Hundred Tang Poems''. His courtesy name was Zhongwen (). Poetry Qian Qi's poems as collected in ''Three Hundr ...

(錢起) (710–782), Tang dynasty poet * The royal family of

, especially: **

Qian Chu Qian Chu (29 September 929 – 7 October 988), courtesy name Wende, known as Qian Hongchu before 960, also known by his posthumous name as the King Zhongyi of Wuyue, was the last king of Wuyue during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period o ...

(錢俶) (929–988), last king **

Qian Liu Qian Liu (10 March 852Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter

(錢鏐) (852–932), founder *

Qian Qianyi Qian Qianyi (; Suzhou dialect: ; 1582–1664) was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician during the late Ming dynasty.Cihai: Page 1704. Qian was a famous author and poet; and along with Gong Dingzi and Wu Weiye was known as one of the Three M ...

(钱谦益) (1582–1664), Ming dynasty official and author * (1791–1863), Qing dynasty bibliophile, official *

Qian Weiyan Qian Weiyan(, 977 – September 3, 1034) was a Chinese politician and poet. He was the 14th son of the last king of Wuyue Qian Hongchu and the great grandson of Qian Liu. He was best known for his literary style "Xikun style" which features the us ...

(钱惟演) (962–1034), Song Chancellor, Duke * (1783–1850), Qing dynasty official, geographer * (1824–1902), Qing dynasty official, Grand Councillor

Modern

* Sung Shu Chien (钱崇澍) (1883–1965), botanist *

Ch'ien Mu Ch'ien Mu or Qian Mu (; 30 July 1895 – 30 August 1990) was a Chinese historian, philosopher and writer. He is considered to be one of the greatest historians and philosophers of 20th-century China. Ch'ien, together with Lü Simian, Chen Yink ...

(錢穆) (1895–1990), historian *

Qian Baojun Qian may refer to: *Cash (Chinese coin), a circular copper coin with a square hole in the center used from the 4th century BCE to the 20th century CE *Guizhou, abbreviated as ''Qián'' (黔), province of China *Mace (unit), or Qian, one of the Chi ...

(钱宝钧) (1907–1996), polymer chemist and educator, co-founder of

Donghua University Donghua University (DHU, ) is a public university in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The university is part of the Double First-Class Construction and Project 211. Formerly known as China Textile Universit ...

Chin Harn Tong Chin Harn Tong ''alias'' Chee Han Tong (; born 8 September 1937) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the ruling People's Action Party, Chin was a Member of Parliament for Aljunied SMC and later Aljunied GRC. In 1996, Chin retired ...

(钱翰琮) (born 1937), Singaporean politician *

Chin Ka-lok Chin Ka-lok, sometimes credited as Chin Kar-lok ( Chinese: 錢嘉樂, Pinyin: Qián Jiālè, born 6 August 1965), is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, and television presenter. Chin was born in Hong Kong, the younger brother of actor an ...

(錢嘉樂) (born 1965), Hong Kong actor and action choreographer *

Fredrick Chien Chien Foo (; born 21 March 1935), also known by his English name Fredrick Foo Chien, is a Taiwanese diplomat and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Control Yuan, president of the Control Yuan from 1999 to 2005. After earning ...

(錢復) (born 1935), Republic of China politician, diplomat *

Qian Changzhao Qian Changzhao (; November 2, 1899 – October 14, 1988) was a Chinese politician, who served as the vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) i ...

(1899–1988), industrialist and politician *

Qian Liren Qian Liren (born 20 August 1924) () is a Chinese politician, diplomat, and translator. Qian had a distinguished career in foreign affairs, and was China's first ambassador to UNESCO, in addition to being the head of the International Department o ...

(錢李仁) (born 1924), People's Republic of China politician, diplomat * Qian Nairong (born 1945), linguist * Qian Nancy (钱楠筠) (born 1978), economist, Northwestern University Professor *

Qian Qichen Qian Qichen (; 5 January 1928 – 9 May 2017) was a Chinese diplomat and politician. He served as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo member from 1992 to 2002, China's Foreign Minister from April 1988 to March 1998, and as Vice Premier fr ...

