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This article contains Chinese text.
Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Mojibake is the happenstance of incorrect unreadable characters (garbage characters shown when Computer software fails to render a text correctly according to its associated A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese (

Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. A name ( Etymology: from OE nama akin to OHG namo, Latin Nomen, and Greek όνομα ( 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 Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name (surname or last name) first and the given name next, therefore "John Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John". A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs For instance, the basketball player who is commonly called Yao Ming would be addressed as "Mr. Yao Ming ( born September 12 1980 is a Professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA Yao", not "Mr. Ming".

Some Chinese people who emigrate to, or do business with, Western countries sometimes adopt a Westernized name by simply reversing the "surname–given-name" order to "given-name–surname" ("Ming Yao", to follow the previous example), or with a Western first name together with their surname, which is then written in the usual Western order with the surname last ("Fred Yao"). The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following A person who resides in and holds citizenship of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Other Chinese people sometimes take a combined name, consisting of Western first name, surname, and Chinese given name, in that order ("Fred Yao Ming"), mostly in Hong Kong and Singapore, or in the order of Western first name, Chinese given name, and surname ("Fred Ming Yao"). 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 Singapore

Traditional naming schemes often followed a pattern of using generation names as part of a two-character given name. 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 by no means the norm, however. An alternative tradition, stemming from a Han Dynasty law that forbade two-character given names, is to have a single character given name. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Some contemporary given names do not follow either tradition, and may in some cases extend to three or more characters.

When generation names are used as part of a two-character given name, it is highly inappropriate and confusing to refer to someone by the first part of their given name only which will generally be their generation name. Instead, the entire given name should be used. This should be the case regardless of whether the surname is used. For instance, referring to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as Hsien or Hsien Lee would be confusing as this could just as easily refer to his brother. Singapore Lee Hsien Loong ( born February 10, 1952) is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. However, this does commonly occur in Western societies where the first part of the given name is frequently mistakenly used as the first name when the given name is not hyphenated or adjoined.

Contents

Family names

Main article: Chinese surname

The Chinese name system is the original pattern of names in Eastern Asia. 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 In fact, all countries in Eastern Asia have followed the Chinese name system. Today, there are over 700 different Chinese family names, but as few as twenty cover a majority of Chinese people. 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 The variety in Chinese names therefore depends greatly on given names rather than family names. The great majority of Chinese family names have only one character, but there are a few with two; see Chinese compound surname for more information. A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese ( A Chinese compound surname ( literally "double surname" is a Chinese surname using more than one character

Chinese family names are written first, something which often causes confusion among those from cultures where the family name usually comes last. Thus, the family name of Mao Zedong is Mao (毛), and his given name is Zedong (traditional: 澤東, simplified: 泽东). Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led

Married Chinese women, in modern times, usually retain their maiden names as their family name, rather than the adopted name of their husband — this is almost universal in the People's Republic of China (PRC) — and children usually inherit the father's family name. A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs Historically, it was considered taboo to marry someone with the same family name — even if there is no direct relationship between those concerned--though in recent decades this has no longer been frowned upon. 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

Given names

Main article: Chinese given name

Generally speaking, Chinese given names have one or two characters, and are written after the family name. Chinese given names ( Chinese: 名字 Pinyin: míngzì are often made up of one or two characters Unlike Western personal names there is great variety Chinese given names ( Chinese: 名字 Pinyin: míngzì are often made up of one or two characters Unlike Western personal names there is great variety In Typography, a grapheme is the fundamental unit in written language. When a baby is born, parents often give him or her a "milk name" or "little name," such as Little Gem (小寶/ 小宝) or two characters that repeat (明明). The given name is then usually chosen later and is often chosen with consultation of the grandparents. In China, parents have a month before having to register the child. The parents may continue to use the nickname.

With a limited repertoire of family names, Chinese depend on using given names to introduce variety in naming. Almost any character with any meaning can be used. However, it is not considered appropriate to name a child after a famous figure and highly offensive after an older member among the family or even distant relatives.

