姓

姓 (xìng) means 'family name / surname' AND, used as a verb, 'to be surnamed.' This double role surprises English speakers: 我姓王 literally reads 'I am-surnamed Wang' — no need for 'is/am' or any other verb. To ask someone's surname politely, the standard question is 您贵姓？ (nín guì xìng, 'what is your honorable surname?'), and the standard answer is 我姓 + [surname], optionally followed by 叫 + [given name]. As a noun, 姓 means the family name itself: 中国人的姓在前 ('Chinese family names come first'). Chinese surnames almost always come BEFORE the given name (姓 then 名), the reverse of English order. The character contains 女 (woman) — a reference to ancient times when surnames were passed through the mother's line.

Memory hook: 女 (woman) + 生 (birth) — your surname tells where you were born and to whom; ancient surnames came from the mother.