Classic Mug Li Surname And Shield

Style: Classic Mug. Put your first name on the empty banner above the shield. Nobody will drink from your mug! Give a made-to-order mug from Zazzle to someone special, or treat yourself to a design that brings you joy or makes you laugh. Create your own photo mug, shop our collection of the funniest joke mugs, personalise your mug with a monogram, or express yourself with one of our 10 million designs. Li (李) is the second most common surname in China, shared by over 100 million people worldwide, and translates literally to "plum". Meaning and Origin Literal Meaning: The character 李 combines the radicals for "tree/wood" (木) and "child/son" (子).Legendary Roots: Tradition traces the name back to Gao Yao, a legendary Minister of Justice (Dali, 大理) during the Xia dynasty. His descendants initially used 理 (meaning "reason" or "law") as a surname. The Plum Shift: During the late Shang dynasty, descendant Li Zhen fled persecution and survived by eating wild plums (li, 李). To honour this survival and because the words sounded alike, the family changed their surname from 理 to 李.Historical Figures and Variations First Historical Figure: The philosopher Laozi (born Li Er, founder of Taoism) is widely considered a foundational ancestor of the surname. Common Spelling Variations: Depending on regional dialects and diaspora communities, the Chinese character 李 is frequently romanised as Lee (common in Cantonese and English contexts), Lei or Lai (Cantonese for other characters like 黎), Lie (Indonesian spelling), or Lý (Vietnamese spelling).