Cai (surname)

"Tsai" redirects here. For the less common surname, see Zai (surname).
Cai
Chinese name
Chinese 蔡
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet Thái or Sái
Korean name
Hangul 채
Japanese name
Hiragana さい

Cài[nb 1] (Chinese: 蔡) is a Chinese surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. It is regionally more common in China's Fujian Province and in countries settled by ethnic Chinese from that province than in China as a whole. The surname is the 34th most common surname in China,[1] but the 9th most common in Taiwan, where it is usually romanized as Tsai,[2] and the 8th most common in Singapore, where it is usually romanized as Chua, which is based on Hokkien pronunciation.[3] It is also a common Cantonese name in Hong Kong where it is romanized as Choy, Choi or Tsoi, in Macao and Malaysia, it's spelled as Choi, in Malaysia and the Philippines as Chua, in Thailand as Chuo (ฉั่ว). Moreover, it is also romanized in Cambodia as either Chhay, Chhuor or Chhor among Chinese Cambodians.

History

See also: Cai (state)

The Cais are said to be the descendants of the 5th son of King Wen of Zhou, Ji Du. Ji Du was awarded the title of marquis (hóu) of the State of Cai (centered on what is now Shangcai, Zhumadian, Henan, China), and he was known as Cai Shu Du ("Uncle Du of Cai"). Together with Guan Shu and Huo Shu, they were known as the Three Guards. When King Wu died, his son King Cheng was too young and his uncle, the Duke of Zhou, became regent. Seeing that the power of the Duke of Zhou was increasing, the Three Guards got jealous and rebelled against Zhou together with Wu Geng. The Duke of Zhou suppressed the rebellion, and Cai Shu was exiled. King Cheng reestablished Cai Shu’s son Wu or Hu as the new Duke of Cai. Some 600 years later in the Warring States period, the State of Chu conquered Cai in 447 BC and was itself conquered by the Qin state which, in turn, formed the Qin Empire, China's first empire. With the spread of family names to all social classes in the new empire, many people of the former state of Cai began to bear it as a surname.

The Cai descendants have undertaken two major migrations. During the Huang Chao Rebellion (AD 875) at the end of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), the Cai clan migrated to Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Another later migration occurred when Ming Dynasty loyalist Koxinga moved military officials surnamed Cai and their families to Taiwan in the 17th century. As a result, the surname is far more common in these areas and in areas settled by their descendants (e.g., Southeast Asia) than in other parts of China.

Transliteration and romanization

Chinese

Cai is written the same (蔡) in both simplified and traditional Chinese characters.

In Mandarin Chinese, the surname is transliterated as Cài in pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin, Ts'ai in Wade-Giles, and Tsay in Gwoyeu Romatzyh. In Southern Min or Taiwanese, it is Chhoà in Pe̍h-oē-jī. In Cantonese (Hong Kong and Macao), it is Coi3 in Jyutping and Choi in Yale. (This should not be confused with the predominantly Korean family name Choi which has a different Chinese character [崔]). In Hakka it is Tshai in Pha̍k-fa-sṳ. (In Tongyong pinyin, it is Cai in Siyen Hakka and Ca̱i in Hoiliuk Hakka.) In Fujian dialect, it is Chái (in Bàng-uâ-cê).

Other languages

Koreans use Chinese-derived family names and in Korean, Cai is 채 in Hangul, Chae in Revised Romanization, and Ch'ae in McCune-Reischauer. Vietnamese also use Chinese-derived family names and in Vietnamese, it is Thái or Sái. Japanese do not use Chinese family names but for Chinese in Japan who carry the name, it is さい in Hiragana and Sai in the major romanization systems.

Romanization

Cai is romanized as Cai in the People's Republic of China, Tsai (or occasionally Tsay or Chai) in the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Choi or Choy in Hong Kong and Malaysia. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, the most common forms are Chua for Hokkien and Teochew speakers, Chai for Hakka speakers, Choi for Cantonese speakers, and Toy or Toi for Taishanese speakers. In Indonesia it is usually romanized as Tjoa and in the Philippines it is Chua (locally /ˈtʃuwa/), Cua (locally /'kuwa/ or /kwa/). Chua is pronounced /ˈtʃwa/ in other Anglophone countries outside the Philippines.

Other variations include Chye, Coi, and Tsoi.

Derivative names

In addition, some of the Chuas (Cais) who resided in the Philippines adopted Spanish names to avoid persecution by the Spanish rulers during the Philippines' Spanish colonial rule from the early 16th to late 19th century. Hispanicized forms of the name include Chuachiaco, Chuakay, Chuapoco, Chuaquico, Chuacuco, Chuason, Chuateco, and Chuatoco.[4] These names were formed from the surname, one character of the given name, and the suffix "-co", a Minnan honorific ko (哥), literally meaning "older brother".[4]

In Thailand, most Thais of Chinese descendance use Thai surnames. Legislation by Siamese King Rama VI (1910-1925) required the adoption of Thai surnames which was largely directed at easing tensions with Chinese community by encouraging assimilation. Thai law did not (and does not) allow identical surnames to those already in existence,[5] so ethnic Chinese formerly surnamed Chua incorporating words that sound like "Chua" and have good meaning (such as Chai, meaning "victory") into much longer surnames.

Prominent people surnamed Cai

Cai Wenji, also known as Cai Yan, a Han Dynasty poet and composer

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The approximate pronunciation in English is /ˈtsaɪ/.

External links

References

  1. ↑ "新'百家姓'新鲜'出炉'" (Newest 100 Surnames). 2006 ranking. (Chinese)
  2. ↑ "Common Chinese Names." 2007 ranking.
  3. ↑ "Popular Chinese Surnames in Singapore." at Statisitics Singapore. 2000 ranking based on romanized form of Chua.
  4. 1 2 Hector Santos. Katálogo ng mga Apelyidong Pilipino (Catalog of Filipino Names).
  5. ↑ Kriengsak Niratpattanasai. "Why many Thais have a long surname." Thailand Tales column in the APMF Asian Business Strategy Ezine.
  6. ↑ 海をゆく巨龍：転換期の安保２０１０　中国で「沖縄返せ」の声（その２止）毎日新聞2010年8月18日東京版朝刊、
  7. ↑ 仲井真弘多後援會
  8. ↑ 大いなる遺産～進貢貿易と閩人三十六姓～
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