{{Grammar Box}} The verb 姓 (xìng) literally means "to be surnamed" or "to have the surname." It may seem awkward at first that there's a verb just for this, but you'll find that it's used quite often in Chinese. == Giving One's Surname == 姓 (xìng) is used most often to tell someone your own surname ("family name" or "last name"), or to ask the surname of someone else. === Structure ===
Subj. + 姓 + [Surname]
=== Examples ===
*我 姓 王。Wǒ xìng Wáng.My family name is Wang. *你 老板 姓 李 吗？ Nǐ lǎobǎn xìng Lǐ ma?Is your boss's last name Li? *那 个 帅哥 姓 张。Nàge shuàigē xìng Zhāng.That handsome guy's last name is Zhang. *我 爸爸 姓 周，我 妈妈 姓 林 。Wǒ bàba xìng Zhōu, wǒ māma xìng Lín.My father's family name is Zhou. My mother's family name is Lin. *他 女朋友 姓 钱。Tā nǚpéngyou xìng Qián.His girlfriend's last name is Qian. *你好，我 姓 毛。Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xìng Máo.Hello. My last name is Mao. *我 姓 赵，我 太太 也 姓 赵。Wǒ xìng Zhào, wǒ tàitai yě xìng Zhào.My last name is Zhao. My wife's last name is also Zhao. *我 的 中文 老师 姓 陈。Wǒ de Zhōngwén lǎoshī xìng Chén.My Chinese teacher's surname is Chen. *你 奶奶 也 姓 陈 吗 ？ Nǐ nǎinai yě xìng Chén ma?Is your grandma's family name also Chen? *他们 都 姓 李。Tāmen dōu xìng Lǐ.All of their surnames are Li.
== Asking Someone's Surname == You can also use 姓 (xìng) to ask people their surnames. You could do this quite directly by saying:
* 你 姓 什么? Nǐ xìng shénme?What is your last name?
However, the formal way to ask has a set form:
* 您 贵 姓 ？Nín guì xìng?What is your honorable surname?
Literally this means "What is your honorable surname?" Use this form to be polite when asking people their surnames. ==See also== *[[Using the verb "jiao"]] *[[Introducing people]] == Sources and further reading == * [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (pp. 22-3) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy] * [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)]] (p. 39) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401 →buy] * [[Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition]] (p. 49) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615 →buy] [[Category:A1 grammar points]] [[Category:Verbs]] {{Used for|Introducing people}} {{Basic Grammar|姓|A1|姓 + Surname|你 姓 什么 ？|grammar point|ASGPS9NY}} {{Similar|Using the verb jiao}} {{Similar|Introducing people}} {{Rel char|姓}} {{POS|Verbs}} {{Subprop|Verbs}} {{Translation|call}}