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''[[China]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Chinese_Research_Helps|Chinese Research Helps]]''
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| link5=[[Chinese Research Helps|Finding Your Chinese Genealogy 家谱 on Familysearch.org]]
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Several new tools are now available for Chinese speaking researchers. Please click on the links below to open guides that will teach you how to use the Chinese FamilySearch Catalog, how to do Chinese research, and how to use PAF 5.2 Chinese version. 
==Using English: Find your family's Jiapu 家谱  by following the procedure below.==
#Go to the [https://www.familysearch.org/ FamilySearch] website
#Sign into FamilySearch
#Click on the '''Search''' menu
#Click on '''Records'''
#Type in '''China''' in '''Search by Place'''
#Click on the '''Search Image Groups''' button under '''Collection of Chinese Genealogy Images'''
#Type in the surname, such as Pinyin in the '''Surname''' field below '''Jiapu Collection''' in the righthand of the screen
#Select the correct province
#Select the correct county
#Complete other information below, if desired


Since, as noted below, different areas of the world where there may be written records in Chinese languages, it may be useful to view this Wikipedia article about the Chinese language as it will help in determining which writing system was used for those records. It is rather technical in nature as well.  
==Using Chinese: Find your family's Jiapu 家谱 in Familysearch.org by following the procedure below.==


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language
#Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on English, choose 中文.  
#Return to the top of the page and Click on 搜尋，then 紀錄.
#Select 中國, 族譜收藏 1239-2014年2015年5月13日 by clicking on the blue 瀏覽影像 
#Under Family Name select your family surname 姓氏.
#Under Country select China 中國
#Under Province 省 select your province
#Under County 县 select your county 
#Select the appropriate genealogy for study


=== Learning to read Chinese Genealogies 家谱 ===
==Using the FamilySearch Catalog method to find a Chinese genealogy.==
[[:File:King, Chinese Language Helps for Jiapu.docx|King, Chinese Language Helps for Jiapu]]<ref>HELPS FOR READING
CHINESE GENEALOGIES


(Note:  While this paper is intended to assist those
#Click on '''Search 搜尋'''
without Chinese language skills to read Chinese genealogies, the suggestions
#Click on '''Catalog 目錄'''
included below are for those who have at least a basic skill to recognize
#Under '''Search By: 搜尋依據'''  Click on '''Surnames 姓氏''',
Chinese characters and distinguish them one from another.)
#Place your cursor in the '''Surname''' '''姓氏''' field.
#Change the language to Chinese by clicking '''EN''' in the lower right corner and selecting '''CH Chinese (Simplified, PRC).'''
#Type your surname in pinyin. Select the correct character for your name.
#Place your cursor in the '''Place 地點''' field
#Type your province in pinyin. Make sure that the correct characters show in the green standardization bar
#Click on '''Search 搜尋''' at the bottom.
# If catalog entries appear, click on them to see where the entry is located. If a small camera is present the document can be opened, if a film or book it can be located in the library or requested/ordered.


In the history of the
== Learning to read Chinese Genealogies 家谱 ==
Chinese people, there are three important elements that are significant. They
[[Media:King - Chinese Language Helps for Jiapu comp.pdf|Chinese Language Helps for Jiapu]] 家谱
are China's history, the local gazetteer, and a clan's genealogy. Among these
three elements, genealogy has the longest history and is the most influential.


Clan or lineage genealogies
== Finding your Ancestors ==
constitute the major source material for Chinese family historians and
[[Media:King,_CHINESE_IMMIGRATION_RECORDS.pdf|Chinese Immigration Records]]
genealogists. Scholars have shown that clan genealogies can be a valuable
source for research into Chinese history. Since most genealogies continue into
the early or mid twentieth century, a researcher who can connect into a lineage
genealogy can often determine their pedigree quickly and accurately back to the
1600s and, typically, much further.


The history of written Chinese
==  What you can expect to find in a Chinese genealogy (家谱）==
genealogy goes back to at least the 11th century
Summary Content of [[Media:Chinese_genealogy_Jia_Pu_家è--_contents.pdf|Chinese Genealogy Jiapu]] 家谱
B.C.  Based on the content of the
earliest written pedigrees, one can confidently conclude that they were based
on pre-existing oral pedigrees. Most extant genealogies, however, were compiled
during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
or later.  


