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Shi
Shi
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	釋
Simplified Chinese	释
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Shì
Wade–Giles	Shih4
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Sik1
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Thích
Korean name
Hangul	석
Revised Romanization
Transcriptions
Revised Romanization	Seok
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏk
Japanese name
Hiragana	しゃく
Shinjitai	釈
Romanization
Transcriptions
Romanization	Shaku

In East Asian Buddhism, monks and nuns usually adopt a Buddhist surname and a Dharma name, which are combined in the surname-first East-Asian naming order. Since the 4th century the standard Buddhist surname has been Shi (Chinese: 釋, Korean: Seok, Vietnamese: Thích,^[1] Japanese: Shaku), which is the first syllable of Shijiamouni, the Chinese word for Shakyamuni.^[2] This practice was introduced by the Jin dynasty (266–420) monk Dao'an in around 370, when he stayed in Xiangyang,^[3] and became general practice in China after 385.^[2] Previously Chinese monks and nuns used several other Buddhist surnames, typically designating the ethnonational origin of their foreign preceptors.^[2]

The most notable early surname was Zhu (Chinese: 竺; pinyin: Zhú; Wade–Giles: Chu²; Jyutping: Zuk¹),^[4] which came from Tianzhu (the Chinese word for India).^[5] Jingjian (292–361) or Zhu Jingjian was the first nun of China. Daosheng (c. 360–434) or Zhu Daosheng was one of the last influential monks to use Zhu rather than Shi.^[2]

Other Buddhist surnames included:

Zhi (Chinese: 支) which came from Yuezhi or its successor state, the Kushan Empire.^[6] Examples include Zhi Qian and Zhi Dun.
An (Chinese: 安) which came from Anxi (the Chinese word for Arsacid). Examples include An Xuan and An Shigao.^[7]
Yu (Chinese: 于) which came from Yutian (the Chinese word for Khotan).^[8]
Kang (Chinese: 康) which was a designation for Sogdiana. An example is Kang Senghui.^[9]
Bo (Chinese: 帛) which came from the Chinese word for the surname of several Kucha kings, Bo (Chinese: 白).^[10]

The adoption of a Buddhist surname signifies the ordinand's severance of family bonds and their full devotion to the teachings of the Buddha.^[2]

References

^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 905.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 802.
^ Zürcher 2013, p. 113.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 1058.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 913.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 1055.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 37.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 1040.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 414.
^ Buswell & Lopez 2014, p. 127.

Buswell, Robert E. Jr. & Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-15786-3.
Zürcher, Erik (2013). "Buddhist Influence on Early Daoism: A Survey of Scriptural Evidence". In Silk, Jonathan A. (ed.). Buddhism in China: Collected Papers of Erik Zürcher. Brill. pp. 105–164. ISBN 978-90-04-25093-2.