The peculiarity of Chinese culture is that it differs from the European identity. The country has been developing for several millennia in isolation from the outside world. This contributed to the fact that the Chinese have their own opinion about the simplest concepts, which for a Western person look insignificant.
Chinese female names carry meaning, and according to legends they can influence a person's life. It is also worth mentioning that not only the name itself plays a special role in the Celestial Empire, but also the process of changing it.
The influence of tradition on name choice
The difference between Chinese culture and Russian or any European culture is the difference in relation to the surname and first name of a person. In China, the surname has always played an important role; people, when meeting, call it first of all. Even an appeal to a person with whom the relationship does not allow frivolity should contain exactly the surname.
Most Chinese surnames consist of one syllable. In writing, they look like one hieroglyph. The accepted list, according to which surnames used to be handed out, contained only one hundred possible options. Today the list is much larger, but more than 90% of surnames in China are occupied by only 10 different variants.
But when choosing names, there are almost no restrictions. The main criterion that modern parents pay attention to is sonority. The child is given names consisting of one or more hieroglyphs, which can mean a concept, object, feeling or color.
Meaning of names
The meaning of the name throughout the history of the development of Chinese civilization has been a very serious life guide. It could mean that a person belongs to any caste or clan. Parents tried to name the child as they would like his life to develop. Since China is a country with highly developed religious influences, parents often chose sacred words or whole sentences as their names.
There are cases when strongly religious people called their children extremely repulsive concepts. One of the most popular in the XVI-XVIII centuries was the name "Goushen", when parsing it into separate words, you can make up the sentence "Leftovers from the dog's table." Not the most pleasant nickname for meeting new people. However, this was done only for the good of the child, it was believed that evil spirits would not touch a person who had such a bad fate that he was so named.
In order to somehow limit the not always healthy imagination, the government had to create a special list that prohibited the use of certain symbols when compiling. It includes hieroglyphs related to the following concepts:
- Death.
- Waste products.
- A hint of sexual overtones.
Today, no one calls a person in this way, realizing that this can greatly complicate his life. Children can be given the so-called "milk", which serve as affectionate treatment of the home to the baby. Or, over time, a person acquires qualities, because of which he will be addressed appropriately.
Female names list
Girls in China are mainly named after beautiful concepts that do not need further explanation. The basis is taken:
- Precious mineral names.
- Flowers.
- Things and events around a person, such as dawn or the moon.
- Human qualities.
- Ai is love.
- Liling is a jade bell.
- Venkean is a pure girl.
- May - Plum.
- Ehuang is a beautiful August.
- Shang - how much grace.
- Zhaohui is simple wisdom.
- Fankfan is fragrant.
- Kiaolian - gone through a lot.
- Yanglin is a swallow forest.
The number of suitable options exceeds several thousand. Because a slight change in one syllable can completely change the meaning of a word.
Male Chinese names
For boys from ancient times, values \u200b\u200bare chosen that symbolize:
- Provision with the blessings of life.
- Physical qualities.
- Character traits.
- Noble goals and professions.
- Elements of the landscape.
- Parting words.
It is very interesting and original when a person reaches certain heights in things related to his name. In China, a very beautiful legend is spread, according to which the mother of General Yue Fei, named him that, when a whole flock of swans descended on the roof during childbirth. She chose a hieroglyph for him that means "flight." The general became famous for his lightning-fast reaction and the mobility that his troops possessed.
Possible options:
- Binwen is bright.
- Bey is light.
- Xiu is the one who thinks about the environment.
- Yusheng is active.
- Liwei is the owner of greatness.
- Yoon is brave.
- Demin is a merciful soul.
- Gemin - Coup.
- Lao - Mature.
- Xu is responsible.
* If desired, you can use male characters in female names. It has become popular in the face of rising feminism.
Chinese surnames
The modern system allows the child to inherit the surname of either parent. This system is similar to the one used in Russia. Basically, the child takes the father's surname, but sometimes the mother.
10 most common Chinese surnames:
- Wang.
- Zheng.
- Zhao.
- Zhou.
- Xun.
