Chinese names
“Hello, Mr/Ms Chin!” That is the usual greeting I find that Jamaicans give to Chinese-looking people when they meet in the street. But, actually, there are about 3,500 Chinese surnames. Among the 100 commonly used surnames, the three most common are Li, Wang, and Zhang. Zhuge, Ouyang, Situ, and Sima are the common compound surnames.
In China, the surname comes first and is followed by the given name, and the latter has its own traditions and features. It can have one or two characters. In the same clan, the given name is arranged in order of seniority in the family hierarchy. The given names of the peers usually have one Chinese character in common if there is more than one character in their given names.
The names of the ancient men were more complicated than those of the modern people. People of literacy and status have both a style name and an alternative name, along with the surname and given name. For example, a man of letters of Su Shi in the Song Dynasty had the style name Zizhan and the alternative name Dongpo. The poet Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty lived in the Qinglian Village in Sichuan Province in his childhood, thus, he styled himself Qinglian Jushi (retired scholar).
MEANINGS
Chinese names usually have certain meanings, expressing some kind of wish. Some names embody the location, time, or natural phenomenon when the person was born, such as Jing (Beijing), Chen (morning), Dong (winter), and Xue (snow). Some names indicate the expectation of possessing some virtues, such as Zhong (loyalty), Yi (righteousness), Li (etiquette), and Xin (faith). Some names have the meaning of health, longevity, and happiness, such as Jian (health), Shou (longevity), Song (pine, representing longevity), and Fu (happiness).
Male names are different from female ones. Men’s names usually have character meaning power and vigour, such as Hu (tiger), Long (dragon), Xiong (grandeur), Wei (magnificence), Gang (steadfastness), and Qiang (strength). And the names of females usually use characters representing gentleness and beauty, such as Feng (phoenix), Hua (flower), Yu (jade), Cai (colours), Juan (graceful), and Jing (quiet).
Today, the Chinese do not pay as much attention to naming, as did ancient folk. Generally, a person has an infant name and an official one, and the given names are not necessarily arranged in order of the seniority in the family hierarchy. However, it’s still the Chinese people’s wish to give their children a name that sounds good and is meaningful. LU SHAOGANG Chinese Director Confucius Institute, UWI, Mona