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Chinese given names (Chinese: 名字; pinyin: míngzì) are often made up of one or two characters. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Written Chinese comprises the written symbols used to represent Spoken Chinese and the rules about how they are arranged and punctuated Unlike Western personal names, there is great variety in assigning Chinese given names. Chinese names can consist of any character and contain almost any meaning. Personal Names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Unlike the Western convention, it is extremely frowned upon to name a person after someone else, and cases where people have the same name are almost universally the result of coincidence rather than intention. The common Western practice of naming the children after their parents, ancestors, or historical figures is almost a taboo in Chinese culture (a notable exception to this is Li Xiaopeng, son of former Premier of China Li Peng, whose name literally means 'Li Peng, Jr. The Culture of China (traditional Chinese 中國文化 simplified Chinese 中国文化 is home to one of the world's oldest and most complex Civilizations covering a history Li Xiaopeng may refer to Li Xiaopeng (gymnast, Olympic gymnast Li Xiaopeng (footballer, professional soccer player The Premier of the State Council ( sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "Prime Minister" is the Chairman of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Peng ( (b 20 October 1928 was the Premier of China between 1987 and 1998 the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress ').

In some families, the first of the two characters in the personal name is shared by all members of a generation and these generation names are worked out long in advance. Generation name, variously zibei or banci, is one of the characters in a traditional Chinese name, and is so called because each member of a generation In some families there is a small number of generational names through which are cycled. Together, these generation names may be a poem about the hope or history of the family[1]. There are also other conventions. It is frequently the case that girls will be given names which reflect "feminine" characteristics or be named after plants or flowers. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also

Chinese females sometimes have doubled names (e. g. Xiu-xiu, Xiao-xiao). This practice also extends to males (e. g. Yoyo Ma), but much less so. This is an Anglicized version of the Chinese name "Ma Yo-yo" the family name is " Ma " Siblings' names are frequently related. For example, one child may be named "sun" while his sister may be named "moon. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. "

Chinese personal names also reflect periods of history. History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Chinese names often do not just represent the environment or the time. For example, many Chinese born during the Cultural Revolution have revolutionary names such as strong country (強國, 强国) or eastern wind (東風, 东风). The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into In Taiwan, it used to be common to incorporate one of the four characters of the name "Republic of China" (中華民國) into masculine names. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

Within families, adults rarely refer to each other by personal names. Adult relatives and children referring to adults generally use a family title such as big sister, second sister, third sister and so on. As is the case in the West, it is considered rude for a child to refer to parents by their given name, but unlike the West this taboo is extended to all adult relatives. A taboo is a strong Social prohibition (or ban) against words objects actions or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group culture

When speaking of non-family social acquaintances people are generally referred to by a title (for example Mother Li or the Wife of Chu). Personal names are used when referring to adult friends or to children. Occasionally a person will be referred to as lăo (老, old) followed by the last name or xiăo (小, young) followed by the last name.

Most Chinese also have a "little name" or nickname which their parents and close family and friends call them. These names are generally not used by anyone outside this close circle.

Nicknames are usually alteration of the given name, sometimes they are based on the persons' physical attributes, speaking style or even their first word. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. In Hokkien- and Cantonese-speaking areas, a nickname will often consist of the diminutive Ah, followed by part of the given name (usually the last character). The Southern Min language or Min Nan ( POJ: Bân-lâm-gú or "Southern Fujian" language refers to a family of Chinese languages Dialects Standard Cantonese is the standard variant of the Cantonese (Yuet language The nicknames are rarely used in formal or semi-formal settings. One exception to this is Chen Shui-bian who is commonly known as A-bian (or A-biN in Hokkien pronounce) even in more formal settings such as newspaper articles. Chen Shui-bian ( born October 12, 1950) is a Taiwanese politician and former President of the Republic of China.

In former times, it was common for males to acquire a zi, or style name, upon reaching maturity, and for prominent people to have posthumous names, and rulers temple names. A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name ( zì) is a given name to be used later in life A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty nobles and sometimes others in some cultures after the person's death Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean ( Goryeo and Joseon periods and Vietnamese (such dynasties as This is rarely the case now, although Chinese writers will frequently take a pen name. A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity

Many coastal Chinese have a Western name in addition to the Chinese name. For example, the Taiwanese politician Soong Chu-yu is also known as James Soong. James Chu-yu Soong ( born March 16, 1942) is a Politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. Among American-born Chinese, Canadian-born Chinese, etc. An American-born Chinese or " ABC " is a person born in the United States of Chinese ethnic descent a category of Chinese American Chinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent and constitute the second-largest Visible minority group in Canada standing at 1346510 which , it is common practice to be referred to primarily by the Western name, and the Chinese name is used either (officially or otherwise) as an alternative name, or sometimes, middle name. Many people's Names include one or more middle names, placed between the first Given name and the Surname. Recent immigrants tend to use their given Chinese name as the legal name and adopting a Western Given name for casual use only. Legal name is often the Name which an individual is called at birth or which appears on their Birth certificate (see Birth name) or

In Hong Kong and Macau, some people may have their Chinese given names related to the pronunciation or meaning of their English given names, while many in Taiwan will choose their adoptive English name based on their Chinese given name. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia.

In regions where fortune-telling is more popular, many parents may name their children on the advice of literomancers. Literomancy (from the Latin litero, "letter" mancy "prophecy" as its name suggests is a form of Fortune-telling based on letters The advice are often given based on the number of strokes of the names or the perceived elemental value of the characters in relation to the child's birth time and personal elemental value; rarely on the sound of the name as there is no system of fortune-telling based on character pronunciations. In jurisdictions where it is possible, people may also choose to change their legal given name, or their children's names, in order to improve their fortune.

Due to varying cultural backgrounds and regional dialects, some names may sound silly and hilarious when spoken in a different community and dialect, although it is considered rude to tease a person's name in such a way.

Some common names include:

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Michener, James A. [1959]. Chinese family name is one of the hundreds or thousands of Family names that have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic A Chinese clan ( is a patrilineal and patrilocal group of related Chinese people with a common surname sharing a common ancestor and in many cases an Chinese family name is one of the hundreds or thousands of Family names that have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic Generation name, variously zibei or banci, is one of the characters in a traditional Chinese name, and is so called because each member of a generation This is a list of the top 100 most common Chinese surnames according to a study published in 2006 Naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons in China and neighboring nations in the ancient Chinese cultural sphere in modern times usually consist of a Family name ( Surname) followed by a Given name. A Korean name consists of a Family name followed by a Given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts a Family name, a Middle name, and a Given name, used in that order James Albert Michener ( February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author of more than 40 titles the majority of which "IV: From the starving village", Hawaii, Fawcett Crest Book. Hawaii is a novel by James Michener published in 1959. Written in episodic format like most of Michener's works the book narrates the story of the original Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885-1940 New York: Ballantine Books, pp. The Ballantine Publishing Group, better known as Ballantine Books, is a major American book Publisher founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine. 480-485. ISBN 0-449-21335-8.  
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