It is difficult to imagine that there are more than 400 million people in China alone with the first two surnames.
How many surnames in China
Due to the difficult situation associated with the small variety of surnames, the state register providing a list of possible options has been increased. Previously, it included only one hundred possible characters for writing, but now this number has been increased several times. However, this reform will not be able to solve the current situation, when about one tenth of the population of China has the surname "Li".
Popular Chinese names
The spirit of the times has always been a decisive factor in all aspects of fashion. According to the census, certain sets of hieroglyphs are popular, such as:
Mens
- Mingli is dazzlingly light.
- Wenyan is gentle with neighbors.
- Lay is thunder.
- Minsh is sensitive and wise.
- Janji is lovable.
- Xanling is a non-empty beauty.
- Zen is exciting.
- Xiobo is a low warrior.
- Zanjon is tall and soft.
- Zengshen - wanting to achieve more.
Womens
- Xioji is a small rainbow.
- Xiokin - light blue.
- Zhu - a lot.
- Hua is happiness.
- Xioli is a young jasmine.
- Rulin is latent jade.
- Xiolian is a young lotus.
- Xiatong is the morning bell.
- Xiafan is the dawn.
- Maoning is a great victory.
Chinese rare names
There are several thousand Chinese names, a large number of them does not allow us to make a rating of the rarest. There are even those that are present in one copy. It can be a specific set of characters, such as "Waosinjonhareto". If you literally translate it, you get "Born in the morning in a village near the yellow river." And there are hundreds of such options.
More attention is attracted by those that, by writing, may seem common to the inhabitants of China and be unique to the Russian person. The following combinations have become heroes of many anecdotes and funny stories:
- Sun Wyn.
- Chew it yourself.
- Stand up Sun.
Chinese names in English
A big problem when studying ancient Chinese is the lack of letters and some combinations of sounds. Therefore, it is much more difficult for the Chinese to pronounce the names of people that are unusual for them. But they have much easier with this matter. The wide variety of phonetic tools that can be used to transcribe Chinese names allows them to be pronounced in much the same way as a native speaker.
Transcription:
- Hua - Hua.
- Lei - Lei.
- Xun - Sun.
- Ksanling - Ksanling.
- Demin - Demin.
- Ksiozhi - Ksiozhi.
- Maoning - Maoning.
- Zen - Dzen.
- Xiobo - Ksiobo.
- Zengshen - Dzengshen.
It's actually pretty simple. It is enough to know the English alphabet.
Russian female names
The Chinese writing system is somewhat limited in the variety of sounds. In the Celestial Empire, there is no alphabet, it is replaced by a syllabic system of composing words. This causes problems for the Chinese, because they are not used to pronouncing some of the sounds that are present in other languages. Therefore, the Chinese pronounce and write some foreign names in such a way that even the owner cannot always immediately recognize his name.
Russian female names:
- Alexandra - Ali shan de la.
- Alice - Ay li sy.
- Anastasia - An na sy ta si ya.
- Nastya - Na sy jia.
- Valentina - Wa lun ti na.
- Veronica - Wei lo nik.
- Galina - Jia Li na.
- Evgeniya - E fu gen, not me.
- Elizabeth - Ye li tszai wei ta.
- Christina - Ke li si ji na.
The first time you hear such a name, you just think that the Chinese are just talking to each other.
Do the Chinese have a middle name
The Chinese have no middle name, but they have "Hao". This is a nickname that a person takes for himself to highlight his personality. The tradition of taking hao has gone since antiquity. So the monarchs tried to stand out at court. Hao often passed from father to son.
The middle name of the Chinese
After reaching a certain age, 20 years for men and 15-17 years for women, the Chinese acquire the nickname "Zi". It is used to address neighbors, close friends and relatives. This can be called a family nickname that is not mentioned in the documents.
Unique features
Almost all Chinese surnames consist of just one syllable. They originate from the time of the birth of the tradition of inheritance. The rulers gave rise to surnames related to power, and artisans took hieroglyphs from the name of their type of activity.
Women after marriage do not change their surnames. However, they can modify it by adding the husband's hieroglyph.
