Interpretation of the Cao Clan Totem 

[Definition] In Oracle Bone Script, the character "Cao" (曹) depicts two people arguing, representing the opposing positions of a plaintiff and a defendant. The lower portion is "Yue" (曰 - to speak), indicating that two people are talking, disputing, or engaged in a lawsuit. Consequently, in ancient legal proceedings, the plaintiff and defendant were referred to as the "Two Caos."

[Origin] An, the fifth son of Lu Zhong (who was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu), was granted the surname Cao. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, An's descendant, Cao Xie, was enfeoffed in Zhu, establishing the State of Zhu (with its capital in present-day Zou County, Shandong). During the Warring States period, the State of Zhu was destroyed by the State of Chu; some descendants took the state name as their surname (Zhu), while others reverted to their ancestral surname (Cao). Additionally, Shu Zhenduo, the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou (Ji Fa), was enfeoffed in the land of Cao in the early Western Zhou, establishing the State of Cao with its capital at Taoqiu (present-day Dingtao, Shandong). After the state was conquered by the State of Song, the descendants adopted the state's name as their surname.

• Ancestral Founder: Cao An

• Ancestral Homeland: Zou County and Dingtao, Shandong

• Prefectural Seats (Junwang) and Hall Names: Qiaojun, Pengcheng; Qingjing Hall

• Current Ranking / Population: 30th / Approx. 7.91 million

• Song Dynasty "Hundred Family Surnames" Rank: 26th

• Extant Genealogical Records: 295 volumes