Cen (surname)

Updated on Dec 18, 2024

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Language(s) Chinese Word/Name China		Language(s) Old Chinese Meaning Steep hill, mountain

Pronunciation Cén (Mandarin)Sum (Cantonese) Variant(s) Ts'en, Tsen, Sam, Shum, Sum

Cen is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 岑 in Chinese character. It is romanized Ts'en in Wade–Giles, and variously as Shum, Sam, Sum in Cantonese, and Chen in other pinyin forms. Cen is listed 67th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. As of 2008, it is the 235th most common surname in China, shared by 340,000 people. Cen is considered a rare surname. A person with a rare surname like Cen may be able to trace his or her origins to a single ancestral area.

Notable people

Cen Zi (岑子爵; circa 1046 BC). His birth name was Ji Qu (姬渠), he was the son of Ji Yao (姬耀), and the nephew of Zhou King Wu (周武王), aka Ji Fa (姬發), who gave him the heritable title of Zi (子爵) for his assistance in helping to destroy the preceding Shang Dynasty. He was known as Cen Zi (岑子爵; Viscount of Cen). The area he ruled was named Cen Ting (岑婷), currently known as the City of Han District in Southern Shanxi (南山西). Later, the Cen clan moved to Hancheng, Shaanxi (韩城, 陕西). Subsequently, the Cen clan moved to Nanyang, Henan (南陽, 河南). It was in this area that the Cen clan flourished and their area was named the State of Cen (岑國) during the Warring States period. As generations passed, some of the Cen clan migrated to Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Guangxi. Afterwards some Cen moved to Jiangsu, and Shandong. Still later, a Song Dynasty military expedition brought additional members of the Cen clan to Guangxi from Zhejiang. At various times the Cen clan spread to Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, United States of America, and other parts of the world. Cen Zi was the common ancestor to all the Cen family.

Cen Peng (岑彭; died 36 AD). Han dynasty general.

Cen Zhi (岑桎; circa 168), aka: Cen Gongxiao (岑公孝; style name). Grand Administrator of Henan, previously served as an Officer of Merit, and was "One of the Eight Paragons of Jiangxia" (Wise ones).

Cen Hun (岑昏; died 280). Government Minister of Eastern Wu.

Cen Derun (岑德潤; circa 5th - 6th century). A noted poet of the Southern Dynasties between 420 AD to 589 AD. Archeologists said they have uncovered what is by far the country's oldest schoolwork, a text written in ancient characters. They stated that "The text is fragmentary but some characters are legible, including the words for 'water', 'go upstream' and the name Cen Derun." A school child in Xinjiang province practiced writing Cen Derun's poetry ("An Ode to the Fishes") three times in their school homework.

Cen Wenben (岑文本; 595–645). Viscount Xian of Jiangling, Tang dynasty chancellor.

Cen Changqian (岑長倩; died 691). Duke of Deng, Tang dynasty chancellor, nephew of Cen Wenben. Cen clan members during his time period began to migrate to Sichuan, Hubei, Guangxi and Zhejiang after Police Officer Lai Junchen, fraudulently produced evidence against him.

Cen Xi (岑羲; died 713). Duke of Xi, Tang dynasty chancellor, grandson of Cen Wenben.

Cen Shen (岑參; 715–770). Tang dynasty poet. He was born to a bureaucratic family in Nanyang (in today's Henan), but later moved to Jiangling, Jizhou (in today's Hubei) after the decline of the Cen clan. Some of his friends were famous poets. They were Li Bai, Du Fu, and Gao Shi. He also had another friend named Gao Xianzhi, the famous Tang general of Goguryeo descent. Cen Shen lived through the period from 755 through 763 when the An-Shi disturbances shook the land, spreading civil war, disaster, and all sorts of turmoil throughout the northern parts of China. During this period he held several assignments in the Central Asian outposts of the far-reaching Tang empire. Having supported the loyalist cause, he succeeded to a number of provincial posts under the restoration until his retirement in 768. He is considered to have begun the second branch of the Cen clan family in Sichuan province after he moved there. Cen Shen was a great-grandson of Cen Wenben.

Cen Jingchuan (岑__; Circa Song Dynasty). He originally lived in Nanyang, Henan, then moved to Zhejiang province. He is considered to have begun the third branch of the Cen clan family after

Cen Zhengshu (岑_淑; Circa Song Dynasty). He moved from Zhejiang province to Guangdong province. He is considered to have begun the fourth branch of the Cen clan family.

Cen Zhongshu (岑仲淑; 1015-1077). Song dynasty general, accompanied General Di Qing to quell mid-eleventh century rebellion in Guangxi He had three brothers. His two younger brothers were Cen Jishu (born 1017) and Cen Chunshu (born 1019). The two younger brothers stayed in Zhejiang, while his older brother named Cen Zhengshu, migrated to Guangdong province. They all were from Yuyao, Zhejiang Province. Cen Zhongshu is considered to have begun the fifth branch of the Cen clan family in Guangxi province. Some of the Cen clan of this branch later migrated to Guangdong and other provinces.

Cen Shixing (岑_; circa 1326). The Cen clan viewed certain areas of Southwest China as Cen country, but Yesün Temür, Mongolian Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty of China (1323-1328), did not. Cen Shixing raised a 60,000 man army of Han, Tang and Zhuang that consolidated and threatened Southwest China that displeased the emperor. The rising with considerable effort was put down. Yesün Temür was a great-great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan, and a great-grandson of Kublai Khan.