Combination of first and last name
The sound of Chinese names and surnames is very important. Carefully chosen syllables should be combined into a harmonious sentence, over which parents think for a long time. Even a wedding is not a reason to change your last name.
Names defining character
Chinese characters that define character have become popular. The Chinese believe that the fate of a person is determined by the name, therefore, hieroglyphs have become popular:
- Gee - Lucky.
- Hu - Lioness.
- Xiong - Talent.
- Shu is justice.
You can list them until evening, because any adjective in Chinese can become a name.
Names associated with beauty
The main feature of female names is that they should make a girl more beautiful and interesting. Therefore, for centuries, popular:
- Gankhui - Irresistible.
- Liljan - Beauty.
- Meixiu is grace.
- Mayron is a success.
- Likhu - August.
Gems and female names
Also, Chinese characters are popular for valuable minerals and metals, such as:
- Jin is gold.
- Ubi is an emerald.
- Minjo is pearl.
They are usually in addition to creating names. A good example is the name "Lilin", which translates to beautiful jade.
Name change
Upon reaching a certain age, it is customary in China to give different names - nicknames that are used when referring to loved ones. These include:
- Min. Basic.
- Sao-min. Baby nickname.
- Sue-min. School nickname.
- Gun-min. Student.
- Hao. Possible nickname.
However, only Ming was noted in the official Chinese documents.
Compared to Europeans, the Chinese began using surnames even before our era. Initially, they were peculiar only to the royal family, the aristocracy, but gradually ordinary people began to use them. Some of them have transformed over time, while others have remained unchanged.
Origin of surnames
If some peoples still do not even have such a concept, then Chinese culture, on the contrary, takes this issue very seriously. At the initial stage, ancient Chinese surnames had two meanings:
- "Sin" (xìng). The concept that was used to define blood relatives, family. Later, a meaning was added to it indicating the place of origin of the genus. This concept was used by representatives of the imperial family.
- "Shi" (shi). It appeared later and was used to show family ties within the entire genus. This was the name of the clan. Over time, it began to denote the similarity of people by occupation.
Over time, these differences have faded. Today, there are no differences between people, but the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire still treat their family with care, honor and carefully study it. An interesting fact It can be assumed that Koreans use Chinese characters to write their personal names. They adopted them from the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire and Koreized, for example, Chen.
The meaning of Chinese surnames
Chinese surnames and their meanings have different origins. They have a large number of them, but only about two dozen are widespread. Some descended from professional activity (Tao is a potter). Part is based on the name of the states-possessions into which China was fragmented in feudal times (Chen), and part bears the name of the ancestor who gave the name to the clan (Yuan). But all the strangers were called Hu. Of great importance in the country are names, of which there are a huge number.
Translation
There are many dialects in the country, so the same name can sound completely different. Transliterating it into other languages \u200b\u200bcan completely change the meaning, since most of them do not convey intonation, which plays a large role in the Chinese language. Many languages \u200b\u200bhave developed special transcription systems to somehow unify the spelling and translation of Chinese surnames.
Chinese surnames in Russian
Surnames in Chinese are always written in the first place (one syllable), and only then the name is written (one or two syllables), since the family comes first for them. In Russian, according to the rules, they are written in the same way. The compound name is written in one piece, and not separated by a hyphen, as it was until recently. In modern Russian, the so-called Palladium system is used, which has been used since the nineteenth century, with the exception of some amendments, to write Chinese surnames in Russian.
Chinese surnames for men
The nicknames of the Chinese do not differ by gender, which cannot be said about the name. In addition to the main name, twenty-year-old boys were given a middle name ("tzu"). Chinese names and male surnames bear the traits that a man should have:
- Bokin - respect for the winner;
- Guoji - state order;
- Deming - dignity;
- Zhong - loyal, steady;
- Zian is peaceful;
- Iingji - heroic;
- Kiang is strong;
- Liang is bright;
- Minj is sensitive and wise;
- Rong is a military man;
- Fa is outstanding;
- Juan - happiness;
- Cheng - achieved;
- Eyguo is a country of love, a patriot;
- Yun is brave;
- Yaozu is an ancestor worshiper.
