Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship. Because as long as you're there, you can make a difference.
- James T. Kirk to Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations
istari_ala, dragnflye and I are tracing our family roots, and I was asked for the meaning of my surname. I remembered that it means "to allow" but thought I'd look up the etymology. I didn't find anything definite, but I did come across an anecdote about my far distant ancestor from the reign of King Yao (2,357 - 2,255 BCE) during the Period of Five Kings (2,697 - 2,207 BCE).From this entry in Ancestry.com:
許 - Chinese : this name goes back as far as the 23rd century BC. According to tradition, there existed a philosopher named Xu You, who was offered succession to the throne by the model emperor Yao. Having heard this proposal, Xu You washed his ears in a river to rid them of such defilement. The main stock of this name probably came later, however, when Wu Wang, the first king (1122-1116 BC) of the Zhou dynasty, granted the area of Xu in present-day Henan province to Wen Shu, a descendant of Bo Yi, adviser to the model emperor Shun (who coincidentally accepted the offer of power which Xu You had declined). The descendants of Wen Shu eventually adopted the name of the area of Xu as their surname.
Yeah... that about sums up how I feel about administrative jobs. :-D
Another entry:
The 35th most common last name in China. There was a kind gentleman, called Xu You during the reign of Emperor Yao. Xu was a farmer in Xu Chang of HeNan province. He was so famous that Yao wanted to give him his throne. Learning this, Xu escaped to Qi Shan. So instead, Yao asked him to be in charge of nine provinces. Xu refused again. Seeing that he [had] no intention to serve, Yao did not insist. Xu You was the descendant of the ancient king Yan Di. His descendents stay in the vicinity of Xu Chang. During Zhou Wu Wang’s reign, Xu You’s descendant Sun WenShu was awarded the land of Xu, and established the Xu kingdom. At the end of the Chun Qiu period, the Xu kingdom was brought to an end by the Chu kingdom.
Xu means allow or permit.
Hometown: 30 miles north west of Lin Liu in Shandong Province.1
1 My paternal grandfather was descended from the Qing Dynasty city father of the clan city.
--
Banazir