(钱其琛) (1928–2017), Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China *

Qian Sanqiang Qian Sanqiang (; October 16, 1913 – June 28, 1992), also known as Tsien San-Tsiang, was a Chinese nuclear physics, nuclear physicist and among the leading scientists of the Two Bombs, One Satellite program. Due to his central role in the deve ...

(钱三强) (1913–1992), nuclear physicist *

Chien Shih-Liang Chien Shih-Liang aka S. L. Chien (; 1908–1983), was a Taiwanese chemist who served as the President of the Academia Sinica. A graduate of Tsinghua University and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, he also served as President of Na ...

(錢思亮) (1908–1983), chemist and educator * Qian Weichang (錢偉長) (1913–2010), physicist and mathematician * (born 1966), Tibetologist and Indologist, Fudan University professor * Qian Xingcun (钱杏邨, 1900–1977), Chinese writer and literary critic *

Qian Xiuling Qian Xiuling (13 March 1913 – 1 August 2008), or Siou-Ling Tsien de Perlinghi, was a Chinese people in Belgium, Chinese-Belgian scientist who won a medal for saving nearly 100 lives during World War II in Belgium. She had a street named after ...

(錢秀玲; 1912–2008), Chinese emigrant to Belgium who helped save hundreds of Belgians from execution by the Nazi *

Qian Xuantong Qian Xuantong (188717 January 1939) was a Chinese linguist and writer considered to be a leading figure of the Doubting Antiquity School, along with Gu Jiegang. He was a professor of literature at National Peking University. Biography Bor ...

(錢玄同) (1887–1939), linguist *

Qian Xuesen Qian Xuesen ( zh, s=钱学森; December 11, 1911October 31, 2009; also spelled as Tsien Hsue-shen) was a Chinese aerospace engineer and cyberneticist who made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics and established engineering ...

(Tsien Hsue-shen) (錢學森) (1911–2009), rocket scientist and physicist * Qian Ying (1903–1973), People's Republic of China politician * Qian Ying (錢英) Chinese politician * Qian Qihu (钱七虎) (born 1937), military engineer *

Qian Yunlu Qian Yunlu (; born October 1944) is a retired Chinese politician. He served as the Communist Party chief of Heilongjiang province in Northeastern China and Guizhou province in southwest China. He also served as Governor of Guizhou. Qian Yunlu wa ...

(钱运录) (born 1944), People's Republic of China politician * Qian Wen-yuan (1936–2003), Chinese-American physicist and historian *

Qian Zhengying Qian Zhengying (; 4 July 1923 – 22 October 2022) was a Chinese hydrologist and politician. Biography She was born in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. Her father trained as an engineer in the United States before returning to China; some sources re ...

(钱正英) (1923–2022), hydrologist, People's Republic of China politician * (1900–1994), Minister of Light Industry and Minister of Textile Industry * Qian Zhijun (钱志君) (born 1987), actor and subject of the "Little Fatty" internet meme * (born 1960), former President of

China National Nuclear Corporation The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC; ) is a state-owned enterprise founded in 1955 in Beijing. CNNC's president and vice-president are appointed by the Premier of the People's Republic of China. CNNC oversees all aspects of China's civ ...

Qian Zhongshu Qian Zhongshu (November 21, 1910 – December 19, 1998), also transliterated as Ch'ien Chung-shu or Dzien Tsoong-su, was a Chinese literary scholar and writer. He was known for his satirical novel '' Fortress Besieged''; his erudite, rarefied n ...

(錢鍾書) (1910–1998), scholar and writer *

Qian Zhuangfei Qian Zhuangfei (; September 25, 1895 – April 1935) was a Chinese doctor, film director and a secret agent for the Chinese Communist Party. After the Kuomintang (KMT) began its suppression of the Communists in 1927, Qian infiltrated the KMT secr ...