Womens
Women in the Middle Kingdom, after marriage, leave their own. The Chinese do not have certain rules that govern when they name a child. The parents' fantasy plays the main role here. Chinese names and surnames for women characterize a woman as a gentle creature, full of affection and love:
- Ai - love;
- Venkian - purified;
- Ji - pure;
- Jiao - graceful, beautiful;
- Jia is beautiful;
- Zhilan - rainbow orchid
- Ki - beautiful jade;
- Kiaohui - experienced and wise;
- Kiyu - the autumn moon;
- Xiaoli - morning jasmine;
- Xingjuan - grace;
- Lijuang is beautiful, graceful;
- Lihua - beautiful and prosperous;
- Meihui - beautiful wisdom;
- Ningong - calmness;
- Ruolan - like an orchid;
- Ting is graceful;
- Fenfang - aromatic;
- Huizhong - wise and loyal;
- Chenguang - morning light;
- Shuang - frank, sincere;
- Yui is the moon;
- Yuming - jade brightness;
- Yun is a cloud;
- I am grace.
Declination
In Russian, some Chinese surnames are declined. This applies to those that end in a consonant sound. If they have the ending "o" or a soft consonant, then it remains unchanged. This applies to male names. Women's names remain unchanged. All of these rules are followed if personal names are used separately. When written together, only the last part will be declined. Assimilated Chinese personal names will obey the full declension in Russian.
How many surnames in China
It is difficult to determine exactly how many surnames there are in China, but it is known that only about a hundred of them are in widespread use. The Celestial Empire is a country with a multibillion-dollar population, but paradoxically, most of its inhabitants bear the same surname. By tradition, the child inherits it from his father, although recently only his son could wear it, the daughter took the mother's. At present, the names of the genus do not change, although at the initial stage, hereditary names could change. This makes life difficult for the authorities, since it is very difficult to keep records in such circumstances.
An interesting fact, but almost all personal names in Chinese are written in one hieroglyph, only a small part consists of two syllables, for example, Ouyang. Although exceptions may occur: the spelling will consist of three or even four hieroglyphs. Chinese with the same surname are not considered relatives, but only the same surname, although until recently people were forbidden to marry if they had the same name. Often the child could be given doubles - father and mother.
The full naming of the Chinese always includes the surname (姓 - xìng) and the first name (名字 - míngzì). And it is important to remember - the surname is always indicated before the name.
Chinese surnames
Usually they consist of one character (hieroglyph). For example, the most famous, 李 - Lǐ (literally means "plum"), 王 - Wáng (literally "prince", "ruler"). But sometimes there are surnames from two hieroglyphs. For example, 司马 - Sīmǎ (literally, "voivode" - "to rule" + "horse"), 欧阳 - Ouyáng.
There are 3,000 Chinese surnames in total. The most common among them: 李 - Lǐ, 陈 - Chén, 刘 - Liú, 杨 - Yáng, 黄 - Huáng, 张 - Zhāng, 赵 - Zhào, 周 - Zhōu, 王 - Wáng, 吴 - Wú.
Chinese names
They differ from European ones in that they rarely repeat. In China, there is no list of names at all. Parents come up with names for their children. The choice of a name can be influenced by certain traditions, family omens, superstitions.
And yet, due to the large number of carriers of names and surnames, a certain shortage of surnames arises. In addition, fewer and fewer names are used. So, if earlier there were about 12,000 surnames, now there are about 3,000 of them. About 350 million people get by with only five surnames: Li, Wang, Zhang, Liu and Chen. Moreover, many people with the same surnames also have the same first names. For example, in 1996, there were over 2,300 people living in Tianjin called Zhangli, who spelled that name the same way. And there are even more people who spelled this name in different ways. This is a serious inconvenience, since they may even arrest an innocent person, or close someone else's account, or even perform an operation on someone who did not need it!
Some Chinese names tell whether it is masculine or feminine. But often by the name itself it is impossible to guess whether it belongs to a man or a woman.