Given names resonant of qualities which are perceived to be either masculine or feminine are frequently given, with males being linked with strength and firmness, and females with beauty and flowers. Females sometimes have names which repeat a character, for example Xiuxiu (秀秀) or Lili (麗麗, 丽丽). This is less common in males, although Yo-yo Ma (馬友友 Mǎ Yǒuyǒu, 马友友) is a well-known exception. This is an Anglicized version of the Chinese name "Ma Yo-yo" the family name is " Ma "

In some families, one of the two characters in the personal name is shared by all members of a generation and these generational names are worked out long in advance, historically in a poem listing the names[1]. 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 Also, siblings' names are frequently related, for example, a boy may be named pine (松, considered masculine) while his sister may be named plum (梅, considered feminine), both being primary elements of the traditional Chinese system of naturally symbolizing moral imperatives.

Chinese personal names also may reflect periods of history. Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era 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

People from the rural areas may have "rural" names due to their uneducated parents, for example, large ox (大牛) and big pillar (大柱), though, these names are much less common today.

Also, some decades ago, due to the traditional Confucianism, when a family gives birth to a female baby, the parents may name her comes a little brother (來弟), invites a little brother (招弟) or hopes for a little brother (盼弟). Confucianism ( is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the fifth century B Some other female names of this sort includes: 望弟 (hopes for a little brother), 牽弟 (brings along a little brother), 帶弟 (brings a little brother), 引弟 (attracts or leads along a little brother), 領弟 (receives a little brother), and even 也好 (it's all right, too (to have a girl first then a boy later)). The parents may feminize the character '弟' (younger brother) to '娣' with the same pronunciation, but different in meaning (it literally means "wife of a younger brother," but more recently it is used to transliterate the western female names). These names show the traditional sexism or male chauvinism in the older Chinese society where having a boy (who can inherit the family name and continue the family line, which is an honour to the ancestors) is better than having a girl (who can only be other family's daughter-in-law to carry on other's family name). Sexism is the belief or attitude that one Gender or Sex is inferior to or less valuable than the other and can also refer to a Hatred or distrust towards Chauvinism (ˈʃoʊvɨnɪzəm is extreme and unreasoning Partisanship on behalf of a group to which one belongs especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred

A recent trend has swept through greater China to let fortune tellers change people's names years after they have been given. These fortune tellers claim that the name leads to a better future in the child according to principles such as Five elements (五行 wǔ xíng). In traditional Chinese philosophy, natural phenomena can be classified into the Wu Xing ( or the Five Phases, usually translated as five elements,

Regional variations

Taiwan

Family names in Taiwan of the Han Chinese heritage are similar to those in southeast China, as most families maintain family trees that are traceable to their origins in places such as Fujian and Guangdong. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. A family tree is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional Tree structure. This article is about the People's Republic of China province Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the Taiwanese aborigines have also adopted Chinese names in the process of assimilation (see also Taiwanese name). Taiwanese aborigines ( Taiwanese Pe̍h-oē-jī: gôan-chū-bîn literally “original inhabitants” is the term commonly applied in reference to the Indigenous peoples Sinicization, Sinicisation or Sinification, (in Mandarin: 中国化 Zhōngguóhuà) is the linguistic assimilation or The naming customs of Taiwanese aborigines are distinct from though influenced by the majority Han Chinese culture of Taiwan. The popularity distribution of family names in Taiwan as a whole differs somewhat from the distribution of names among all Han Chinese, with the family name Chen (陳) particularly common (generally about 11%). Local variations also exist.

The top ten most frequent family names in Taiwan, ranking in China, and common romanizations.