Terms for Chinese
[[Media:Whats_in_a_Jiapu_%281%29.pdf|What's in a Jiapu]] 家谱
Genealogies


Chinese genealogies are commonly
== Traditional Chinese ==
referred to as:


家譜 (jiāpǔ)
Many records are in Traditional Chinese regardless of where the record was created.  Simplified Chinese was only introduced in the mid 20th Century. today traditional Chinese characters are only used in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and expatriate areas in other countries.
– family genealogy record


族譜 (zúpǔ) – clan genealogy record
== Simplified Chinese  ==


宗譜 (zōngpǔ) – general genealogy record
Simplified Chinese appears on modern records since the mid 20th Century. That was when the Chinese government (Peoples Republic of China) made it official.  It is the most common form used there today although there are still many who know traditional Chinese. Simplified Chinese is not as widely used in expatriate areas, or areas like Hong Kong or Macau.  Outside of the immediate area of China itself, it is only officially used in Malaysia.


Other terms for
[[Category:Chinese Genealogy]]
Chinese genealogies include:
 
房譜 (fángpǔ)          譜錄 (pǔlù)              家記 (jiājī)
 
世譜 (shìpǔ)           
統譜 (tǒngpǔ)         
家志 (jiāzhi)
 
支譜 (zhīpǔ)           
通譜 (tōngpǔ)         
會譜 (hùipǔ)
 
分譜 (fènpǔ)            譜牒 (pǔdíe)           
牒誌 (díezhì)
 
譜系 (pǔxì)             
玉牒 (yudíe)         
  譜誌 (pǔzhì)
 
譜傳 (pǔzhuàn)     
 家乘 (jiāshèng)       
族誌 (zúzhì)
 
<br>
 
'''Reading Titles of Genealogies'''
 
1.  By
clan name
 
Many titles of genealogies simply
include the name of the clan.
 
Example:
 
王氏家譜 (wáng shì jiā pǔ)  - The Wang Clan Genealogy
 
王 (wáng) – the surname Wang
 
氏 (shì) – designates clan or surname
 
家譜 (jiāpǔ) - genealogy
 
''' '''
 
2.  By
branch, location, or ancestor
 
The Chinese have a
segmentary lineage system. This means that it has many nested branches or
segments that trace their roots back to an early common ancestor. Each segment
or group of segments may compile its own genealogy, and finally there may be a
genealogy that includes all of the segments.   Therefore, titles may include branch names,
place names, or ancestor names that
identify the segment or group.
 
A.  Example by branch name:
 
太原堂温氏族譜 (tài yuán táng wēn shì zú pǔ) – The Taiyuan Branch, Wen Clan
Genealogy
 
太原堂 – The Taiyuan Branch
 
温 (wēn)
– the surname Wen
 
氏 (shì) – designates clan or surname
 
族譜 (zúpǔ) – genealogy
 
Terminology
for lineage branch or segment:
 
堂號 (tánghào) – lineage branch or segment
 
派 (pài) – lineage branch or segment
 
<br>
 
B.  Example by location:
 
福建寜德九都貴村王氏宗譜 (fú jiàn nìng dé jiǔ
dū gùi cūn wàng shì zōng pǔ) -- The Fujian (Province) Ningde (City) Jiudugui
Village Wang Clan Genealogy
 
福建 (fújiàn) – Fujian (Province)
 
寜德 (nìngdé) – Ningde (City)
 
九都貴村 (jiǔdūgùi cūn) – Jiudugui Village
 
王 (wáng) – the surname Wang
 
氏 (shì) – designates clan or surname
 
宗譜 (zōngpǔ) – genealogy
 
Terminology for locations:
 
