Lin can be a pinyin transcription of one of several Chinese surnames, with 林 (pinyin Lín) being overwhelmingly the most common. The literal meaning of this surname is "forest". The majority of people with this surname are concentrated in Fujian and Taiwan. Among the overseas Chinese, particularly in Southeast Asia, Lin (also spelled as Lim or Liem) is also more common than in China as a whole because many overseas Chinese have origins in Fujian. In Hong Kong and in Vietnam, the name takes the form "Lam". Lin is the 2^nd most common surname in Taiwan, with a population of 9% Taiwanese (2.1 million, 2005 estimate), only behind Chen. In mainland China (except Fujian) Lin is less common. Pinyin is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin, where pin means spell and yin means sound. The most common variant of pinyin in use is called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme... A Chinese surname, family name (Chinese: 姓; Hanyu Pinyin: or clan name 氏; shì), is one of the hundreds or thousands of family names that have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, and among ethnic Chinese in overseas Chinese communities. ... (Chinese: 福建; Pinyin: Fújiàn; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ... Overseas Chinese are Chinese people who live outside China. ... Look up Chen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... (Chinese: 福建; Pinyin: Fújiàn; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ...

In Korea, the name takes the form 임 (South Korea) or 림 (North Korea). These are pronounced /im/ and /ɾim/ respectively, and are thus usually romanized as Lim (South Korea sometimes "Im" or "Yim"). 임 is a fairly common Korean name; as of 2000, it was the surname of about 2.0% of the South Korean population (935,493 people). This article is about the year 2000. ...

A Japanese common surname, Hayashi, is written with the same character 林, also meaning forest. Hayashi (æž—, literally forest), is a common Japanese surname. ...

A rare Chinese surname which is also transcribed Lin is 藺 (pinyin Lìn).

Myth

Myth states that during the reign of a Ming emperor, his uncle was arrested for treason. Upon hearing this his pregnant wife ran into the forest to protect her unborn child from death. In the forest the child began to come. Alone with no one to help, she grabbed ahold of two trees and gave birth. When she reached the nearest town, she gave her child the surname Lin (two trees).

Famous people surnamed 林:

Be aware that in Chinese language, the surname is always stated before the given name.

According to historical records, people who carry the surname Lin are the descendents of Bi Gan, a loyal subject of King Zhou from the Shang Dynasty.

Bi Gan, the son of Prince Ding, son of Emperor Shang, was King Zhou's uncle. King Zhou was bloodthirsty and immoral, so Bi Gan stayed at the palace for three days and nights to try to persuade him to mend his ways. This enraged King Zhou and Bi Gan was killed.

When Bi Gan's pregnant wife, who bore the surname Chen, heard of her husband's death, she fled into some woods and gave birth to a baby boy, who she named Jian.

After the Shang Dynasty was toppled by the Zhou Dynasty, the position of Bi Gan's wife and son was restored. King Wu conferred the surname Lin (meaning woods or forests) on Bi Gan's son, because he was born in some woods.

By People's Online

• Lam, Ringo, movie director
• Lam, Sandy (Lam Yik Lin), Hong Kong Cantopop singer
• Lam, Wilfredo, Cuban artist
• Liem Swie King, Indonesian badminton player
• Lim, Alfredo, Filipino politician
• Lim, Catherine, Malaysian-born Singaporean author
• Lim Chin Siong, Singaporean trade union leader and politician
• Lim Giong, Taiwanese musician and songwriter and actor
• Lim, Ken, Singaporean record producer and composer
• Lin Biao, Chinese Communist military and political leader
• Lin, Cho-Liang, Taiwanese-American violinist
• Lin Huai-min Choreographer of Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theater
• Lin Jun Jie, Singaporean singer and songwriter
• Brigitte Lin, Taiwanese actor
• Lin, Maya, artist and architect
• Lin Sang, People's Republic of China athlete
• Lin Sen, Republic of China leader
• Lin Shicheng, Shanghai born pipa player
• Lin Youren Chinese guqin player
• Lin Wu Sheng
• Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician
• Lin Yifeng, philosopher
• Lin Yutang, Chinese writer
• Lin Zexu, 19th century official and diplomat
• Sudono Salim (Liem Sioe Liong), Indonesian tycoon
• Lin Tang Dong, KPG Dai Low
• Lin, Hao-Yu, a research engineer in Nantero Inc

