Chinese name

Chinese personal names follow a number of conventions different from those of Western personal names. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the surname first and the given name second. For instance, the basketball player Yao Ming is Mr. Yao, not Mr. Ming.

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 him or her a "little name," such as Little Treasure (??/ ??). 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.

Related Topics:
Chinese given name - Character

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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 a famous figure and highly offensive after an older member among the family or even distant relatives.

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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 (??) or Lili (??, ??). This is less common in males, although Yo-yo Ma (??? M? Y?uy?u, ???) is a well-known exception.

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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 (?, considered masculine) while his sister may be named plum (?, considered feminine).

Related Topics:
Generational name - Poem

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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 (??) or eastern wind (??). In Taiwan, it used to be common to incorporate one of the four characters of the name "Republic of China" (????) into masculine names.

Related Topics:
History - Cultural Revolution - Taiwan - Republic of China

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For more information, see Chinese given name.

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