里 (lǐ) – village
 
村 (cūn) – village-hamlet
 
鄉 (xiāng) –
village-rural
 
閭 (lǘ) – village of 25
families
 
城 (chéng) - municipality
 
市 (shì) - city
 
邑 (yì) – a city or county
 
埠 (bù) – city-port
 
區 (qū) – district
 
地 (dì) - region
 
府 (fǔ) - prefecture
 
縣 (xiàn) – county
 
省 (shěng) - province
 
國 (guó) - country
 
C.  Example by ancestor name:
 
學登本祖家譜 (xúe dēng běn zǔ jiā
pǔ) – The Xuedeng Originating Ancestor Genealogy
 
學登
(xúe dēng) – Lin Xuedeng, an ancestor of a branch of the Lin
 
family
that settled in the Xinhui area of
 
Guangdong Province
 
本祖 (běn zǔ) – originating
ancestor
 
家譜 (jiā pǔ) - genealogy
 
Terminology for
ancestors:
 
祖 (zǔ) - ancestor
 
始 (shǐ) – the beginning
 
遷 (qiān) – to move
 
受姓 (shòu xìng) – to receive a surname
 
There are three key
ancestors in genealogies:
 
受姓始祖 (shòu xìng shǐ zǔ) - the ancestor who received the surname (usually
during the Zhou dynasty, 1046-222 B.C.)
 
始祖 (shǐ zǔ) - the first ancestor (who founded the lineage most often
during the Tang, A.D. 618-907 or Song, 960-1279, dynasties)
 
始遷祖 (shǐ qiān zǔ) and the first migrant ancestor (who founded the lineage
which compiled the genealogy most often from the Ming dynasty, 1368-1644,
onward).
 
'''<br>
'''
 
'''Reading Genealogy Narrative Sections'''
 
''' '''
 
Genealogy
collections
generally include a brief history of the origin of the family and the
dispersion pattern of some of the branches. 
Contents may also feature explanations of surname origin, biographies on
progenitor ancestors, notations of outstanding ancestors, family rules and
obligations regarding customs and rites, exhortations for righteous living,
poems for generational names, and many other topics.
 
These sections are the most difficult
for those having limited Chinese language capability.  Most often, assistance will be required from one
proficient not only in reading Chinese vernacular but classical Chinese texts
as well.  Nonetheless, for a novice
Chinese reader a familiarity of the complexities of Chinese names in
genealogical records could be useful in gleaning useful information from these
sections.
 
'''Chinese
name order'''
 
''' '''
 
A complete Chinese name can consist of
two or three characters. The first character is the family or clan name known
as the surname name in English while the personal name may contain a middle and
last character. Notice that the surname location is the reverse order to
English practice, e.g. 毛澤東'' ''(Máo Zédōng), where 毛'' ''(Máo) was his surname and 澤東
(Zédōng) was his given
name.  Sometimes, a complete name can consist of only two characters, e.g.
陳豫 (Chén Yù) where the surname is'' ''陳'' ''(Chén) and the given name is 豫'' ''(Yù).  Single character
surnames are the most common, like 楊 (Yáng) and 周 (Zhōu), but there are also a small number of two character
surnames, like 歐楊 (Ōuyáng) and 司馬 (Sīmǎ).
 
'''Generation Names'''
 
After the family or clan name known as
a surname in English comes the middle name or family hierarchy name, also
called the Generation Name.
 
Men belonging to the same generation
within a clan will share a common name, which can be positioned either in the
middle or at the end. This name serves as a classifier to the hierarchical
ranking for the generations as specified in the clan's Generation Poem (字輩詞 – zì bèi cí), and is referred to as
the Generation Name (輩字 – bèi
zì).
 
'''Multiple/Alternate
Names'''
 
''' '''
 
A person may have more than one name,
especially depending on life he or she is in. 
Genealogical records may use just one of these names but may also
specify a number of names for an individual. 
Types of names include:
 
小名 (xiǎo míng) –
birth/infant name, given at birth.  Also
referred to as 乳名 (rǔ míng) – milk name.
 
名 (míng) – official
name, used during youth, given roughly at 3 months.  Also referred to as 大名 (dà míng).
 
字 (zì) -  school name, style name, or courtesy name,
given at age 20 during a Coming of Age Ceremony (成年禮 – chéng nián lǐ).  Also referred to as 表名 (biǎo míng).
 
