Interpretation of the Bu (卜) Totem

【Meaning】 The character Bu (卜) refers to divination, a ritual practice during the Yin and Zhou dynasties where tortoise shells or oracle bones were scorched with fire to predict good or bad fortune. In Oracle Bone Script, the vertical line of the character "Bu" represents the "main crack" (Zhao Gan), while the horizontal line represents the "branch crack" (Zhao Zhi) formed during the ritual.

【Origin】 The surname Bu originated from official titles and professional occupations. It is a clan name derived from the skills of ancient diviners:

1. From the Si (姒) Surname: Traced back to the shamans serving under Xia Qi (the second monarch of the Xia Dynasty); they adopted their official role as their surname.

2. From the Ji (姬) Surname: Descended from Teng Shuxiu, a son of King Wen of Zhou. Teng Shuxiu served as a divination official, and his descendants adopted the surname Bu.

3. Official Titles: In the Shang and Zhou courts, the high official in charge of divination was called the Taibu (Grand Diviner), a rank equivalent to a senior official (Dafue). Their subordinates were known as Buren (Divination People), and their descendants also took Bu as their surname.

Clan Archives

• Founding Ancestor: Clan Bu (Descendants of King Wen of Zhou)

• Ancestral Birthplace: Anyang, Henan

• County & Hall Names: Henan, Xihe, Wuling; Xihe Hall

• Current Ranking / Population: 210th / Approximately 510,000

• Song Dynasty Rank: Beyond the top 300

• Existing Genealogies: 16 volumes

卜氏圖騰與家族淵源

一、 【釋義】圖騰意義

• 本義：「卜」是指占卜。在殷商與周朝時期，這是一種透過火灼龜甲，觀察其裂紋來預測吉凶的行為。

• 字形解析：在甲骨文中，「卜」字的豎畫代表裂紋的主幹（兆干），橫畫則代表分出的支紋（兆枝）。

二、 【起源】血脈傳承

卜姓主要源於古代從事占卜職業的官員或家族，屬於以官職或技藝為氏：

1. 源於姒姓：出自夏朝君主夏啟屬下的巫師（占卜官），其後代以官職為氏。

2. 源於姬姓：出自周文王的兒子滕叔繡之後。滕叔繡曾擔任占卜之官，其後裔以此為姓。

3. 源於官位名稱：商周朝廷中負責占卜的長官稱為「太卜」，地位相當於大夫；其屬官稱為「卜人」，這些人的後代皆以「卜」為姓。

三、 家族檔案

項目

內容詳述

得姓始祖

卜氏（周文王後裔、滕叔繡）

始祖發源地

河南安陽

郡望堂號

河南、西河、武陵；西河堂

當今排序 / 人口

第 210 位 / 約 51 萬

宋版百家姓排序

300 位之後

現存家譜

16 部