"Xing" were surnames held by the noble clans. They generally are composed of a "female" () radical, for example Ji (), Jiang (), Yao () and Yíng (). This is commonly taken as evidence that they originated from matriarchal societies based on maternal lineages. The character for "xing" itself contains a female radical in combination with the character for "give birth" (生, shēng). "Xing" is believed to have been originally transmitted through women of noble birth, while noble men have "shi".