Name Rank in Taiwan Rank in China Pe̍h-ōe-jī Common romanizations
陳 1 5 Tân Chen, Chan
林 2 16 Lîm Lin, Lam
黃 3 8 n̂g Huang, Wong, Hwang
李 4 1 Lí Li, Lee, Le
張 5 3 Tiuⁿ Zhang, Cheung, Chang, Teo, Teoh
王 6 2 Ông Wang, Wong
吳 7 10 Ngô͘ Wu, Ng, Goh
劉 8 4 Lâu Liu, Lau, Liou
蔡 9 32 Chhòa Cai, Choi, Tsai, Choy
楊 10 6 Iûⁿ Yang, Yeung

Among the Taiwanese Presbyterian Christians, the family name 偕 (Kai in Taiwanese Pe̍h-ōe-jī) is of particular interest as an example of a Chinese-like surname with a non-Chinese root. Pe̍h-ōe-jī ( POJ) ( is an Orthography in the Latin alphabet created and introduced to Fujian and Taiwan by Presbyterian The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT Taiwanese: Tâi-oân Ki-tok Tiúⁿ-ló Kàu-hoē Chinese: 台灣基督長老教會 was planted in Taiwan in the Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Pe̍h-ōe-jī ( POJ) ( is an Orthography in the Latin alphabet created and introduced to Fujian and Taiwan by Presbyterian Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time According to the clan's tradition, the name was adopted to honor the Canadian missionary George Leslie Mackay, also known as Má-kai (馬偕). Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. George Leslie Mackay (馬偕 or 偕叡理 Pe̍h-oē-jī: Kai Sūi-lí or Má-kai March 21 1844 – June 2 1901 was the first Presbyterian Missionary This family name is actually rarely seen even among Presbyterian Christians. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Taiwanese Christians of other sects do not carry this tradition.

(See: Top 10 Taiwanese family names and Top family names in China (1988), List of common Chinese surnames)

Given names that consist of one character are much less common on Taiwan than in mainland China. This is a list of the top 100 most common Chinese surnames according to a study published in 2006 Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction

More common in the past when life was much more difficult, Taiwanese given names are sometimes unofficially re-assigned based on the recommendation of fortune-tellers, in order to ward off bad omens and evil spirits. Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting the future usually of an individual through mystical or supernatural means and often for commercial gain An omen (also called portent or presage) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the Future, often signifying the advent of change For example, a sick boy may be renamed "Ti-sái" (豬屎), or "Hog Manure", to indicate to the evil spirits that he is not worth their trouble. Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Manure is Organic matter used as Organic fertilizer in Agriculture. Similarly, a girl from a poor family may have the name "Bóng-chhī" (罔市), or translated loosely, "Keeping (her) Only Reluctantly".

Nicknames (also known as "child names", gín-á-miâ, 囝仔名) derives from the practice common to Fujian of being constructed by attaching the prefix "A-" (阿) to the last syllable. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. Unlike the situation in Mainland China, this construction is used for Hakka names as well. Nicknames are often used by friends to refer to each other, but are rarely used in formal contexts. However, one major exception to this is Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁, Tân Chúi-píⁿ) who refers to himself as A-píⁿ--a (阿扁) in public, which appears endearing to his supporters. Chen Shui-bian ( born October 12, 1950) is a Taiwanese politician and former President of the Republic of China. The use of nicknames in public contexts is however unusual, and very few other public figures (such as the singer A-mei) are known by their nicknames. A-mei ( also known by her birth name Zhang Huimei or as Chang Hui-mei ( is an aboriginal Taiwanese pop Singer and occasional

Examples of names of prominent Taiwanese born in Taiwan, mostly after World War II.

Diaspora

Among Chinese Americans, it is common practice to be referred to primarily by the Western name and to use the Chinese given name as a middle name; for instance, Soong would have "James Chu-yu Soong". Wang Yung-ching (also known as YC Wang) (Traditional Chinese 王永慶 Pinyin: Wáng Yǒngqìng (born 18 January 1917) is an influential entrepreneur Chang Yung-fa (1927 Suao (Ilan County Taiwan-) is the founder and Group Chairman of the Evergreen Group. Lin Hwai-min ( born February 19, 1947) is a Taiwanese Dancer, Writer, Choreographer, and founder of Cloud Gate Dance Tsai Chin ( Minnan: Chhoà Khîm) is a pop and folk Singer from Taiwan (her Ancestral home is in A stage name, also called a screen name, is a Pseudonym used by Performers and Entertainers such as Kuo Lee Chien-Fu ( Traditional Chinese: 郭李 建夫 born March 24, 1969 in Taoyuan County, Taiwan) is a retired Taiwanese The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU ( Traditional Chinese: 臺灣團結聯盟 Pinyin: Táiwān Tuánjié Liánméng is a Political party in the Republic Chinese Americans ( Chinese: 华裔美国人 are Americans of Chinese descent Many people's Names include one or more middle names, placed between the first Given name and the Surname. In a more recent effort to combine Western names for those with native Chinese names, the Western name is placed directly in front of the Chinese name so that both the Chinese and Western names can be easily identified. The relative order of family name-given name is also preserved. Using this scheme, Soong Chu-yu would be James Soong Chu-yu.