號 (hào) – assumed name,
literary name, or pseudonym, may be created by an individual himself or may be
given to him by others, conferred when one becomes established in life.  Can also refer to the 諡號 (shì hào) - posthumous
name given to rulers, nobleman, or eminent officials, or the 廟號 (miào hào) -  temple name, given posthumously for inclusion
in the clan temple.
 
諱 (huì) – taboo name,
given to a deceased emperor or head of family
 
Example:
 
This selection is taken
from a 温 (Wēn) clan
genealogy.  Note that in Chinese
genealogies, the surname is not repeated in names throughout the record.  In this narrative, it begins by referring to
the progenitor by his taboo name, 諱 - 敬 (Jìng); his school name, 字 - 周穆 (Zhōumù); and his
assumed name, 號 - 文寕 (Wénníng).
 
<br>
 
'''Reading Genealogy Pedigree Charts and
Genealogical Tables'''
 
''' '''
 
Chinese
genealogies generally include:
 
▪      A list
of male ancestors’ names according to generation order
 
▪      The
birth year, death year, or burial year of the ancestor, if known
 
▪      The
maiden surname of the spouse, if known
 
▪      The
number and names of the male descendants of each couple, if known
 
'''Line Pedigree Chart and Genealogical
Table'''
 
This information may
be presented in various formats.  Pedigree
charts are often presented in a tree-like structure, a simple line chart with
generations of male ancestor’s names cascading downwards from a single
progenitor.  (Note:  The pedigree information in Chinese
genealogies is a paternal system, i.e., names of daughters are not
included.  When daughters marry, they are
considered a part of their husband’s family.) 
In this format, the maiden surname of the wife or wives/concubines is
listed adjacent to the male ancestor’s name. 
A separate genealogical table with lists of the birth and death years, and
burial dates and locations may follow.   The genealogical table may also include
education, official rank, and achievements of the male ancestors.
 
Example of a tree-structured
pedigree chart:
 
<br>
 
Example of a
genealogical table:
 
<br>
 
'''Descendant List Pedigree Format'''
 
Another oft-used pedigree
format is a descendant list, beginning with the name of a progenitor ancestor
on the right and succeeding generations of listed laterally to the left.  A variation of this is for the progenitor’s first-born
son and subsequent first-borne grandsons to be listed vertically downwards on
the right, while the brothers of the first-born are listed laterally on the
left.  In this sort of format, data
regarding the birth and death years, and burial dates and locations may be
listed adjacent to the ancestors’ names.
 
Example of
descendant list pedigree format
 
<br>
 
Chinese numerals: 
 
Pedigree
charts and genealogical tables often use Chinese numerals to number generations
and sons.  Chinese numerals are also used
in dates.  While common Chinese numbers
are most often used, occasionally shorthand forms may be used.  Another system of more complex characters,
known as financial or “anti-fraud” numerals, can also be found in use in
genealogical records.  The table below represents
various Chinese numerals that one may encounter:
 
Normal or Other
 
  Financial
 
  Pinyin
 
  Value
 
  一 or 正
 
  壹
 
  yī
 
  one
 
  二 or 弍
 
  貳
 
  èr
 
  two
 
  三 or 弎
 
  參
 
  sān
 
  three
 
  四
 
  肆
 
  sì
 
  four
 
  五
 
  伍
 
  wǔ
 
  five
 
  六
 
  陸
 
  liù
 
  six
 
  七
 
  柒
 
  qī
 
  seven
 
  八
 
  捌
 
  bā
 
  eight
 
  九
 
  玖
 
  jiǔ
 
  nine
 
  十
 
  拾
 
  shí
 
  ten
 
  十一
 
  拾壹
 
  shí yī
 
  eleven
 
  十二
 
  拾貳
 
  shí èr
 
  twelve
 
  十三
 
  拾參
 
  shí sān
 
  thirteen
 
  二十 or 廿
 
  貳拾
 
  èr shí or niàn
 
  twenty
 
  二十一 or 廿一
 
  貳拾壹
 
  èr shí yī or niàn yī
 
  twenty-one
 
  二十二 or 廿二
 
  貳拾貳
 
  èr shí èr or niàn èr
 
  twenty-two
 
  三十 or 卅
 
  參拾
 
  sān shí or sà
 
  thirty
 
  百
 
  佰
 
  bǎi
 
  hundred
 
  千
 
  仟
 
  qiān
 
  thousand
 
Terminology
for pedigree charts:
 
