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Chinese Names

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 1
A quotation from Confucius' Sayings:

Generation 1 xio -- cultivate

Generation 2 shen -- personal life

Generation 3 qi -- regulate

Generation 4 jia -- family life

Generation 5 zhi -- administer

Generation 6 guo -- country affairs

Generation 7 ping -- make peace of

Generation 8 tian >
                                     > the whole world

Generation 9 xia >

 

LIST 2
A Couplet

Generation 1 xiao -- filial piety

Generation 2 ren -- love and kindness

Generation 3 qi -- build

Generation 4 jia -- family life

Generation 5 zhong -- faith and loyalty

Generation 6 yi -- justice and righteousness

Generation 7 jian -- found, build

Generation 8 guo -- country

 

LIST 3
Example 1: Generation 4 in Ding () household:

(Ding Jia yuan) - Ding family's first born

(Ding Jia yu) - Ding family's jade

(Ding Jia mei) - Ding family's beauty

(Ding Jia cai) - Ding family's talent

These four may be brothers, sisters or cousins all in the same generation in the Ding family. They all share the same middle character.

Example 2: Generation 6 in Wang () household:

(Wang Shang yi) - Wong promotes justice

(Wang Ming yi) - Wong loves justice

(Wang Ai yi) - Wong loves justice

(Wang Xin yi) - Wong believes justice

These four names represent four members in Wong household who belong to the same generation. They share the same third character.

LIST 4
Furthermore, a multigenerational example is as follows:
In Ding () household:
Generation 1:

(Ding Xio quan) - Ding cultivates perfection

(Ding Xio ren) - Ding cultivates love

(Ding Xio de) - Ding cultivates morality

Generation 2:

(Ding Shen jian) - Ding's personal health

(Ding Shen zhi) - Ding's personal wisdom

(Ding Shen shan) - Ding's personal goodness

Generation 3:

(Ding Qi xin) - Ding to be one (regulates) heart

(Ding Qi li) - Ding to be one force

(Ding Qi bei) - Ding to be all ready

Generation 4:

(Ding Jia yuan) - Ding family's first born

(Ding Jia yu) - Ding family's jade

(Ding Jia mei) - Ding family's beauty

(Ding Jia cai) - Ding family's talent

Lists 1,2,3 and 4 are reprinted with permission from Echoes of China (see full reference under Recommended Resources on Section Table of Contents page for Society and Culture).