Ben (surname)

Ben
The Bēn character in small seal script
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinBēn
Wade–GilesPên1
IPA[pə́n]
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingBan1
Southern Min
Hokkien POJHûn
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese/bʉi/

Ben (trad. 賁, simp. 贲) is a Chinese surname meaning "bright, energetic".[1][2] It is romanized Pên in Wade–Giles, or Ban in Cantonese romanization. According to a 2013 study, it was not one of the top 400 surnames in modern China.[3] It is the 179th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.[4]

  1. ^ 汉英词典. 外语教学与研究出版社. December 29, 1995. ISBN 9787560007397 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "My China Roots". www.mychinaroots.com.
  3. ^ Yuan Yida (袁义达), Qiu Jiaru, 邱家儒. 中国四百大姓. Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013
  4. ^ K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1285-9.