Chinese clan generation poem (字辈/字派) lookup. 30 major surnames + branches — Confucius (孔), Mencius, Zhu, Wang, Li, Zhang, Chen and more. Essential for root-tracing, naming, and genealogy work.
Chinese Clan Generation Poem Lookup (字辈查询)
How to use
Enter surname
Pinyin (Kong, Zhu) or Chinese character (孔, 朱) both work. This tool covers 30 major surnames' main branches.
Match the branch
Many surnames have multiple branches (e.g. Wang has Taiyuan branch + Langya branch). Generation poems differ — pick based on family history.
Read the poem
A 字辈 is a 4-/5-/7-character verse. Each character corresponds to one generation and appears as the middle character in that generation's given name.
Browse all
Below the search, all 30 branches are listed with origin region, founding dynasty, and full text.
Zibei (字辈) — 1000+ years of Chinese generational naming
Zibei (字辈), also called zipai or hangbei zipai, is a uniquely Chinese system of lineage-encoded naming. A clan adopts a 4-, 5-, or 7-character poem; each character corresponds to one generation and appears as a character (usually the middle one) in that generation\'s given names. At the first glance you can tell which generation someone belongs to — essential at family gatherings, ancestral hall ceremonies, and clan meetings.
Origins
The roots trace to the Zhou dynasty (1046 BC) zhāomù system (alternating generations on either side of the ancestral hall). It spread to scholar-officials and common households in the Northern Song (960-1127), peaked in the Ming — nearly every major Han clan adopted one.
"The Confucius family\'s zibei was personally decreed by Emperor Hongwu (founder of Ming): 「希言公彥承,弘聞貞尚胤...」 — and has continued unbroken for 20+ generations."
Four Sages share one zibei
By imperial decree (Ming + Qing), the four "Sage lineages" — Confucius (孔), Mencius (孟), Yan Hui (顏), Zengzi (曾) — share the same zibei. This is China\'s unique cross-surname zibei phenomenon: a Confucius 75th-gen descendant and a Mencius 75th-gen descendant are generational peers.
Practical use cases
(1) Root-tracing — overseas Chinese (esp. SG/MY/Indo/VN/TH) compare zibei to identify ancestral branch; (2) Naming — elders use the corresponding character to mark lineage continuity; (3) Genealogy work — zibei is the only generational marker in a lineage chart; without it generations get muddled.
SG/MY overseas Chinese zibei
Among 3-5 generation SG/MY Chinese, zibei use has faded in some families (particularly after English names replaced Chinese ones). But Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew communities retain it more strictly. Clan halls and clan associations still order seniority by zibei.
10 facts about Chinese generation poems
The Confucius zibei was personally decreed by Ming Emperor Hongwu (1351) — used continuously for 20+ generations to date.
The Four Sages (Kong/Meng/Yan/Zeng) share the same zibei — a uniquely Chinese cross-surname generational system.
Zibei traces to the Zhou dynasty's zhāomù system (1046 BC) — 3,000+ years of lineage encoding.
The Ming dynasty was the high point of zibei adoption — nearly every scholar-clan compiled one.
The Zhu zibei (Ming imperial) was personally composed by Zhu Yuanzhang to name all Ming imperial descendants.
Multiple branches: many major surnames (Wang, Li, Zhang, Chen) have several branches with different zibei — root-tracing requires identifying the correct one first.
When the zibei runs out, the clan elder commissions a new one — usually drafted by notable figures + feng shui masters + bazi practitioners jointly.
Women traditionally were not given zibei characters — modern families have begun using zibei for daughters too (a progressive change).
Hakka and Hokkien genealogies preserve zibei the most rigorously — overseas Chinese families especially treasure them.
The 30 branches here are a curated subset — China has 3,000+ distinct zibei across all surname branches.
Frequently Asked Questions
A zibei (字辈) is a poem where each character represents one generation and appears as a character in that generation's given names (usually the middle one). A clan uses the same poem to name many generations in sequence.
30 major branches — covers the most common surnames (Kong, Meng, Zhu, Wang, Li, Zhang, Chen, Lin, Huang, Liu, etc.) and their main lineages. Full zibei data requires the original family genealogy (族谱).
Major surnames have multiple branches (e.g. Wang has Taiyuan Wang + Langya Wang) — each branch was founded by a different ancestor and has its own zibei.
(1) Ask family elders; (2) Look at grandparent generation names (the middle character should be a zibei character); (3) Find the original family genealogy; (4) Contact a clan association (many in SG/MY).
Yes. Decreed by Ming Emperor Hongwu, expanded multiple times under the Qing. A truly unique-to-China phenomenon.
Traditionally no. But modern progressive families increasingly use zibei for daughters too — treating it as equal lineage continuity.
The clan elder convenes a committee to compose a new one — typically thematically continuing the old zibei to express the clan's ethos.
Partially. Among 3-4 generation overseas Chinese, Hakka, Hokkien, and Teochew families preserve them best. Many other families have let them fade as English names replaced Chinese ones.
Public genealogies, clan association publications, local gazetteers — all content from Ming/Qing/Republican era, public domain.
Yes. All RECATOOLS tools are 100% free, ad-supported.
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