許氏圖騰釋義 

【釋義】 許，本義為認可、同意、應允。許從言、從午。「言」本義是說話，與言組成的字一定與言語、言論有關；「午」本義是杵，甲骨文中「午」字是舂米的搗杵，因此「午」字延伸有抵觸、違反之含義。 

【起源】 上古有一位高潔清節之士叫許由，相傳堯要把君位讓給他，他逃到箕山（今河南登封），農耕而食；堯又請他做九州長官，他到潁水邊洗耳，表示不願聽到。許由的後代以其名字為姓，是最早的許姓。西周初，炎帝後裔伯夷的裔孫姜文叔被封於許地（今河南許昌）建立許國，至戰國初期被楚國滅掉，子孫以國為氏，又形成一批許氏。

• 始祖地： 河南許昌、登封

• 郡望堂號： 高陽、汝南；洗耳堂

• 當今排序／人口： 第26位／約881萬

• 宋版百家姓排序： 第20位

• 現存家譜： 706部

Interpretation of the Xu Clan Totem 

[Definition] The original meaning of "Xu" (許) is to approve, agree, or promise. The character is composed of "Yan" (言 - speech) and "Wu" (午). "Yan" refers to speaking; thus, characters containing this radical are related to language or discourse. "Wu" originally referred to a pestle; in Oracle Bone Script, "Wu" depicted a pestle used for hulling rice. Consequently, "Wu" also carries extended meanings of conflict or opposition.

[Origin] In ancient times, there was a man of high integrity named Xu You. Legend has it that Emperor Yao offered to abdicate the throne to him, but Xu You fled to Mount Ji (present-day Dengfeng, Henan) to live as a farmer. When Yao later invited him to be the governor of the Nine Provinces, Xu You went to the banks of the Ying River to wash his ears, signifying his refusal to even hear such a worldly proposal. His descendants took his name as their surname, forming the earliest Xu lineage. Additionally, in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Jiang Wenshu (a descendant of Boyi, who was himself a descendant of the Yan Emperor) was enfeoffed in the land of Xu (present-day Xuchang, Henan) to establish the State of Xu. After the state was destroyed by the State of Chu in the early Warring States period, the people adopted the state's name as their surname, forming another branch of the Xu clan.

• Ancestral Homeland: Xuchang and Dengfeng, Henan

• Prefectural Seats (Junwang) and Hall Names: Gaoyang, Ru'nan; Xi'er Hall (Hall of Ear Washing)

• Current Ranking / Population: 26th / Approx. 8.81 million

• Song Dynasty "Hundred Family Surnames" Rank: 20th

• Extant Genealogical Records: 706 volumes