The
Chinese name is made up of a family name (姓),
which is always placed first, followed by a
generation name and personal name as part of
the given name (名). In addition to the given
name, many Chinese have various kinds of nicknames.
Family names
There are over 700 different Chinese family
names, but as few as twenty cover a majority
of Chinese people. 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.
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 (澤東, 泽东).
Chinese married women usually retain their
maiden name as their family name, rather than
adopt the name of their husband, and children
usually inherit the father's family name. It
is often considered taboo to marry someone with
the same family name, even if there is no direct
relationship between those concerned.
More information on Chinese
family names.
Given names
Chinese given names have one or two characters,
and are written after the family name. When
a baby is first born parents often give it a
"little name," such as Little Treasure
(小寶, 小宝). The given name is then chosen somewhat
later: in China, parents have a month before
having to register the child. The parents may
continue to use the nickname.
With a limited supply 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 someone else, whether
a family member or a famous figure.
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 Yoyo Ma (馬友友 Mǎ Yǒuyǒu, 马友友)
is a well-known exception.
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. 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).
Chinese personal names also may reflect periods
of history. For example, many Chinese born during
the Cultural Revolution have "revolutionary
names" such as strong country (強国) or eastern
wind (东风). 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
boys' names.
Popular Chinese given name
for boys
Popular Chinese given name
for girls
Alternative names
Nicknames are usually an alteration of the given
name, sometimes based on the person's physical
attributes, speaking style or even their first
word. In Hokkien- or Cantonese-speaking areas,
a nickname will often consist of the diminutive
Ah (阿), followed by part of the given name (usually
the last character). 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.
In former times, it was common for educated
males to acquire courtesy names. The two most
common forms were a zi (字), given upon reaching
maturity, and a hao (號), usually self-selected
and often somewhat whimsical. Although this
tradition has lapsed, authors' use of pen names
is still a common phenomenon. For more information,
see Chinese courtesy name.
For prominent people, posthumous names (諡號,
諡号) have often been given, although this is
uncommon now. Sun Yat-sen was given the posthumous
name of Guófù (國父, Father of the Nation), the
name by which he is most frequently known by
in Taiwan. Rulers were also ascribed temple
names (廟號, 廟号).
Regional Variations
Many Chinese who live or work in Western cultures
have a Western name in addition to their Chinese
name. For example, the Taiwanese politician
Soong Chu-yu (宋楚瑜) is also known as James Soong.
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. 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.
Another variation is whether the form used
in romanization is the Mandarin form or the
one using local dialect. In general, ethnic
Chinese in Mainland China and Taiwan will romanize
the Mandarin form of their name, and those in
southeast Asia and Hong Kong will romanize the
local dialect form. Chinese from Mainland China
are generally recognizable from the Hanyu pinyin
romanization used which includes "x",
"zh" and "q" which are not
found in other romanization systems and which
does not use hyphens.
For more information about naming conventions
which are peculiar to Taiwan, see the article
on Taiwanese names.
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 (mother or father's side) and the
generation gap between the two family members.
Generally speaking though, the family title
is only used when the relative being called
is older than caller. 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 (李媽媽, 李妈妈) or the Wife
of Chu (朱太太). Personal names are used when referring
to adult friends or to children. It is common
to refer to a person as lao (老, old) or xiao
(小, young) followed by their family name, thus
Lao Wang (老王) or Xiao Zhang (小張, 小张).
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