Explanation of the Xie Clan Totem

Meaning

The original meaning of Xie (谢) is to withdraw or to retire.

By extension, it also carries meanings such as to decline, to refuse, or to wane.

In ancient script, the character conveys the idea of stepping back or leaving.

Origin

The Xie surname traces back to the Ren (任) lineage and the ancient State of Xie.

According to tradition, Yuyang, a younger son of the Yellow Emperor, established ten small states, the first of which was Xie.

This early State of Xie, belonging to the Ren clan, was located in the region of modern Tanghe and Nanyang in Henan.

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, it remained a small and relatively weak state.

In the late Western Zhou period, King Xuan of Zhou relocated his maternal uncle Shen Bo from the region between modern Shanxi and Shaanxi and re‑enfeoffed him in Xie, extinguishing the original State of Xie.

On its former territory, he established Xie City, which became the new capital of the State of Shen.

After the fall of the original Xie state, its descendants adopted Xie as their surname.

Later, in 688 BCE, the State of Shen was conquered by the State of Chu.

The descendants of Shen adopted Shen as their surname, but those who continued living in the capital Xie City took the name of the city as their surname, becoming the Xie clan.

Ancestral Founder of the Surname

Shen Bo

Ancestral Homeland

• Tanghe, Henan

• Nanyang (Xie City), Henan

Prominent Clans / Halls

• Chen Commandery, Kuaiji

• Chenliu Hall, Weihuai Hall

Modern Ranking / Population

• 23rd most common surname in China

• Approximately 10.1 million people

Ranking in the Song Dynasty’s Hundred Family Surnames

• 34th

Existing Genealogies

• 649 volumes preserved today