Ringo Lam (林嶺東; pinyin: Lin Lingdong; Cantonese: Lam Leng-tung) (born 1955) is a film director known for stylish action thrillers. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Sandy Lam, also known as Lam Yik Lin (Chinese: ; pinyin: Lín Yìlián; born April 26, 1966) is a Cantopop singer who sings in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Lams, La Jungla (The Jungle), Gouache on paper, mounted on canvas, 1943. ... Look up artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Liem Swie King (林水鏡, pinyin: Lin Shuijing) (born February 28, 1956) was an Indonesian badminton player in the late 1970s and 1980s who competed in singles and some doubles events. ... The Danish Olympic badminton player Peter Gade Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles). ... Alfredo Lim (born December 21, 1929) is a senator of the Philippines. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Catherine Lim (Chinese: 林宝音) is a Malaysian-born Singaporean, a Straits-born Chinese author, born in 1942, in Penang, Malaysia. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... A young Lim Chin Siong. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Lim Giong (Chinese: ; pinyin: Lín Qiáng;also known as Lin Chiang, born 7 June 1964 in Changhua, Taiwan) is a musician, artist, DJ, composer, songwriter, music producer, music director and also an actor. ... This article is about the history, geography, and people of the island known as Taiwan. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ken Lim is an album producer, composer, publisher, artist manager and concert promoter from Singapore. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... An artistic rendition of Mao Zedong and Lin Biao as his heir apparent in the style of socialist realism in the prime of the Cultural Revolution. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name, though almost universally known in English as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhōngguó GòngchÇŽndÇŽng) is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys... Cho-Liang Lin (Chinese: 林昭亮, born 1960) is a Taiwanese-American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. ... Cloud Gate Dance Theater is a modern dance group based in Taiwan. ... Wayne Lin Jun Jie (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Lín Jùnjié; born on March 27, 1981) is more commonly known as JJ Lin. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; Pinyin: ) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born November 3, 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. ... Taiwanese can refer to: A thing or a person originating from Taiwan (including Taiwanese aborigines, Han Chinese people of Hoklo or Hakka ethnicity, or more recent immigrants to Taiwan from Mainland China). ... It has been suggested that Confluence project be merged into this article or section. ... Lin Sang (Chinese:林桑, pinyin: Lín Sāng) (born 17 August 1977 in Futian (莆田), Fujian province) is an athlete from the Peoples Republic of China. ... Lin Sen (Chinese: 林森, pinyin: Lín Sēn) (1868 – August 1, 1943), courtesy name Zichao (子超), sobriquet Changren (長仁), was Chairman of the National Government of the Republic of China from 1932 until his death. ... Motto: Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai... A woman plays the pipa in the New York City Subways Times Square Station, 2004. ... A woman plays the pipa in the New York City Subways Times Square Station, 2004. ... Lin Youren (林友仁) is a noted player of the Chinese musical instrument guqin. ... The guqin (Chinese: 古琴; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: ku-chin; literally ancient stringed-instrument) is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family (中華絃樂噐/中华弦乐器). It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great... Lin Yang-kang (林洋港, pinyin: Lín YánggÇŽng; b. ... Motto: Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Lin Yutang, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Lin Yutang (林語堂, October 10, 1895 – March 26, 1976) was a Chinese writer whose original works and translations of classic Chinese texts became very popular in the West. ... Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (Chinese: ; pinyin: Lín Zéxú) (August 30, 1785 - November 22, 1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing dynasty. ... Sudono Salim (Chinese: 林绍良, Liem Swie Liong or Lim Sioe Liong) (born 10 September 1915), an ethnic-Chinese Indonesian (Chinese Indonesian) of Hok-Chia (Fu Qing Province in China) origin, is considered one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Indonesia, although it is widely suspected that his successes are through bribery... A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul or a tycoon, is a person who controls a large portion of a particular industry and whose wealth derives primarily from said control. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Famous people surnamed 임

• Dong-Hyek Lim, a classical pianist
• Lim Dong-won, a retired South Korean politician
• Lim Jeong Hee, an R&B and Pop artist
• Lim Yo-Hwan, a successful StarCraft gamer
• Im Dong-hyun, a South Korean archer
• Im Sang-soo, a film director and screenwriter
• Im Su-jeong, a South Korean model and actress
• Yim Bang-eun, a South Korean badminton player
• Sung Ah Yim, a South Korean professional golfer

Dong-Hyek Lim (born July 25, 1984 in Seoul) is a young South Korean classical pianist. ... Lim Dong-won is a retired South Korean politician who was a top aide during the administration of Kim Dae-jung and a key architect of the Sunshine Policy, holding the post of Unification Minister until losing a no-confidence vote in 2001. ... Lim Jeong Hee in her Thanks album cover. ... Lim Yo-Hwan, known by the pseudonym SlayerS_`BoxeR` (usually shortened to Boxer), is one of the most successful players of the real-time strategy game StarCraft to date. ... Categories: Stub | 1986 births | Archers at the 2004 Summer Olympics | South Korean athletes ... Im Sang-soo (born 27 April 1962 in Seoul) is a Korean film director and screenwriter. ... Im Su-jeong (born July 11, 1980) is a South Korean model and film actor. ... Yim Bang-eun (born 25 April 1978) is a male badminton player from South Korea. ... Sung Ah Yim (born 20 March 1984 in Seoul) is a South Korean golfer. ...

See also

• Hayashi, a Japanese surname
• Lim (name), a Korean surname