一世祖 (yī shì zǔ) – the first
generation ancestor, more often       
referred to as 始祖 (shǐ zǔ)
 
二世祖 (èr shì zǔ) – second
generation ancestors
 
三世祖 (sān shì zǔ) – third
generation ancestors
 
四世祖 (sì shì zǔ) – fourth generation
ancestors
 
公 (gōng) – following a name,
a respectful term of address for an elderly man, e.g., 張公 – the revered Mr. Zhang
 
翁 (wēng) - following a name,
a respectful term of address for an elderly man or father, e.g., 周公 – the revered Mr. Zhou
 
妣 (bǐ) – a formal term for
one’s deceased mother, used to designate a spouse
 
娶 (qǔ) – to take as wife
 
配 (pèi) – joined in
marriage, used to designate a spouse
 
氏 (shì) – when following a
spouse’s surname, a term equivalent to the French word “nee”, meaning “surname
at birth”.
 
生 (shēng) -- birth
 
終 (zhōng) – end, the end of
life
 
歿 (mò) – to die
 
卒 (zú) – to die
 
生於 (shēng yú) – born on
(date)
 
終於 (zhōng yú) – died on
(date)
 
墓 (mù) – a grave
 
墓於 (mù yú) – buried on (date)
or buried at (place)
 
墓在 (mù zài) – buried at
 
生 (shēng) – begat, when
followed by 子 (zǐ) – son, or multiple sons, e.g., 二子 – two sons, 三子 – three sons, etc.
 
長子 (zhǎng zǐ) – the eldest
son
 
次子 (cì zǐ) – the second son
 
三子 (sān zǐ) – the third son
 
四子 (sì zǐ) – the fourth son
 
<br>
 
Example of reading a
tree structured pedigree chart:
 
1.  五世祖 – Fifth generation ancestor
 
以教 –
Yijiao (ancestor’s name) 翁 – respectful term
 
米氏 – Mi,
surname at birth (spouse of Yijiao)
 
2.  六世祖 –
Sixth generation ancestor
 
萬秋 –
Wanqiu (ancestor’s name)
 
米氏 – Mi,
surname at birth (spouse of Wanqiu)
 
3.  七世祖 – Seventh
generation ancestors
 
廷豹 –
Tingbao (ancestor’s name, elder brother)
 
梁氏 –
Liang, surname at birth (spouse of Tingbao)
 
廷潔 –
Tingjie (ancestor’s name, younger brother)
 
曾氏 –
Zeng, surname at birth (spouse of Tingjie
 
<br>
 
Example of reading a
descendant list pedigree
 
1.  三世祖 – Third
generation ancestor
 
諱 (taboo name) – 興 Xing (ancestor’s
name)
 
字 (style name) – 有德 Youde
 
號 (literary name) – 泰松 Taisong
 
係 (xì) –
relationship:  中孚公之長子 – oldest son of revered Mr.
 
Zhongfu
 
2.  三世妣 – Third generation spouses
 
王氏 - Wang,
surname at birth (spouse of Youde)
 
麥氏 - Mai,
surname at birth (spouse of Youde)
 
鍾氏 - Zhong,
surname at birth (spouse of Youde)
 
生二子 – Begat two sons
 
3.  長 – Eldest (son) 來福 - Laifu
 
次 – Second (son) 來鳯 – Laifeng
 
<br>
 
'''Reading Chinese Calendar Dates'''
 
Before the start of the Republic of
China era in 1911, dates in Chinese genealogies were expressed using the
traditional Chinese calendar system.  The
official name of the Chinese calendar is 農曆
(nóng lì) – the rural calendar.  The
calendar uses the Chinese sexagenary cycle (六十花甲 – liù shí huā jiǎ), also known as the Stems-and-Branches (干支 – gān zhī), a cycle of sixty terms
used for recording years.  The sixty
different terms consist of two characters, the first representing a term from a
cycle of ten known as the Heavenly
Stems (天干 – tiān gān) and the second from a
cycle of twelve known as the Earthly
Branches (地支 – dì zhī). The Heavenly Stems and Earthly
Branches are listed in the table below:
 