Chinese names also consist of one or two. In transcription, it is customary to write the surname and first name separately. For example, Sīmǎ Qiān - Sima Qian.
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Chinese names. Chinese surnames. The meaning of Chinese names and surnames. The most common names and surnames in China. Chinese names have European names. A beautiful Chinese baby name or nickname.
8.01.2018 / 05:42 | Varvara Pokrovskaya
The Chinese are the most numerous nation on earth with an ancient culture. However, their names - Li Qian, Mao Dun, Huang Bojing - sound exotic for a Russian person. It is also interesting that in China it is customary to change the name during life, in connection with various important events or stages of life. Let's see what is special about Chinese names and how they are translated into Russian.
Chinese surnames, what is special about them
The Chinese began using surnames even before our era. At first, they were only available to members of the royal family and aristocracy. A little later, ordinary people began to use the surname along with the first name, which passed from generation to generation.
In the beginning the surnames had two meanings: "sin" and "shi". The first concept was used among close blood relatives. It was only for the highest Chinese nobility and the imperial family. The second concept, shi, was used by ordinary Chinese to denote the entire genus, and even later - for people with the same occupation.
In modern China, the list of surnames is very limited. It does not go beyond the table "Baytsyashin", which in translation means "One hundred surnames" (although there are actually more than a hundred, but still not so many).
Chinese surnames usually have one syllable. In writing, they look like one hieroglyph. Their origins are different. So, some came from the type of activity (for example, Tao - a potter), others - from the names of the states that formed the basis of modern China (for example, Yuan). But all the foreigners were called Hu.
A woman after marriage often does not take her husband's surname, but leaves her maiden name, or takes her own + husband's double surname. In writing, it looks like this: maiden name + husband's surname + proper name.
For example, 李 王梅丽. The first hieroglyph 李 is the maiden name of Li, the second, 王 is the surname of Wang's wife, and the last characters are the proper name, which sounds like Meili in Russian (literal translation “beautiful plum”).
Children generally inherit their husband's surname, but not necessarily. They can also be written in the maternal surname.
The most common Chinese surnames
Interestingly, the first two surnames from the list (Li and Wang) are carried by over 350 million Chinese.
Chinese names - Chinese names
The surname and name in China are written together, and it is in this order - first comes the surname, then the name. This is all because the Chinese are very sensitive to their ancestors and their own roots. In old chronicles, the surname and name were written down with a hyphen, but never separately.
A few decades ago, a child could be called a dissonant, even disgusting, including for the Chinese, name. This was done in order to scare away evil spirits. Those will think that the baby in the family is not loved, and will not bother him. We're talking about names like:
- Tedan - iron egg;
- Goushen - the remains of dog food;
- Goudan is the missing dog egg.
Parents called their children such scary names that the government of the PRC had to issue a separate order, according to which the baby should not be given a name with a hieroglyph:
- death;
- dead body;
- excrement;
- debauchery (mistress, seduction, kept woman);
- a curse;
- malice.
Everything has changed these days. But in some places (mainly in the villages), this tradition is preserved in the form of household nicknames or children's names.
The name of the citizens of the Celestial Empire rarely means an object, mainly an epithet. Popular Chinese names are usually two-syllable, i.e. consist of two hieroglyphs.
There are no grammatical, spelling, or other differences between male and female Chinese names. There is a division by sex, but it is based on meaning.
For the boy, parents choose a name that symbolizes:
- wealth;
- physical superiority: strength, tall stature, quick response;
- character traits: honest, intelligent, diligent, respecting ancestors;
- lofty goals: discoverer, scientist, patriot, receiving greatness;
- nature: worshiping the river, the top of the mountain, the wind, the sea;
- ancestors and places of worship: the Yangtze River, the rain (sea) of the elder brother, the golden mirror.
Often the name reflects a kind parental message. It is known that when Yue Fei was born, who later became a general and national hero China, swans sat on the roof of his house. There was a whole flock of them. The boy's mother wished her son to fly as far and high. It was decided to name the newborn Fairy, which means "flight".