(1895–1935), Chinese intelligence agent *

Robert Tienwen Chien Robert Tienwen Chien (; November 20, 1931 – December 8, 1983) was an American computer scientist concerned largely with research in information theory, fault-tolerance, and artificial intelligence (AI), director of the Coordinated Science Labo ...

(錢天問) (1931–1983), American Computer Scientist, University of Illinois Professor, Director of Coordinated Science Laboratory *

Ronny Chieng Ronny Xin Yi Chieng ( zh, s=钱信伊, p=Qián Xìnyī) is a Malaysian-born American comedian and actor. He is a senior correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show'', and he created and starred in the sitcom '' Ronny Chieng: Internatio ...

(錢信伊), Malaysian Chinese standup comedian and actor *

Roger Y. Tsien Roger Yonchien Tsien (Chinese: 錢永健'';'' February 1, 1952 – August 24, 2016) was an American biochemist. He was a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemi ...

(錢永健) (1952–2016), biologist, 2008 Nobel Prize winner *

Shu Chien Shu Chien (; born June 23, 1931) is a Taiwanese-American physiology, physiologist and bioengineer. His work on the fluid dynamics of blood flow has had a major impact on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as atheroscle ...

(錢煦) (born 1931), biological scientist and engineer * Tsien Tsuen-hsuin (錢存訓) (1909–2015), sinologist, University of Chicago professor *

Qian Min Qian Min (; 9 August 1915 – 6 January 2016) was a Chinese politician. He was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu. He was the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary and Mayor of Chongqing. References

1915 births 2016 deaths 20th-century ma ...

(钱敏) (1927–2019), mathematical physicist, winner of the 11th Hua Luogeng Prize in Mathematics *

Joe Z. Tsien Joe Z. Tsien（钱卓） is a neuroscientist who pioneered Cre/lox-neurogenetics in the mid-1990s, a versatile toolbox for neuroscientists to study the complex relationships between genes, neural circuits, and behaviors. He is also known as the crea ...

(钱卓) (born 1962), Neuroscientist and geneticist, the pioneer of Cre/lox neurogenetics and the creator of smart mouse Doogie. He is also known for his Theory of Connectivity regarding the basic logic of brain computation and the origin of intelligence. * Chang-Kan Chien (1904–1940) Engineer, builder of Hangzhou bridge, bridges on the Burma Road during WWII. Was killed by Japanese fighter planes during the war. *

Qian Kun WayV ( zh, s=威神V, hp=WēiShén V; ; an acronym for We are your Vision) is a Chinese boy band and the fourth overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, managed by SM's Chinese sub-label, Label V. The group is currently composed of ...

(钱锟) (born 1996) Singer, member of South Korean group NCT and its Chinese sub-unit

WayV WayV ( zh, s=威神V, hp=WēiShén V; ; an acronym for We are your Vision) is a Chinese boy band and the fourth overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT (group), NCT, managed by SM Entertainment, SM's Chinese sub-label, Label V. The gr ...

(威神V)

Meanings of ''Qian'' (钱/錢)

* A type of farm tool, especially an iron

spade A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...

. *

Ancient Chinese coinage Ancient Chinese coinage includes some of the earliest known coins. These coins, used as early as the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE), took the form of imitations of the cowrie shells that were used in ceremonial exchanges. The s ...

, especially copper coins. * Cost, expense, fee, etc., derived from its meaning related to Chinese coinage. * Meaning of property, derived from its meaning related to Chinese coinage. * Small round objects similar to a coin, derived from its meaning related to Chinese coinage. * Mace, a traditional mass unit of

Chinese units of measurement Chinese units of measurement, known in Chinese as the ''shìzhì'' ("market system"), are the traditional units of measurement of the Han Chinese. Although Chinese numerals have been decimal (base-10) since the Shang dynasty, Shang, several Chine ...

, equaling to one tenth of one

tael Tael ( ),"Tael" entry
at the

汉典：钱的解释
/ref>

References

{{Reflist Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames Kyōiku kanji