Heavenly Stems
 
  Pinyin
 
  Earthly Branches
 
  Pinyin
 
  甲
 
  jiǎ
 
  子
 
  zǐ
 
  乙
 
  yǐ
 
  丑
 
  chǒu
 
  丙
 
  bǐng
 
  寅
 
  yín
 
  丁
 
  dīng
 
  卯
 
  mǎo
 
  戊
 
  wù
 
  辰
 
  chén
 
  己
 
  jǐ
 
  巳
 
  sì
 
  庚
 
  gēng
 
  午
 
  wǔ
 
  辛
 
  xīn
 
  未
 
  wèi
 
  壬
 
  rén
 
  申
 
  shēn
 
  癸
 
  guǐ
 
  酉
 
  yǒu 
 
  戌
 
  xū 
 
  亥
 
  hài
 
The chart below, entitled “The 60 Year Cyclical
Calendar” represents thirteen cycles of the Chinese calendar, for the period
1204-1983.  The sixty terms consisting of
the two-character stem-branch combinations are listed on the left and the
corresponding years, thirteen years for each term are listed to the right.
 
Because the terms of the Chinese calendar repeat
every sixty years, the particular years are distinguished usually by the 帝號 (dì hào) – the imperial
title of the reigning emperor, or the 年號 (nián hào) – the reign
title, a designation for the years the emperor was on the throne.  The “Nien-Hao Era Date Chart” included below list
the imperial titles and and reign years for the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
 
Occasionally, the name of the dynasty is
included to distinguish the year.  A
chart listing the Chinese dynasties is also provided below.
 
Chinese birth and death dates sometimes include
the hour.  A chart listing the Chinese
terms for hour is also provided below.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Chinese Dynasties
 
ca. 2100-1600
  BC
 
  夏（Xia)
  Dynasty
 
  ca. 1600-1050
  BC
 
  商（Shang)
  Dynasty
 
  ca. 1046-256
  BC
 
  周 (Zhou) Dynasty
 
  西周 (Western Zhou) ca. 1046-771 BC
 
  東周 (Eastern Zhou) ca. 771-256 BC
 
  春秋時代 (Spring
  and Autumn Period)
 
  770-ca. 475 BC
 
  戰國時代 (Warring States
  Period)
 
  ca. 475-221 BC
 
  206 BC-220 AD
 
  漢 (Han) Dynasty
 
  西漢 (Western/Former Han) 206 BC-9 AD
 
  東漢 (Eastern/Later
  Han) 25-220 AD
 
  220-589 AD
 
  六代時期
  (Six Dynasties) Period
 
  三國 (Three Kingdoms) 220-265 AD
 
  晋 (Jin Dynasty) 265-420 AD
 
  南北朝 (Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties) 386-589 AD
 
  581-618 AD
 
  隋 (Sui) Dynasty
 
  618-906 AD
 
  唐 (Tang) Dynasty
 
  907-960 AD
 
  五代時期 (Five Dynasties) Period
 
  960-1279
 
  宋 (Song) Dynasty
 
  北宋 (Northern Song) 960-1127
 
  南宋 (Southern Song) 1127-1279
 
  1279-1368
 
  元 (Yuan) Dynasty
 
  1368-1644
 
  明 (Ming) Dynasty
 
  1644-1912
 
  清 (Qing) Dynasty
 
  1912-1949
 
  中華民國 Republic Period
 
  1949-present
 
  中華人民共和國 People's Republic of China
 
<br>
 
'''Chinese Hours'''
 
In ancient
times, in order to tell the time, the Chinese 24-hour day was divided into
twelve equal 2-hour periods called 時 (shí).  Each double hour
was given the name of one of the 12 earthly branches.
 