- The parents call the girl a beautiful euphonious name that means something beautiful:
- Gems: pearl, jasper, refined jade;
- Flowers: morning jasmine, rainbow orchid, small lotus;
- Weather conditions; a little dawn, autumn moon, morning cloud color;
- Intellectual ability: intelligent, clear wisdom, indigo;
- Attractive appearance: beautiful and prosperous, charming, graceful;
- Natural objects: Peking forest, swallow, spring flower, cloud.
Popular male Chinese names
Beautiful Chinese names for girls
| Ai - love | Liling - beautiful jade bell |
| Venkian - purified | May - plum |
| Gee - pure | Ehuang - beauty of August |
| Jiao is beautiful | Shang - grace |
| Jing - abundance | Nuying - flower girl |
| Ju - chrysanthemum | Rowe - tender |
| Zhaohui - clear wisdom | Ting - graceful |
| Ki - beautiful jade | Fenfang - aromatic |
| Kiaolian - Experienced | Hualing - heather |
| Qingzhao - Understanding | Shihong - the world is beautiful |
| Xiaoli - morning jasmine | Yun is a cloud |
| Xiaofan - dawn | Yangling - the swallow forest |
| Xu - snow | Huizhong - wise and loyal |
Name change
For many years in the Celestial Empire, there was a tradition of changing the name upon reaching a certain age.
At birth, the baby was given an official name ("min") and a baby name ("xiao-min"). When he went to school baby name replaced by student - "xuemin". After passing the exams, a person received another name - "guanming", by which he was addressed at celebrations or important holidays. The representative of the nobility also has a "hao" - a nickname.
Most of the names are now not used in the PRC. Gone are the student "xueming", the official "guanming". Baby name and surname still apply.
Features of children's and school names in China
The baby (milk) name is used only by close relatives in the family circle. If desired, parents give the newborn, in addition to the official first name, one more. But this is optional. The dairy name is very similar to our household nickname.
Previously, immediately after the birth of the baby, the father or another relative went to the seer in order to find out the fate of the child. This was especially common in rural areas. If she predicted that the baby was threatened in the future, for example, fire, then it was necessary to give a baby name associated with water. Conversely, if fate is destined to be afraid of water, the child received a dairy name associated with matches, fire or flame.
Sometimes the parents named the child with a childish name, often found among monks. It served as a talisman for him.
Now the dairy name, as a rule, emphasizes some individual features, the appearance of a child, contains a parental message, or just this beautiful poetic word.
The most beautiful Chinese baby names
- Hun is a rainbow;
- Li is a small dragon;
- Chunlin - spring forest;
- Chunguang - spring light;
- Dun is a warrior's shield.
When the child went to school, the teacher (less often the parents) named him by the school name. It was used in all documents during his school life. The name most often reflected the intellectual or physical abilities (disabilities) of the student. Now in the PRC, the school name is not used.
The middle name of the Chinese
When a Chinese person enters the age of marriage (20 years for boys and 15-17 years for girls), he receives a middle name ("tzu"), by which friends, relatives and neighbors refer to him.
The name change is a whole ritual. The guy puts on a hat, stands in front of his father and he names him. Daughters pin a hairpin in their hair, and then the procedure for changing the name is the same. Interestingly, the girl changes her name most often during the engagement.
Tzu includes two hieroglyphs, and is based on the name given at birth, complements it. For example, the middle name of the great statesman Mao Zedong is Runzhi. Both names translate as “beneficial”.
Sometimes the middle name means the birth order of the child in the family. For this, hieroglyphs are used:
- Bo is the first;
- Zhong is the second;
- Shu - the third;
- Ji is for all other children.
Beautiful Chinese names (middle name)
- Bo Yang;
- Mende;
- Taipei;
- Pengju;
- Kunming;
- Zhongni;
- Zhongda;
- Runzhi;
- Xuande.
Nickname in China
Well-educated people, representatives of the nobility in China still had a chao - a nickname. They could choose it on their own. This name was used as a pseudonym and consisted of three, four or more hieroglyphs. Most often, they chose rare hieroglyphs or the name of the whole city (village, region) where the person was born. For example, the nickname of the poet Su Shi was Dongpo Jiushi - the name of the mansion in which he lived while in exile.
