Chinese Names

I've been thinking a little about Chinese names lately.

Chinese names are not like Western names. Not only are they all backwards, but they have clear meanings, and they can change through a person's life.

This isn't all that alien, really. Just think of Puritan names. And think of Samuel Clemens... or, more contemporarily, Paul Hewson. But... but... that's not now, and it's not everybody.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my name was one thing for my parents and something else for my friends, and something else again for people who I met at work. I wonder how I'd feel if everyone used my last name before learning my first name. What would I call myself? Would I be someone different at work than at home?

Would my different selves be talking to each other inside my head?

These are the kinds of names they have in China:

Xìng -- This is the family name, handed down from the father. To us in the West, it's the last name, although in East Asia, it comes first. Sometimes, you'll be called "old" (lao) or "young" (xiao) along with your surname.

For Chairman Mao Zedong, "Mao" was the family name. Literally, it means "fur." You could also politely refer to him as Lao Mao, if you felt like buddying up with him.

Apparently, at some point in China's history, there were also shì, or maternal surnames. I have no idea how those worked.

Today, married women keep their original surnames, although they're politely referred to as Mrs. Whoever. For instance, Li Kenwai's wife might be called Chou Meilan, but you can also call her Li Tai-tai. She might also call herself Li Chou Meilan, but legally I believe you have to keep your name to three characters or less in the People's Republic. (It's one character per syllable -- Li Chou Meilan is four.)

Míng -- A given name. The "Zedong" part of Mao Zedong. Unlike in Europe, it's considered very bad form to give a child the same name as an ancestor -- no Juniors and III's running around China. Siblings also don't use given names, instead using their relation as a name, as "Big Sister" or "Little Brother." There are many kinds of míng:

* Rŭmíng -- "milk name," given to babies shortly after birth (but not always immediately -- that first name is usually a "little name" parents keep as a kind of nickname for their children after the formal naming).

* Shūmíng -- "book name," given to students by teachers upon entering school.

* Bĭmíng -- "pen name." You can guess what this one means.

Banci -- This is the generation name, given to all the siblings of your generation. Some families cycle these through the words of a poem, taking 50 generations or more to write out the entire text in the names of their descendants. Usually this is the first part of the míng, but not always. For instance, the "píng" in Dèng Xiăopíng is a banci.

Zi -- This is also known as a "style name." Classically, it was the name given to a young man upon coming of age or a woman as soon as she was married. From then on, this is the name people your own age are supposed to call you by. Only elders can use your míng.

Hào -- These "courtesy names" are either chosen by yourself or given by friends or contemporaries -- more formal than nicknames, but not quite given names. Usually, these are given later in life -- after a zi has been adopted. They wouldn't appear on official documents, and would be very distinctive and even whimsical. Some believe hào were first used because formal names tended to be too similar. Like míng, they come in several flavors:

* chuòhào -- A poetic nickname. Also wàihào.

* shì hào -- Posthumous name. This is the name given to royalty or other important figures after death, intended as meaningful commentary on the person's accomplishments. From the wikipedia:

The woman with the longest posthumous name is Empress Cixi, who is "The Empress who is Admirably Filial, Initiates Kindness, with Blessed Health, Manifests Much Contentment, Solemn Sincerity, with Longevity, Provides Admiration Prosperously, Reveal Adoration, Prosperous with a Merry Heaven, with a Holy Appearance" (孝欽慈禧端佑康頤昭豫莊誠壽恭欽獻崇熙配天興聖顯皇后 xiào qīn cí xī duān yǒu kāng yí zhāo yù zhuāng chéng shào gōng qīn xiàn chóng xī bèi tiān xìn shèng yán xiǎn huáng hòu).

* miào hào -- The "temple name," given only to kings and emperors, consisting of a single adjective (like "martial" or "sagacious") and either zǔ ("founder," "forefather") or zōng ("ancestor").

That's a lot of ways to refer to one person. I'm sure there are plenty more varieties I have yet to discover.

Now I'm beginning to think I need more names of my own.

Posted by grant at June 07, 2005 04:07 PM