Earthly               Branches
 
  Pinyin
 
  Hours
 
  子
 
  zǐ
 
  11:00 PM - 1:00 AM
 
  丑
 
  chǒu
 
  1:00 – 3:00
 
  寅
 
  yín
 
  3:00 – 5:00
 
  卯
 
  mǎo
 
  5:00 – 7:00
 
  辰
 
  chén
 
  7:00 – 9:00
 
  巳
 
  sì
 
  9:00 – 11:00
 
  午
 
  wǔ
 
  11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
 
  未
 
  wèi
 
  1:00 – 3:00
 
  申
 
  shēn
 
  3:00 – 5:00
 
  酉
 
  yǒu
 
  5:00 – 7:00
 
  戌
 
  xū
 
  7:00 – 9:00
 
  亥
 
  hài
 
  9:00 – 11:00
 
Other
terminology for Chinese calendar dates:
 
年 (nián) - year
 
月 (yuè) - month
 
閏 (rùn yuè) – an intercalary
(leap) month in the Chinese calendar
 
日(rì) - day
 
初 (chū) – in the early part
of…used before the earlier days of the month
 
時 (shí) – hour
 
<br>
 
Example of reading a
Chinese calendar date:
 
逹穰公陽命生於大清乾隆己未年十二月廿二日戌時,
 
Name:  逹穰 (Dáráng) 公 (gōng) – the revered Darang
 
Introductory phrase:  陽命 (yáng mìng) refers to lifespan
 
Event:  生於 (shēng yú) – born on… 
 
Dynasty:  大清 (dà qīng) – The great Qing Dynasty
 
Reign title:  乾隆 (qián lóng)
 
Year:  己未 (jǐ wèi) - 1740 (This year mostly corresponds with 1739, but this date
falls at the end of 己未 and extends into early 1740.)
 
Month:  十二月 (shí èr yuè) – twelfth month
 
Day:  廿二日 (niàn èr rì) – the twenty second
day (廿 = 20)
 
Hour: 戌时 (xū shí) – 7:00-9:00 PM
 
終於戊辰年十月十八日子时
 
Event:  終於 (zhōng yú) – died on…
 
Year: 戊辰 (wù chén) – 1808 (Determining this year took some extrapolation because
the imperial title or reign title is not mentioned.  If the death occurred during the reign title
of 乾隆 (qián lóng), this person would have died in 1748, at the age of 8, which
is not logical for a person who was married and begat two children.  The year 1808, during the reign title of 嘉慶 (jiā qìng) for the year of death makes much more logical sense.  The next possibility would be the year 1868,
which would mean the person lived until the unlikely age of 128.)
 
Month:  十月 (shí yuè) – tenth month
 
Day:  十八日 (shí bā rì)
– the eighteenth day
 
Hour: 子时 (zǐ shí) – 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM
 
The revered Mr. Dáráng’s
dates of birth and death converted to the Western calendar are as follows:
 
Born:  20 January (not 22 December) 1740
 
Died:  5 December (not 18 October) 1808
 
Please note the months and the days of the Chinese calendar differ from
that of the Western calendar.  The months
of the Chinese calendar are lunar months, beginning on the new moon and ending
the day before the next new moon.  The
number of charts needed to convert the Chinese months and days to Western
months and days corresponding to the number of years represented in “The 60
Year Cyclical Calendar” chart would fill many of volumes of books.  The Academia Sinica in Taiwan has posted on
the Internet an automated Chinese-to-Western calendar converter tool that
covers 2,000 years: http://sinocal.sinica.edu.tw.  The dates above were converted using this
tool.
</ref>
 
=== Traditional&nbsp;Chinese  ===
 
All documents linked to from this section are in Traditional Chinese.
 
Many records will be in Traditional Chinese, regardless of in what area the record was created, as the simplified Chinese was only introduced in the mid 20th Century. However, in practical use today, traditional Chinese characters are only used in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and expatriate areas in other countries.
 
[[:File:%28Trad_Char%29To_Chinese_Speaking_Patrons.pdf|Introduction]]
 
[[:File:%28Trad_char%29_How_to_start_Chinese_research.pdf|How to start Chinese Research]]
 
[[:File:%28Trad_Cha%29_How_to_use_PAF5.2_Chinese_version.pdf|How to use PAF 5.2 Chinese Version]]
 
[[:File:%28Trad_Cha%29_How_to_use_online_Chinese_catalog.pdf|How to use&nbsp;online Chinese&nbsp;Catalog]]
 
<br>
 
=== Simplified Chinese  ===
 
All documents linked to from this section are in Simplified Chinese.
 