Hao did not display the first or second name in any way. This is something deeply personal. The nickname is very popular among scientists and writers.
Borrowing names from other languages
Modern parents in the PRC, as well as in any other country, often call their children a beautiful, but unusual name for the country's cultural tradition. The basis for this is the abbreviated form of the foreign name. Most often, names are borrowed:
- Eastern: Amber, Alibey, Mohammed;
- Celtic: Brin, Dylan, Tara;
- French: Olivia, Bruce;
- Slavic: Nadine, Vera, Ivan;
- Indian: Believe, Opal, Uma;
- Italian: Donna, Mia, Bianca;
- Greek: Angel, George, Selena;
- German: Charles, Richard, William.
So if you manage to get to know Lee Gabriella or Go Uma, don't be particularly surprised.
Fact one. The surname is written in the first place.
The surname of the Chinese is written and pronounced first, that is, the head of China, Xi Jinping, has the surname Xi, and the name is Jinping. The last name is not declined. For the Chinese, all the most important things are "put forward" - from important to less significant, both in dates (year-month-day) and names (surname-name). Surname, gender - very important for the Chinese, who make up family trees to the "50th knee". The inhabitants of Hong Kong (South China) sometimes put their name in front or instead of a Chinese name they call an English name - for example, David Mac. By the way, 60 years ago in Sinology, the use of a hyphen to denote the border of Chinese syllables in names was actively practiced: Mao Tse-tung, Sun Yat-sen. Yat-sen here is the Cantonese spelling of the name of a South Chinese revolutionary, which often confuses Sinologists who are unaware of the existence of such a dialect.
The second fact. 50 percent of Chinese people have 5 main surnames.
Wang, Li, Zhang, Zhou, Chen - these are the five main Chinese surnames, the last Chen is the main surname in Guangdong (South China), there are almost every third Chen. Wang 王 - means "prince" or "king" (head of the region), Li 李 - pear tree, the dynasty that ruled China in the Tang dynasty, Zhang 张 - archer, Zhou 周 - "cycle, circle", ancient imperial family, Chen 陈 - "old, seasoned" (about wine, soy sauce, etc.). Unlike the people of the West, Chinese surnames are homogeneous, but in the names the Chinese give their imagination room.
Fact three. Most Chinese surnames are monosyllabic.
The two-syllable surnames include the rare surnames of Sima, Ouyang and a number of others. However, a few years ago, the Chinese government allowed double surnames when a child was given the father's and mother's surnames - leading to interesting surnames such as Wang-Ma and others. Most of the Chinese surnames are monosyllabic, and 99% of them can be found in the ancient text "Baijia Xing" - "100 surnames", but the real number of surnames is much larger, almost any noun can be found among the surnames of the 1.3 billion Chinese population.
Fact four. The choice of a Chinese name is limited only by the parents' imagination.
Chinese names are mainly selected by meaning, or by the advice of a fortuneteller. You hardly guess that each hieroglyph refers to one element or another, and all of them together should bring good luck. In China there is a whole science of choosing a name, so if the name of the interlocutor is very strange, then most likely it was chosen by a fortuneteller. Interestingly, in the past, in Chinese villages, a child could be called with a dissonant name, in order to deceive evil spirits. It was assumed that evil spirits would think that such a child was not valued in the family, and therefore would not be fond of him. Most often, the choice of a name preserves the old Chinese tradition of the game of meanings, for example, the founder of "Alibaba" is named Ma Yun, (Ma is a horse, Yun is a cloud), however, "yun" in a different tone means "luck", most likely, his parents invested in his name it is precisely this meaning, but to stick out or speak openly in China is a sign of bad taste.
Fact five. Chinese names can be divided into male and female names.
Typically, male names use hieroglyphs meaning "study", "mind", "strength", "forest", "dragon", and female names use hieroglyphs for flowers and jewelry, or just the hieroglyph "beautiful".
