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In China, as in other Asian countries, the surname is written
first, then the given names. For example:
Wu Gongfu — The last name is Wu (like Smith, Jones,
etc.) and the given names are Gong and fu (written together in Pinyin
and hyphenated in Wade-Giles, Wu Gong-fu).
In China, what is most important about a person is that he/she has a
family, or is part of a family, hence the last name comes first. Of second
importance is the individual name. Very often when speaking to a Chinese
person the whole name is said: "Hi, Wu Gongfu!" Good friends
will also just use the given name: "Gongfu, will you please pass
the tea?"
Chinese names give a good picture of how the Chinese view the world
and the importance of the family.
In the first two lists of names, read the English translation from top
to bottom. The words in the first list make up a saying of Confucius
regarding the Chinese view of life. The words in the second list make
up a poem reflecting that view of the world.
The third list consists of two examples of how Chinese names are given,
with each generation having a name in common. The fourth list demonstrates
how the characters from the first list (the Confucius saying) can be
used through a number of generations.
| List A. Quotation from a Confucian
saying |
List B. A couplet |
| Generation 1 |
修 xio |
cultivate |
Generation 1 |
孝 xiao |
filial piety |
| Generation 2 |
身 shen |
personal life |
Generation 2 |
仁 ren |
love and kindness |
| Generation 3 |
齊 qi |
regulate |
Generation 3 |
起 qi |
build |
| Generation 4 |
家 jia |
family life |
Generation 4 |
家 jia |
family life |
| Generation 5 |
治 zhi |
administer |
Generation 5 |
忠 zhong |
faith and loyalty |
| Generation 6 |
國 guo |
country affairs |
Generation 6 |
義 yi |
justice and righteousness |
| Generation 7 |
平 ping |
make peace of |
Generation 7 |
建 jian |
found, build |
| Generation 8 |
天 tian |
the whole world |
Generation 8 |
國 guo |
country |
| Generation 9 |
建 jian |
the whole world |
|
|
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List C-1. Generation 4 in Ding (丁)
household.
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List C-2. Generation 6 in Wang (王)
household. |
| 丁 家 元 |
Ding Jia yuan |
Ding family's first born |
王 尚 義 |
Wang Shang yi |
Wang promotes justice |
| 丁 家 玉 |
Ding Jia yu |
Ding family's jade |
王 明 義 |
Wang Ming yi |
Wang loves justice |
| 丁 家 美 |
Ding Jia mei |
Ding family's beauty |
王 愛 義 |
Wang Ai yi |
Wang loves justice |
| 丁 家 才 |
Ding Jia cai |
Ding family's talent |
王 心 義 |
Wang Xin yi |
Wang believes justice |
These four may be brothers, sisters, or cousins all in the same generation
in the Ding family. They all share the same middle character.
|
These four names represent four members in Wang household who belong
to the same generation. They share the same third character. |
| List D. A multigenerational example
of Ding (丁) household |
Generation 1
|
Generation 2 |
| 丁 修 全 |
Ding Xio quan |
Ding cultivates perfection |
丁 身 建 |
Ding Shen jian |
Ding's personal health |
| 丁 修 仁 |
Ding Xio ren |
Ding cultivates love |
丁 身 智 |
Ding Shen zhi |
Ding's personal wisdom |
| 丁 修 德 |
Ding Xio de |
Ding cultivates morality |
丁 身 善 |
Ding Shen shan |
Ding's personal goodness |
Generation 3
|
Generation 4 |
| 丁 齊 心 |
Ding Qi xin |
Ding to be one (regulates) heart |
丁 家 元 |
Ding Jia yuan |
Ding family's first born |
| 丁 齊 力 |
Ding Qi li |
Ding to be one force |
丁 家 玉 |
Ding Jia yu |
Ding family's jade |
| 丁 齊 備 |
Ding Qi bei |
Ding to be all ready |
丁 家 美 |
Ding Jia mei |
Ding family's beauty |
| |
|
|
丁 家 才 |
Ding Jia cai |
Ding family's talent |
All lists reprinted with permission from Echoes of China.
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