Cen Shumuhan (岑恕木罕; circa 1340), aka: Cen Numuhan. In 1340, he was granted hereditary control over the Sicheng region in Guangxi by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty Emperor Toghon Temür. He was given the title of Khan. In Chinese he was known as and used the word Han (汗) which is a derivative of the word Khan, which means "Supreme Ruler" of his territory. He had a younger brother named Cen Tiemur (岑鐵木兒).

Cen Boyan (岑柏颜; circa 1368), aka: Cen Bayan (岑百眼) or Cen Baiyan (岑百眼). He was known as and used the given name of the famous Mogolian generals named Bayan. In 1368, he surrendered to the advancing forces of the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, and as a route commander his command was changed to a prefecture and he was granted a seal and appointed a Tianzhou Prefectural Magistrate.

Cen Tianbao (岑天保; circa 1368). In 1368, he surrendered to the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, and was made the Prefect of Tianzhou, Guangxi. He and the Cen clan had ancestors with Mongolian-style names due to their closed military, economic, social, and political ties with them

Cen Meng (岑猛; 1496-1527). Chief of Tianzhou, Guangxi. Raised 100,000 man army of Han, Tang and Zhuang to defend area against Ming army colonization of Southern China.

Cen Wa Shi (岑__; 1498-1560). First of four wives of Cen Meng. General that applied Cen Military code to defend China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang's southeast shoreline against Japanese and Chinese pirates. A temple was built in the honor of Cen Wa Shi at Lung Zhou, Guangxi.

Cen Yuying (岑毓英; 1829–1889). Qing dynasty Governor-General of Yunnan-Guizhou, Minister of Defense. He also was given the noble title of baron by the Manchu Qing Dynasty emperor.

Cen Yubao (岑毓报; 1841–?). Qing dynasty Viceroy of Yunnan-Guizhou, younger brother of Cen Yuying.

Cen Chunxuan (岑春煊; 1861–1933). Qing dynasty Viceroy of Liangguang. In 1900, when the forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing to suppress the Boxer Rebellion, the Manchurian Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi fled from the capital and headed towards Xi'an. Cen led military forces from Gansu to Xi'an to protect the emperor and empress dowager, and was awarded the Imperial Yellow Jacket and earned the favour of the Empress Dowager. In 1902, he submitted a proposal to the throne to open up Mongol banner land for Han settlement and cultivation, and later in 1907, a plan for provincialising Mongolia in response to the threat of Russian aggression. Moreover, he envisioned the new policies of the state should integrate the Mongols into a strong, new China. The Manchu General-in-Chief of the Bordered Yellow Banner, name Yigu, consulted with Cen with respect to the cultivation and reclamation of land areas such as Chakhar banner of Mongolia. During Cen's stay in Tibet, one of his responsibilities as an imperial resident was to be the overseer of Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama. Southern China revolutionaries who were against Yuan Shikai, nominated Cen to be their grand marshall and issued a proclamation appointing Cen as President of the Republic of China. A price was put on his head by Yuan, and Cen had to flee to the South Sea. In 1916, after Yuan had previously shown signs of a dictator and later declared himself the Emperor of China, Cen became one of the main candidates to replace Yuan Shih Kai as President of the Republic of China. He was known as the Manchurian Tiger, and was a son of Cen Yuying.

Cen Chunming (岑春蓂; 1868-1944). Qing dynasty Hankow Taotai. Later governor of Jiangxi, Guizhou and Hunan, son of Cen Yuying.

Cen Guangyue (岑__; 1876 - 1960). Artist. A native of Shunde, Guangdong province, was a 'jinshi' of 1904. He later studied at Hosei University in Japan. Upon return, he was appointed a member of the imperial Hanlin Academy. When China became a Republic he relocated himself to Hong Kong, and was well known in his role as an educator. He was also a renowned calligrapher.

Cen Zhongmian (岑仲勉; 1885–1961). Historian

Cen Deguang (岑德广; 1897–?). Politician of the Wang Jingwei regime, son of Cen Chunxuan

Cen Qixiang (岑麒祥; 1903–1989). Linguist

Cen Feilong (岑飛龍; 1905–1997). Painter and calligrapher

Cen Fan or Sam Fan and Tsen Fan (岑__; 01/11/1925 to 01/23/2008). A director, actor and writer. He is a nephew of Cen Chunxuan and Cen Chunming.

Cen Neng or Sum Nung (岑能; 1925–2002). Was the only disciple of the great Wing Chun Master of Foshan Yuan Kay Shan (阮奇山).

Cen Kefa (岑可法; born 1935). Physicist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Cen Zhangzhi (岑章志; born 1946). Physicist, Vice-President of Tsinghua University

Cen Guohua (岑國華; born 1947?). President of the chamber of commerce of Guangzhou

John Shum or Cen Jianxun (born 1952). Hong Kong actor and film producer

Cen Xu (岑絏; born 1952). Vice Admiral of the PLA Navy

Justice Sam or Cen Haohui or Sam Hou Fai (岑浩輝) (born 1962). President of the Court of Final Appeal of Macau

Harry Shum or Cen Hongyong (born 1966). Executive Vice-President, Technology & Research, Microsoft

Shum Kwok Pui or Cen Guopei (岑國培; born 1970). Hong Kong football player

Harry Shum, Jr. or Cen Yongkang (岑勇康; born 1982). Actor and dancer in Glee

Cen Nanqin (岑__; born 09/26/1983). Female slalom canoer. Won gold medal in 2014 Asian Games in Woman's Slalom C-1 event.

Eliza Sam or Cen Lixiang (岑麗香; born 1984). Chinese-Canadian actress based in Hong Kong

Yoyo Shum (岑寧兒; born 1984). Hong Kong singer, son of John Shum

Lester Shum or Cen Aohui (岑敖暉). Student activist

References

Cen (surname) Wikipedia

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