In Malaysia and Singapore, it is equally acceptable for Western names to appear before or after the Chinese given name, thus Tan Keng Yam Tony may also be written as Tony Tan Keng Yam, and individuals are free to indicate their official names in either format on their identity cards. Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam ( Minnan: Tân Khèng-iām born 7 February 1940, Singapore) is the The National Registration Identity Card ( Abbreviation: NRIC or colloquially IC) is the Identity document in use in Singapore. General usage tend to prefer placing the Western name first due to the popularity of referring to individuals simply as "Tony Tan" and dropping the given Chinese name entirely. For administrative purposes, however, government agencies tend to place the Western name behind so as to standardise namelists sorted by family names. The Government of Singapore is formed by the Political party which gains a simple majority in the general Elections held in Singapore at least once every In some cases, therefore, agencies may choose to include a comma behind the Chinese name to indicate such amendments made, for instance, "Tan Keng Yam, Tony". A comma ( ,   is a Punctuation mark It has the same shape as an Apostrophe or single closing Quotation mark in many typefaces but it differs

The Hong Kong printed media tends to adopt a presentation style similar to American usage, for instance, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. On official records such as the Hong Kong Identity Cards, however, family names are always printed first, capitalised, and followed with a comma for all names, including non-Chinese names. An identity document, also called a piece of identification ( ID) is a document used to verify aspects of a person's Identity. Therefore the name would be printed as either TSANG, Yam Kuen Donald or TSANG, Donald Yam Kuen, according to the person's, or the person's parents' own preference at time of application. A non-Chinese name would be printed in the style of "BUSH, George Walker". Some people do not have the transliterations of their Chinese given names in their names in English record, such as Henry Lee or Peter Vincent Cheng. Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice In Macau, ethnic Chinese individuals who have Portuguese given names may have their names written in the Portuguese name order, such as Carlos do Rosário Tchiang. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics.

The use of a comma between a surname and given name is acceptable if the name is in isolation (such as part of an alphabetized list or on a field of a government document), but not as part of a sentence. For example, the sentence "My student Wang, Ming-Sheng graduated in 2006" would be wrong.

Romanization

In mainland China, Han names are romanized in pinyin, usually without tone marks. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Chinese from Mainland China are generally recognizable from the "x", "zh" and "q" that exist in Hanyu Pinyin orthography, and by the combination of the two syllables in a two character given name into one romanized word (e. Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use g. Chen Xianglin).

In Taiwan, the vast majority of Taiwanese today romanize their names in Mandarin pronunciation using Wades-Giles or a similar system, which can be easily distinguished from the Hanyu Pinyin used for romanization in Mainland China and Singapore by the lack of the use of "q", "zh", and "x", by the use of "hs" and by the inclusion of hyphens. Wade-Giles (ˌweɪdˈʤaɪlz) sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system (phonetic notation and Transcription) for the Mandarin Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction Singapore Unlike Mainland China, romanization of names in Taiwan is not standardized and one can often find idiosyncratic variants such as Lee or Soong, and others. Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction

Chinese in southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, and other old diaspora communities are likely to romanize in their own dialect, such as "吳" becomes Ng in languages such as Cantonese, while the same character would be Wu in Mandarin. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. In particular, Cantonese, Min Nan, Hakka are prevalent. The Southern Min language or Min Nan ( POJ: Bân-lâm-gú or "Southern Fujian" language refers to a family of Chinese languages Dialects The Hakkas ( Hakka language: Hak-kâ; Mandarin Chinese: Kèjiā) are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people who live predominantly Although not a Chinese dialect, ethnic Chinese in Vietnam romanize their names in Vietnamese pronunciation using quoc ngu, making them almost indistinguishable from Vietnamese names. Hoa refers to a minority in Vietnam consisting of persons considered Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Vietnamese alphabet has the following 29 letters in collating order Description The Vietnamese alphabet called Chữ Quốc Ngữ Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts a Family name, a Middle name, and a Given name, used in that order In Singapore, individuals, or their parents, are free to choose to romanize their Chinese names in Mandarin, in any Chinese dialect, or in any other form as deemed fit. In general, however, the romanized name in dialect and in Mandarin (in pinyin) are both depicted on the person's NRIC, unless the bearer chooses to drop either of them. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use In Macau, Chinese names are usually transliterated based on Portuguese orthography. Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of using a specific Writing system to write the language

Chinese from diaspora communities in Malaysia and Singapore can also be identified by the inclusion of spaces in their first names, as well. (e. g. Tan Cheng Lock)

Alternative names

Chinese associated names for proeminant people,
example of Sun Yat-sen's names
1 Official name: Sūn Démíng (孫德明)
2 Milk name: Sun Dìxiàng (孫帝象)
3 School name: Sūn Wén (孫文)
4 Caricatural name: unknow
5 Courtesy names: Sūn Zàizhī (孫載之)
6 Pseudonym(s): 1. Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock ( was a Malaysian Chinese businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese Sūn Rìxīn (孫日新)a
2. Sūn Yìxiān (孫逸仙, 1886)a
jap. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Nakayama Shō (中山樵, 1897)
-Death, Honorary titles :
7 Posthume name: Gúofù (國父)
8 Temple name: noneb
9 Era name: nonec
Notes : a. both pronounce "Sun Yat-sen" in Cantonese ;

b. only for Royalty and Emperors ; c. only for Royalty and Emperors' reigns.

Nicknames (小名) :Milk name and «Caricatural name»

Nicknames are usually an alteration of the given name. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. There are two kinds of nicknames, one given by biologic parents to a baby, and one give by the family or a child's friends to another child (綽號/绸号 chòuhào). The first is a nice little nickname, to call a baby or children, often simply made by doubling one character of the official name (i. e. official name 德明 -> 明明 mingming), or even their first word. The second one is a caricatural name based on the person's physical attributes, speaking style (小胖 xǐaopang « small big », 小猪 xǐaozhu « small pig »， 苍蝇 cangying « fly » ). True flies are Insects of the Order Diptera ( Greek: di = two and pteron = wing possessing a single pair of A nickname may consist of the diminutive ā (阿) or xiăo (小), followed by part of the given name (usually the last character or occasionally the surname -- but see Forms of address, below). Personal Names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. The ā (阿) diminutive is more commonly found in the southern regions of China than in the north, where xiăo (小) is more common. 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 (阿扁) even by himself and in newspaper articles. Chen Shui-bian ( born October 12, 1950) is a Taiwanese politician and former President of the Republic of China. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint.

School name (学名)

The School name is the name that a child takes to go to school. Teachers and classmates had to call the child with this formal name. Friends prefer to use the official given name or the caricatural name.

Courtesy names (字) and Pseudonyms (号)

In former times, it was common for educated males to acquire courtesy names. A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name ( zì) is a given name to be used later in life The two most common forms were a zì (字), given upon reaching maturity, and a hào (simplified Chinese: 号; traditional Chinese: 號), usually self-selected and often somewhat whimsical. Although this tradition has lapsed, authors' use of pen names is still a common phenomenon. A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity For more information, see Chinese style name. A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name ( zì) is a given name to be used later in life

Posthumous name (谥号) and Temple name (庙号)