Simplified Chinese appears on modern records only, since the mid 20th Century. That was the time the Chinese government (Peoples Republic of China) made it official and it is the most common form used there today, although there are still many who know traditional Chinese. Simplified Chinese is not as widely known in expatriate areas, or areas like Hong Kong or Macau. and outside of the immediate area of China itself, it is only used in Malaysia officially.
 
[[:File:(Simp Char)To Chinese Speaking Patrons.pdf|Introduction]]
 
[[:File:%28Simp_char%29How_to_start_Chinese_research.pdf|How to&nbsp;start Chinese research]]
 
[[:File:%28Simp_char%29How_to_use_PAF5.2_Chinese_version.pdf|How to use PAF 5.2 Chinese version]]
 
[[:File:%28Simp_char%29How_to_use_online_Chinese_catalog.pdf|How to use online Chinese Catalog]]
 
[[Category:China]]

Latest revision as of 13:02, 19 March 2024

Using English: Find your family's Jiapu 家谱 by following the procedure below.[edit | edit source]

  1. Go to the FamilySearch website
  2. Sign into FamilySearch
  3. Click on the Search menu
  4. Click on Records
  5. Type in China in Search by Place
  6. Click on the Search Image Groups button under Collection of Chinese Genealogy Images
  7. Type in the surname, such as Pinyin in the Surname field below Jiapu Collection in the righthand of the screen
  8. Select the correct province
  9. Select the correct county
  10. Complete other information below, if desired

Using Chinese: Find your family's Jiapu 家谱 in Familysearch.org by following the procedure below.[edit | edit source]

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on English, choose 中文.
  2. Return to the top of the page and Click on 搜尋，then 紀錄.
  3. Select 中國, 族譜收藏 1239-2014年2015年5月13日 by clicking on the blue 瀏覽影像
  4. Under Family Name select your family surname 姓氏.
  5. Under Country select China 中國
  6. Under Province 省 select your province
  7. Under County 县 select your county
  8. Select the appropriate genealogy for study

Using the FamilySearch Catalog method to find a Chinese genealogy.[edit | edit source]

  1. Click on Search 搜尋
  2. Click on Catalog 目錄
  3. Under Search By: 搜尋依據 Click on Surnames 姓氏,
  4. Place your cursor in the Surname 姓氏 field.
  5. Change the language to Chinese by clicking EN in the lower right corner and selecting CH Chinese (Simplified, PRC).
  6. Type your surname in pinyin. Select the correct character for your name.
  7. Place your cursor in the Place 地點 field
  8. Type your province in pinyin. Make sure that the correct characters show in the green standardization bar
  9. Click on Search 搜尋 at the bottom.
  10. If catalog entries appear, click on them to see where the entry is located. If a small camera is present the document can be opened, if a film or book it can be located in the library or requested/ordered.

Learning to read Chinese Genealogies 家谱[edit | edit source]

Chinese Language Helps for Jiapu 家谱

Finding your Ancestors[edit | edit source]

Chinese Immigration Records

What you can expect to find in a Chinese genealogy (家谱）[edit | edit source]

Summary Content of Chinese Genealogy Jiapu 家谱

What's in a Jiapu 家谱

Traditional Chinese[edit | edit source]

Many records are in Traditional Chinese regardless of where the record was created. Simplified Chinese was only introduced in the mid 20th Century. today traditional Chinese characters are only used in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and expatriate areas in other countries.

Simplified Chinese[edit | edit source]

Simplified Chinese appears on modern records since the mid 20th Century. That was when the Chinese government (Peoples Republic of China) made it official. It is the most common form used there today although there are still many who know traditional Chinese. Simplified Chinese is not as widely used in expatriate areas, or areas like Hong Kong or Macau. Outside of the immediate area of China itself, it is only officially used in Malaysia.

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