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ArchivesRe: family surnames
in reply to a message by Sean Foglai
Just to add a bit to the Chinese Ing.
Wu is the Mandarin form, Ng (or Ing) is the Cantonese. These versions are written with the same characters and have the same origin and meaning. It's just that words can be pronounced very differently in the different versions of spoken Chinese.
Wu 1 is the name of an old city state, now represented by Kiangsu province, where Shanghai is situated. So we can identify this as a surname from a place name.
Wu 2 incorporates the numeral five (5) and it's anybody's guess what that means.
Wu is the Mandarin form, Ng (or Ing) is the Cantonese. These versions are written with the same characters and have the same origin and meaning. It's just that words can be pronounced very differently in the different versions of spoken Chinese.
Wu 1 is the name of an old city state, now represented by Kiangsu province, where Shanghai is situated. So we can identify this as a surname from a place name.
Wu 2 incorporates the numeral five (5) and it's anybody's guess what that means.
1