Cen is the Mandarin

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

romanization of the

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, 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, ...

written in

Chinese character Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only on ...

. It is romanized Ts'en in

Wade–Giles Wade–Giles ( ) is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from the system produced by Thomas Francis Wade during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert Giles's '' A Chinese–English Dictionary'' ...

, and variously as Sam, Sum, Sham, Shum in

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

, Gim, Khim, Chim in

Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien ( , ), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taigi ( zh, c=臺語, tl=Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Southern Min ( zh, c=臺灣閩南語, tl=Tâi-uân Bân-lâm-gí), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively ...

and Chen in other pinyin forms. Cen is listed 67th in the Song dynasty classic text '' Hundred Family Surnames''. As of 2008, it is the 235th most common surname in China, shared by 340,000 people. Cen is considered a rare surname. A person with a rare surname like Cen may be able to trace his or her origins to a single ancestral area. Eliza Sam 2014

Notable people

* Cen Peng ( 岑彭; died 36 AD).

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

general. * Cen Hun ( 岑昏; died 280). Government Minister of

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

. * Cen Derun ( 岑德潤; circa 5th - 6th century), Southern Dynasties poet. * Cen Wenben ( 岑文本; 595–645). Viscount Xian of Jiangling,

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

chancellor. * Cen Changqian ( 岑長倩; died 691), Tang dynasty chancellor, nephew of Cen Wenben. * Cen Xi ( 岑羲; died 713), Tang dynasty chancellor, grandson of Cen Wenben. * Cen Shen (岑參; 715–770), Tang dynasty poet. * Cen Yuying ( 岑毓英; 1829–1889).

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

Governor-General of

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

, Minister of Defense. * Cen Yubao ( 岑毓报; 1841–?). Qing dynasty Viceroy of

, younger brother of Cen Yuying. * Cen Chunming ( 岑春蓂; 1868-1944). Qing dynasty Hankow Taotai. Later governor of Jiangxi, Guizhou and Hunan, son of Cen Yuying. * Cen Guangyue ( 岑光樾; 1876–1960), artist * Cen Zhongmian ( 岑仲勉; 1885–1961), historian * Cen Qixiang ( 岑麒祥; 1903–1989). Linguist * Cen Feilong ( 岑飛龍; 1905–1997). Painter and calligrapher * Cen Kefa ( 岑可法; born 1935), physicist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering * Cen Zhangzhi ( 岑章志; born 1946), physicist, Vice-President of Tsinghua University * Cen Zeliu ( 岑泽鎏; 1912–1941), ace fighter pilot of Chinese Air Force during the War of Resistance-World War II, war hero and martyr * John Shum or Cen Jianxun (born 1952). Hong Kong actor and film producer * Cen Xu (born 1952),

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

of the PLA Navy * Sam Hou Fai or Cen Haohui ( 岑浩輝, born 1962), President of the Court of Final Appeal of Macau * Shum Kwok Pui or Cen Guopei ( 岑國培; born 1970), Hong Kong football player * Harry Shum Jr. ( 岑勇康; born 1982), Costa Rica-born Chinese-American actor and dancer in '' Glee'' * Cen Nanqin (born 1983), Female slalom canoer. Won gold medal in 2014 Asian Games in Woman's Slalom C-1 event. * Eliza Sam (born 1984). Chinese-Canadian actress based in Hong Kong * Yoyo Shum ( 岑寧兒; born 1984). Hong Kong singer, son of John Shum * Lester Shum (岑敖暉), Former Deputy Secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students

Cen clan of Guangxi

In Imperial China, large parts of

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

and

were ruled by the local tusis of Cen clan, such as Tianzhou or the Sicheng native prefecture (''Sicheng tufu''). The Cens are ethnic Zhuang, but how and when they became Zhuang is unclear. Genealogies from Ming and Qing dynasties state that the founding ancestor is Cen Zhongshu, the Song general from Zhejiang. Prominent members include: * Cen Zhongshu ( 岑仲淑; 1015–1077). Song dynasty general * Cen Shumuhan ( 岑恕木罕; circa 1340), aka: Cen Numuhan. In 1340, he was granted hereditary control over the Sicheng region in Guangxi by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty Emperor Toghon Temür. He was given the title of Khan. In Chinese he was known as and used the word Han (汗) which is a derivative of the word Khan, which means "Supreme Ruler" of his territory. He had a younger brother named Cen Tiemur ( 岑鐵木兒). * Cen Boyan ( 岑柏颜; circa 1368), aka: Cen Bayan (岑百眼) or Cen Baiyan (岑百眼). He was known as and used the given name of the famous Mongolian generals named Bayan. In 1368, he surrendered to the advancing forces of the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, and as a route commander his command was changed to a prefecture and he was granted a seal and appointed a Tianzhou Prefectural Magistrate. * Cen Tianbao ( 岑天保; circa 1368). In 1368, he surrendered to the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, and was made the Prefect of Tianzhou, Guangxi. He and the Cen clan had ancestors with Mongolian-style names due to their closed military, economic, social, and political ties with them * Cen Meng ( 岑猛; 1496–1527). Chief of Tianzhou, Guangxi. Raised 100,000 man army of Han, Tang and Zhuang to defend area against Ming army colonization of Southern China.The Last Campaigns of Wang Yangming, by Leo K. Shin (University of British Columbia). * Cen Yidong (?–1789), Qing dynasty tusi of Tianzhou, Guangxi * Cen Chunxuan (1861–1933), Qing dynasty Viceroy of Liangguang * Cen Deguang (1897–1945), politician of the Wang Jingwei regime, son of Cen Chunxuan

References

External links

Cen on ancestry.com

CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5C91
- Wiktionary on

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

information,

glyph A glyph ( ) is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A ...

origin and dialectal pronunciation {{DEFAULTSORT:Cen Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames