The choice of name in China is determined only by the imagination of the parents. It is customary among the people that first they indicate the last name, and then the first name. This suggests that the Chinese value the race above the individual. Usually surnames are one-syllable, and first names are two-syllable. Two-syllable surnames and given names are written together, although previously they were written with a hyphen. It is not customary for the Chinese to shorten names to initials.
The most common Chinese surnames:
- Lee (8% of the population);
- Wang (7.4%);
- Zhang (7%);
- Liu (5.3%);
- Chen (4.5%);
- Yang (3%);
- Zhao (2.2%);
- Huang (2.2%);
- Zhou (2.1%);
- U (2%);
- Xu (1.7%);
- Sun (1.5%).
The stock of Chinese surnames is very small (counting in the hundreds), but there are many Chinese names. This is due to ancient customs, according to which a person was given different names. They changed depending on age, character, status, work. Until the end of the twentieth century, so-called milk names for children were in use. Only after twenty years did a person receive an official name.
Fun fact: in the old days, Chinese children had quite strange names. This was explained by the fact that deeply religious people tried to deceive evil spirits in this way. It was believed that by giving a bad name to a child, parents indicate that they do not love him. Chinese evil spirits As a rule, they paid attention only to their favorites. If we take into account that sons were valued more than daughters, then girls got beautiful names, and for boys, female and designations for all sorts of objects.
Meaning of female Chinese names
Parents have the right to choose any hieroglyph for the child's name. The sound fades into the background, giving way to the meaning carried by the image of the sign. In China there is no classification by which hieroglyphs are chosen for names, but the system is very confusing and complex.
The Chinese do not differentiate between male and female names based on spelling and grammar, but base the distinction on meaning. Most names sound like wishes for a child. Parents can put into the name everything they want for their child. Traditionally, girls are given names associated with beauty, grace and virtue. Also popular are names denoting precious stones and beautiful flowers associated with Chinese history. In this way, a woman connected with everything that brings aesthetic pleasure. Boys were often given names of strength, intelligence and courage. They were identified with everything sacred and moral.
Foreign names began to be used in China relatively recently, which creates problems during registration and paperwork. More than 50 million Chinese have names that contain rare characters. You can meet Chinese women with the names Evie, Mary.
Origin of Chinese names
Many Chinese female names have been borrowed from other peoples of the world. So there are names derived from the French Alison and Olivia, the Greek Angels and Selena, the Italian Donna and Mia, the Latin Cordiline, Diana and Victoria, the Scandinavian Brenda and Erica, the Persian Esther, Jasmine and Roxana, the Slavic Nadia and Vera, the Spanish Dolores and Linda, the Aramaic Martha, Celtic Tara.
Chinese names and their meanings
By character traits
Ai – love.
G is pure.
Gia is beautiful.
Zenzen is a jewel.
Zhaohui – wisdom.
Juan is merciful.
Shu – fair.
Row is gentle.
Huiliang is good.
Suiin – simple.
Shuang is outspoken.
Jewelry
Biyu - jasper.
Lin – jade.
Mingzhu - pearl.
Flowers
Ju - chrysanthemum.
Lan is an orchid.
Xiaoli - jasmine.
Kiang - rose.
Xiolian - lotus.
Miscellaneous
Xiaofan - dawn.
Xiaozhi - rainbow.
Chuntao - peach.
Kiu - autumn.
Yui is the moon.
Yang is a swallow.
Xu - snow.
Yu - rain.
Yun is a cloud.
Find out the meaning of other names
U Slavic peoples The word darling is often used in conversation. It can be a noun, an adjective, or even an adverb, but in all of them the interpretation...
The Chinese naming system is the basis for many traditional ways of naming people in East Asia and Southeast Asia. East Asia. Almost all East Asian countries and some Southeast Asian countries follow a tradition similar to Chinese or directly borrowed from Chinese culture.
Variety of names on Chinese depends largely on the personal name rather than the surname. Overwhelming majority Chinese surnames are written with one hieroglyph, only a few with two (in the PRC, official lists contain about 20 such “non-standard” surnames, while the rest were reduced to a standard monosyllabic form, including surnames of national minorities, often consisting of more than 2 syllables. The most common Chinese surnames: Li (Chinese: 李, pinyin: Lǐ), Wang (Chinese trad. 王, pinyin: Wang), Zhang (Chinese trad. 張, ex. 张, pinyin: Zhāng) :164 .
Chinese women tend to keep their maiden names when they get married and do not take their husband's last name (almost universally in the People's Republic of China). Children usually inherit their father's surname.
In Russian, a space is usually placed between the Chinese surname and given name: Surname Name, while the name is written together. In old sources, Chinese names were written with a hyphen (Feng Yu-xiang), but later the continuous spelling became accepted: 167 (correctly Feng Yu-xiang).
Name
Typically, Chinese people have names consisting of one or two syllables, which are written after the surname. There is a rule that a Chinese name must be translatable into Mandarin. Associated with this rule famous case, when a father, an avid Internet user, was denied registration of his son under the name “” (“this” or “dog”).
In connection with hieroglyphic writing, when choosing a personal name, not only such aspects as meaning and euphony are taken into account, but also the writing of the hieroglyphs that make up the syllables of the name. Not only the simplicity/complexity/beauty of writing can be taken into account, but also the elements that make up these hieroglyphs, which have their own interpretation (favorable/unfavorable, male/female, associated with a certain element, etc.).
In China, for thousands of years, there was a tradition of ritually changing names in connection with reaching a certain age or changing occupation. At birth, the baby received an official name ( min, 名) and “milk”, or children’s name (xiao-ming, Chinese translation 小名, pinyin: xiǎo míng). When entering school, the child was given a student name - Xueming(Chinese: 学名) or Xunming(Chinese: 訓名). Upon reaching adulthood, the parents gave the boy or girl the so-called “middle name” - it was by this name that strangers should henceforth be addressed. Upon successful passing of the exams, the person received Damin(Chinese 大名, " big name") or guanming("official name"), which was retained throughout life and used on formal occasions after the surname. For special merits, a representative of the nobility received a nickname (hao, Chinese translation 号, pinyin: hào).
With the formation of the People's Republic of China, the complex naming system underwent changes. The component composition of Chinese names has been seriously simplified. Along with imperial ranks and titles are a thing of the past - the second individual name - zi, nicknames behao, school names Xueming. Children's names are still used today, but the principles for choosing them have changed. After the introduction of the birth control policy in China, the system lost its significance paikhan .
Baby name
For example, Li Zhenfan (Bruce Lee) had baby name Li Xiaolong (Li Little Dragon), which later became his nickname.
Second name
Second name (字, zì) is a name given upon reaching adulthood (字, zì), which are used throughout life. After 20 years, the middle name is given as a symbol of growing up and respect. Initially, such names were used after male names; a person could receive a second name from his parents, from his first teacher on the first day of visiting family school, or he could choose a second name for himself. The tradition of using middle names gradually began to disappear since the May Fourth Movement (1919). There are two generally accepted forms of the middle name: Tzu 字 (zì) And Hao 號 (hào).
Nickname
Hao is an alternative middle name that is commonly used as a nickname. It most often consists of three or four characters and may have initially become popular because many people often had the same middle names. People most often chose Hao themselves and could have more than one nickname. Hao was in no way connected with the name given to the person at birth and his middle name; rather, the nickname was something personal, sometimes eccentric. The choice of pseudonym could embody an allusion or contain a rare hieroglyph, just as it could be suitable for a highly educated writer. Another possibility is to use the name of the person's place of residence as a pseudonym; thus, the pseudonym of the poet Su Shi is Dongpo Jiushi (that is, “Dongpo Residence” (“On the eastern slope”)) - the residence he built while in exile. Authors often used pseudonyms in the titles of collections of their works.
English-Chinese and Russian-Chinese names of overseas Chinese
The names of Chinese people who emigrated from China to other countries may undergo various transformations. One of the most common is adding a new English name to the Chinese first and last name. In this case, when translating into Russian, you should first go English name, then a Chinese surname, then a Chinese given name, despite the fact that the sequence is often written in English<английское имя><китайское имя><китайская фамилия>. Sometimes the sequence is written in English<английское имя><инициалы китайского имени><китайская фамилия>, while it is translated into Russian in the same sequence. A further transformation may be the disappearance of the Chinese name, and then both it is written in English and translated into Russian in the sequence<английское имя><китайская фамилия>. Chinese living in Russia often add the Russian first and patronymic to the Chinese surname or to the Chinese surname and Chinese name, then they are written accordingly<китайская фамилия><китайское имя><русское имя><русское отчество>or<китайская фамилия><русское имя><русское отчество>.
In ancient times, the Chinese knew two types of surnames: family names (in Chinese: 姓 – xìng) and clan names (氏 – shì).
Chinese surnames are patrilineal, i.e. are passed on from father to children. Chinese women usually keep maiden name. Sometimes the husband's surname is written before one's own surname: Huang Wang Jieqing.
Historically, only Chinese men possessed xìng (surname), in addition to shì (clan name); women only had a clan name and took a xìng husband after marriage.
Before the Warring States Period (5th century BC), only the royal family and aristocratic elite could have surnames. Historically there was also a distinction between xing and shi. Xing were surnames borne directly by members of the royal family.
Before the Qin Dynasty (3rd century BC), China was largely a feudal society. As fiefs were divided and subdivided among heirs, additional surnames known as shi were created to distinguish seniority of descent. Thus, a noble could have both shi and xing. After the states of China were unified by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC, surnames gradually passed down to the lower classes and the distinction between xing and shi became blurred.
Shi surnames, many of which survive to this day, originated in one of the following ways:
1. From xing. They were usually kept by members of the royal family. Of approximately six common xing only Jiang(姜) and Yao(姚) preserved as common surnames.
2. By imperial decree. During the imperial period, it was common practice for subjects to be given the surname of the emperor.
3. From the names of states. A lot of ordinary people took the name of their state to show their belonging to it or their national and ethnic identity. Examples include Dream (宋), Wu (吴), Chen(陳). It is not surprising that, thanks to the mass of the peasantry, they are one of the most common Chinese surnames.
4. From the name of the fief or place of origin. Example - Di, Marquess of Ouyanting, whose descendants took the surname Ouyang(歐陽). There are approximately two hundred examples of surnames of this type, often two-syllable surnames, but few survive today.
5. On behalf of the ancestor.
6. In ancient times, syllables Meng (孟), zhong (仲), shu(叔) and zhi(季) were used to denote first, second, third and fourth sons in a family. Sometimes these syllables became surnames. Of them Meng is the most famous.
7. From the name of the profession. For example, Tao(陶) – “potter” or Wu(巫) – “shaman”.
8. From the name ethnic group. Such surnames were sometimes taken by non-Han peoples of China.
Surnames in China are unevenly distributed. In northern China the most common is Wang(王), worn by 9.9% of the population. Then Lee (李), Zhang(张/張) and Liu(刘/劉). In the south the most common surname Chen(陈/陳), covering 10.6% of the population. Then Lee (李), Zhang(张/張) and Liu(刘/劉). On South Chen(陈/陳) is the most common, being shared by 10.6% of the population. Then Lee (李), Juan (黄), Lin(林) and Zhang(张/張). In the main cities on the Yangtze River, the most common surname is Lee(李) with 7.7% speakers. Followed by Wang (王), Zhang (张 / 張), Chen(陈/陳) and Liu (刘 / 劉).
A 1987 study found that there were more than 450 surnames widely used in Beijing, but there were fewer than 300 surnames in Fujian. Despite the presence of thousands of surnames in China, 85% of the population bears one of the hundred surnames, which make up 5% of the family stock.
A 1990 study found that 96% of people in a sample of 174,900 had 200 surnames, 4% had 500 other surnames.
The three most common surnames in mainland China are: Li, Wang, Zhang. They are worn by 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% of people respectively. This is about 300 million. Therefore, these three surnames are the most common in the world. In Chinese there is an expression "three Zhangs, four Lis" which means "any".
Most common surnames in China have one syllable. However, about 20 surnames have two syllables, e.g. Sima (司馬), Ouyang(歐陽). There are also surnames with three or more syllables. By their origin they are not Han, but, for example, Manchu. Example: last name Aisin Gyoro(愛新覺羅) of the Manchu imperial family.
In China, all namesakes are considered relatives. Until 1911, marriages between namesakes were prohibited, regardless of the existence of real family relations between them.
© Nazarov Alois
China is a country of unique culture. Their religion, traditions and culture are so far from ours! In this article we will talk about Chinese names, the choice of which in the Celestial Empire is still treated with special trepidation.
Exclusivity did not save the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire; they did not escape the fashion for borrowed names. But even in this, the Chinese remained true to their traditions. They cleverly matched the “imported” names to the tone of their own. Elinna - Elena, Li Qunsi - Jones. There are even names with Christian origins. For example, Yao Su My means Joseph in translation, and Ko Li Zi Si means the name George.
In China, there is a tradition of giving posthumous names. They sum up the life lived and reflect all the deeds committed by a person in this world.
How to contact a resident of the Middle Kingdom?
Chinese addresses are somewhat unusual to our ears: “Director Zhang”, “Mayor Wang”. A Chinese person will never use two titles when addressing a person, for example, “Mr. President.” He will say "President Obama" or "Mr. Obama." When addressing a saleswoman or maid, you can use the word “Xiaojie.” This is similar to our "girlfriend".
Chinese women do not take their husband's surname after marriage. This does not interfere with “Mistress Ma” and “Mr. Wang” in life at all. These are the laws of the country. Foreigners are most often addressed by name, adding a polite title if they do not know the person’s profession or position. For example, "Mr. Michael." And no middle name! He's simply not here!
The Chinese are the bearers of the great ancient culture. Although China is developed country, takes no last place on the world market, but it seems that the inhabitants of the sunny state live in some special world, preserving national traditions, own way of life and philosophical attitude towards the environment.
Entertaining onomastics
Program " Russian dynasties» Along with the main activity - genealogical research - it also engages in onomastic research. Onomastics, as is known, is the science of the origin of names. Most often people come to us with some kind of mysterious surname, although many do not assume that language can tell a lot of unusual things about the seemingly simplest family name, and once attention to the linguistic secrets of our everyday environment is shown, the world opens up from a new side...
CHINESE PERSONAL NAMES
Zhou Ashlai... Mei Lanfang... Guo Mozhuo... Mao Dun... Sima Qian... All these exotic-sounding names to the Russian ear belong to the Chinese, the largest nation in the world. globe, which has one of the most ancient cultures.
At present, when cultural and economic ties between the USSR and the People's Republic of China are rapidly developing, models of socio-political and economic development our countries, the flow of information about our neighbor is increasing literally every day. Workers of scientific and technical information centers, publishing houses, libraries, as well as all those who are interested in Chinese culture, experience considerable difficulties when faced with Chinese proper names, in particular with Chinese personal names. Let us dwell on some features of the modern system of personal names among the Chinese and on some of the anthroponymic traditions that gave rise to it.
Family names
Personal names, anthroponyms, which are perceived by us as an inextricable whole, consist of a surname, most often formed from the individual name of the grandfather, or from the name of a craft, occupation, position, from his place of residence and name. Moreover, the surname among the Chinese occupies a stable first place not only in the official name usage, but also in title page books and in everyday life (unlike Russian or English anthroponyms, in which both components are easily swapped). When publishing works of Chinese authors in European languages, there is a practice of rearranging the name in first place, following the example of national name usage. For example, instead of Li Dazhao - Dazhao Li.
The surname, as a rule, is written in one hieroglyph, which is a single syllable when written in Russian or Latin transcription. So, the name of the famous politician Deng Xiaoping - Deng, artist Mei Lanfang - Mei, writer Wang Mei - Wang. The repertoire of Chinese surnames is small. The most common ones are Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao and Liu. Therefore, in order to specify the surname, books used to be marked with the name of the county - the author’s homeland. Two-syllable surnames, i.e. those that are written in two hieroglyphic characters and transcribed in two words are rare. For example, the historian Sima Qian bore the two-syllable surname Sima.
Individual names
An individual name is written with one or two hieroglyphic characters, i.e. is a one-syllable or two-syllable written together in transcription. The repertoire of Chinese names is theoretically unlimited, since there are no canonized lists of names. Any word or phrase can be chosen as an individual name. However, in the practice of naming great importance attached to tradition. The name should not only be euphonious, but also have a certain semantic meaning.
For example, the name of the writer Mao Dun - Dun translated means “warrior’s shield”; the name of the female doctor Shen Hong - Hong means “rainbow”, the name of the famous political figure Zhou Enlai - Enlai means “who came with goodness”. It is clear that the etymology of most individual names is associated with good wishes or with a traditional artistic image.
Female names
Women's personal names among the Chinese do not contain formal features that allow them to be distinguished from men's. IN modern reference books Chinese names or in texts containing a list of names, after the female name a designation is usually used indicating belonging to female. Among the lexical features that make it possible to distinguish female name from masculine, include the following. In the personal names of men, words are traditionally used that indicate such qualities as courage, valor, fidelity to duty, and in the names of women - the names of flowers, precious stones, butterflies, epithets associated with the affirmation of female virtues, or exquisite poetic images. IN modern names these features are often leveled out. Thus, the name of the poetess Li Qingzhao means “pure light”; Ma Zhenghong is an example of a name that has a political connotation and does not contain features to distinguish it from a man (Zhenghong - red politics). In modern China, women keep their maiden name after marriage, unlike in the past when they attached it to their husband's surname.
Anthroponymic traditions
To understand modern system Chinese personal names, one should refer to its history, anthroponymic traditions associated with various aspects national culture. Naming has long been given great importance. This is evidenced, in particular, by the custom of using several names for one person. According to tradition, parents gave the child a so-called childhood name, then at school teachers gave him a new one, and finally, upon reaching adulthood, he himself chose an adult name, i.e. official.
This name in Chinese terminology was called “ming”. The second official name or names (“zi”) were given to him by friends in the service or relatives, or again he chose it or them himself. These last names sometimes changed several times during life. In addition, after death, the Chinese received a posthumous name, which appeared on wooden tablets of ancestors displayed on home altars or in Chinese temples. It seemed to sum it up life path and contained an assessment by his relatives or contemporaries.
Sacrificial vessels were placed in front of the plaque with the posthumous name and prayers were made, since the Chinese believed in the connection between “qi” (bioenergetic substance) of ancestors and descendants. Chinese biographical reference books usually list all three forms of names: "ming", "zi" and posthumous. They are now out of use. Another feature of naming in China is related to the etymological significance of the name. Most often it reflected a wish for longevity, wealth, successful career, family happiness (numerous sons or filial piety), as well as approval moral values. Often the wish was conveyed using stable symbols, which used the names of animals, plants, natural phenomena, and signs of the traditional calendar cycle. The etymological significance of the name turns it into a mirror of the era, socio-political and ethnic culture of China and at the same time into a means artistic expression. In the meanings of past and modern names, traces of disappeared philosophical and religious customs and ethnic ideas are often preserved, national customs, rituals, everyday details, etc.
Here are a few examples of traditional naming. As is known from the biography of the artist Qi Baishi, his childhood name was Erzhi (longevity fungus), school name, given by the teacher, is Huang (a half-disk-shaped jade decoration), another name, also given by the teacher, is Baishi (White Stone - that was the name of the post station located nearby). This latest artist chose as an adult name. It was this that he carved on seals that replaced signatures on the artist’s paintings. The poet Du Fu's "ming" name was Fu (abundance), and his middle name was Zimei (son of the beautiful). Let us dwell on one of the customs in the field of naming, which is preserved in China to this day. Its meaning is that the names of brothers and sisters of the same generation use the same hieroglyphic sign or graphic element, which acts as a determinant of kinship (the custom of “payhan”). As an example, the names of several brothers with the surname Liu: Chunguang (spring light), Chunshu ( spring tree), Chunlin (spring forest), Chunxi (spring joy). Particular attention should be paid to the names of writers and other representatives creative professions. Firstly, they are characterized by a special sophistication of images, sometimes reaching the point of eccentricity.
In addition, it is common for representatives of creative professions to have pseudonyms. The famous Chinese writer Lu Xun had, for example, about 100 of them. Sometimes pseudonyms included the proper names of the writer’s native places or his place of residence in given time, or were the name of the writer’s studio, office, “abode”, expressed in poetic form.
Sometimes fictitious names represented the life credo or motto of the author, expressed in the form of an aphorism. Pseudonyms were usually used on personal seals, which can be seen on Chinese books and paintings. It is known that personal seals with pseudonyms carved on them had a utilitarian purpose, replacing the signature of the author, and at the same time were an integral part artistic composition paintings or artistic detail book design.