For prominent people, posthumous names (simplified Chinese: 谥号; traditional Chinese: 諡號; pinyin: shìhào) have often been given, although this is uncommon now. A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty nobles and sometimes others in some cultures after the person's death Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Sun Yat-sen was given the posthumous name of Guófù (simplified Chinese: 国父; traditional Chinese: 國父, Father of the Nation), the name by which he is most frequently known in Taiwan. Sun Yat-sen ( November 12, 1866 &ndash March 12, 1925) was a Chinese Revolutionary and political leader often Pater Patriae (plural Patres Patriae) also seen as Parens Patriae, is a Latin Honorific meaning " Father 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. Emperors were also ascribed temple names (simplified Chinese: 庙号; traditional Chinese: 廟號; pinyin: miàohào), and in certain situations, an Era name as well. Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean ( Goryeo and Joseon periods and Vietnamese (such dynasties as Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use

Era name

The era name can sometimes be use in ways which refer to the monarch himself, and not to the period (Ex: the Emperor Meiji, having ruled during the Meiji era (Enlightened rule), he is now known as Emperor Meiji). The (3 November 1852 — 30 July 1912 or Meiji the Great was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession reigning from 3 February

Forms of address

Within families, adults are rarely referred to by their given names. Rather, the relationship is stressed, so each member is known by this connection. Thus, there is big sister, second sister, third sister and so on. These connections are also distinguished by what side of the family they are on. Generally speaking though, the family title is only used when the relative being called is older than caller. It is considered highly inappropriate and sometimes extremely offensive if a person from a younger generation calls someone from an older generation by his/her given name. Younger relatives are normally only called by their relational title in formal situations. Children can be called by their given name, or their parents may use their nickname.

When speaking of non-family social acquaintances, people are generally referred to by a title, for example Mother Li (simplified Chinese: 李妈妈; traditional Chinese: 李媽媽; pinyin: lĭ māma) or Mrs. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Zhu (朱太太, pinyin: zhū tàitai). Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Personal names are used when referring to adult friends or to children, although, unlike in the west, referring to somebody by their full name (including surname) is common even among friends, especially if the person's full name is only two syllables. It is common to refer to a person as lăo (老, old) or xiăo (小, young) followed by their family name, thus Lăo Wáng (老王) or Xiăo Zhāng (小張, 小张). Xiăo is also frequently used as a diminutive, when it is typically paired with the second or only character in a person's name, rather than the surname. Note that because old people are well respected in Chinese society, lăo (old) does not carry disrespect, offense or any negative implications even if it's used to refer to an older woman. Despite this, it is advisable for non-Chinese to avoid calling a person xiăo-something or lăo-something unless they are so-called by other Chinese people and it is clear that the appellation is acceptable and widely used. Otherwise, the use of the person's full name, or alternatively, their surname followed by xiānshēng (Chinese: 先生, mister) or nǚshì (Chinese: 女士, madam) is relatively neutral and unlikely to cause offence.

Whereas titles in many cultures are commonly solely determined by gender and, in some cases, marital status, the occupation or even work title of a person can be used as a title as a sign of respect in common address in Chinese culture. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration an official position or a professional or academic qualification Because of the prestigious position of a teacher in traditional culture, a teacher is invariably addressed as such by his or her students (e. g. Chinese: 李老师; pinyin: Lǐ Lǎoshī; literally "Teacher Li"), and commonly by others as a mark of respect. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use By extension, a junior or less experienced member of a work place or profession would address a more senior member as "Teacher".

Similarly, engineers are often addressed as such, though often shortend to simply the first character of the word "engineer" -- Chinese: 工; pinyin: Gōng. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Should the person being addressed be the head of a company (or simply the middle manager of another company to whom you would like to show respect), one might equally address them by the title "zŏng" (simplified Chinese: 总; traditional Chinese: 總), which means "general" or "overall", and is the first character of titles such as "Director General" or "General Manager" (e. g. traditional Chinese: 李總; simplified Chinese: 李总; pinyin: Lĭ zŏng), or, if they are slightly lower down on the corporate food-chain but nonetheless a manager, by affixing Jīnglĭ (simplified Chinese: 经理; traditional Chinese: 經理, manager). Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use

References

  1. ^ Michener, James A. [1959]. 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.  

See also

Kinds of Chinese group-names
Kinds of personal-names
Other links

External links

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