The surname
Mǐ () was originally an
onomatopoeia for
caprine bleating with the
reconstructed Old Chinese pronunciation *
meʔ. As the
family name of the
royal house of
Chu, it was apparently used to transcribe a
Kam–Tai word in the
Chu dialect meaning "
bear". This was then
calqued into Old Chinese as (
Xióng), used as the
clan name of the ruling branch of the family. The Mi also ruled Kui () and some Chu successor states after the
fall of
Qin. As recorded by
Sima Qian, the family themselves claimed descent from
Zhuanxu, a son of the
Yellow Emperor in
Chinese legend; his grandson
Jilian; and
Yuxiong, a
tutor of
King Wen of
Zhou in the 11th century BC. After the victory of the
King Wu over the
Shang at
Muye Yuxiong's descendants supposedly remained prominent at the Zhou court and the
Cheng King then
created Xiong Yi, Yuxiong's great-grandson, the
viscount of the
fief of Chu. Chinese historians and genealogists also say that various other families began as cadet branches of the Mi, apart from the royal Xiong. The Dou () and Cheng () were known together as the
Ruo'ao clan. The descendants of particular Chu kings became known by the separate surnames Jing (), Zhao (), and Qu (), known collectively as the Sanlü (). Other lesser branches included the
Ye (), originally known as the
Shenyin (); the
Xiang (); the Lan (); the
Zha (); and some members of the
Pan () descended from
Pan Chong. Notable people with this surname: •
Kings of Chu •
Mi Bazi (羋八子, the Queen of Qin's King
Huiwen.) •
Qu Yuan (屈原, clan name Qu, author of
Chu Ci) •
Xiang Yu (項羽, clan name Xiang, Chinese historical hero who was famous for his rivalry with
Liu Bang) •
Duke of Ye (
Prime minister of Chu during the late
Spring and Autumn period. Clan name Ye, the first Ye.) •
Ban Gu,
Ban Chao and
Ban Jieyu (three siblings from Ruo'ao clan) == Mǐ (米) ==