Ye means "leaf" in
modern Chinese, but the name arose as a
lineage name referring to the city of Ye (in modern
Ye County,
Henan) in the
State of Chu during the
Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. According to
Sima Qian's
Records of the Grand Historian,
Yuxiong, a descendant of the
Yellow Emperor and his grandson
Zhuanxu, was the teacher of
King Wen of Zhou. After the Zhou overthrew the
Shang dynasty,
King Cheng of Zhou (reigned 1042-1021 BC) awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson
Xiong Yi the fiefdom of Chu, which over the ensuing centuries developed into a major kingdom.
King Zhuang of Chu (reigned 613-591 BC) was one of the
Five Hegemons, the most powerful monarchs during the Spring and Autumn period. In 506 BC the
State of Wu invaded Chu with an army commanded by
King Helü,
Wu Zixu and
Sun Tzu.
Shen Yin Shu, a great-grandson of King Zhuang and the Chu
field marshal, was killed in the aftermath of the
Battle of Boju. After the war
King Zhao of Chu enfeoffed Shen Yin Shu's son
Shen Zhuliang with the key frontier city of Ye, in gratitude for his father's sacrifice. Shen Zhuliang subsequently put down the rebellion of Sheng,
Duke of Bai, in 478 BC and restored
King Hui as ruler of Chu. King Hui then granted him the titles of
prime minister,
marshal, and Duke of Ye (). In
Zhou dynasty China, noble families usually had two surnames: clan name () and lineage name (). Shen Zhuliang, from a
cadet branch of the ruling house of Chu, shared the lineage name of Mi () of the Chu kings. He also inherited the clan name of Shen from his father, but his fame led some of his descendants to adopt Ye as their clan name. Later the distinction between the clan and lineage names was abolished, and Ye became the surname of Shen Zhuliang's descendants. Shen Zhuliang, now better known as Duke of Ye, is considered the founding ancestor of the Ye surname. ==Notable people==