For example, the “ming” name of the poet Su Shi was Shi (the name of a ritual bow), the second name was Zhan (looking up, i.e. with respect), and the posthumous name was Wenzhong (devoted to literature).
The polysemantism of Chinese hieroglyphic characters, in the presence of minimal context, makes it possible to interpret the meaning of the name differently. Sometimes an obsolete name is used in the name lexical meaning hieroglyphic sign. Often, writers used pseudonyms to hide their real names, since writing works of the so-called “low genres” (novels, dramas, etc.) was considered an activity unworthy of a “learned man.” For example, the author of the famous Chinese novel “Flowers in a Golden Vase,” the second edition of which was recently published in Russian translation, is known only under the pseudonym Lanling Mocker (Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng).
Next, I would like to briefly dwell on the names of Chinese emperors, which represent a phenomenon of Chinese anthroponymy. The fact is that the personal names of emperors who were deified were subject to taboo during their reign or the reign of the entire dynasty. Their use orally or in writing was punishable by law up to death penalty. Instead of the emperor's name, the motto of his reign was usually used, and after death, a temple or posthumous name. Moreover, the motto of the reign could change during the life of the emperor, and was also carved on his personal seals. The custom of tabooing the personal names of emperors gave rise to the following curiosity. If in the title or text of the book there were hieroglyphs that coincided with the hieroglyph with which the emperor’s personal name was written, then they were replaced with other characters that were similar in meaning, or the outline of these hieroglyphs was deliberately distorted (for example, the hieroglyphic sign was written without last line). This helps in attributing books. For example, a treatise on the game of weiqi (raid checkers) called "Xuan xuan qingjing" ("Secret treatise on the game of weiqi") during the reign of Emperor Kangxi was published under the title "Yuan yuan qijing" ("Original treatise on the game of weiqi" ), since the first two hieroglyphs of the name (“Xuan xuan”) coincided with the hieroglyph that was part of the personal name of the Kangxi Emperor - Xuanye, and therefore were subject to taboo. This makes it possible to determine the approximate years of cutting boards for this publication.
Transcription of personal names
In printed publications published in Russian or one of the Western European languages, the personal names of the Chinese are transmitted using either Russian transcription or the Chinese phonetic alphabet (Pinyin), created on a Latin basis. In early 1979, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) under UNESCO developed recommendations for publishing houses and bibliographic institutions making changes to the transcription of Chinese proper names in general and Chinese personal names in particular. These recommendations are as follows: switching to a continuous spelling of a two-syllable Chinese name; the use of Chinese phonetic writing as the generally accepted standard for the transcription of Chinese proper names, including proper names. The recommendations were adopted at the suggestion of Chinese representatives in this international organization in order to unify the transcription of Chinese proper names. Currently, a continuous spelling of Chinese two-syllable names is accepted when transmitting them using Russian or Latin transcription.
For example, Guo Moruo instead of Guo Mo-ruo; Deng Xiaoping instead of Deng Xiao-ping. When conducting a bibliographic search and clarifying the bibliographic data of a book or article by a Chinese author, one should take into account the difference in the spelling of Chinese names in publications published before the early 80s and in modern publications. In accordance with ISO recommendations, in bibliographic publications published in our country, the Chinese phonetic alphabet has been adopted as the transcription standard instead of the previously used Russian transcription. The Chinese phonetic alphabet on a Latin basis (pinyin) has existed in China since 1958. It is used to transcribe hieroglyphs in order to disseminate a unified (supra-dialect) orthoepic norm of the national language (Putonghua).
However, Russian transcription continues to be used in book and article indexes of literature, as well as in cataloging descriptions. The transcription of hieroglyphic characters used in the “Big Chinese-Russian Dictionary” edited by I.M. Oshanin (M., 1984) is taken as a single standard of Russian transcription. Bibliographic publications published abroad also use Chinese phonetic writing. The same type of transcription is used in article and book indexes, and in bibliographic descriptions compiled for library catalogs. Due to changes in the form of transcription and the lack of a unified form of transcription in our country, the bibliographer often finds himself in difficult situation. In these cases it is difficult to do without comparative tables or consultation with a specialist who knows Chinese.
