Further culture of Chinese Names

Hey, everyone! Welcome to today’s Chinese lesson online. We are going to present you with the culture of Chinese names.

One or two characters，sometimes three，generally form a Chinese surname．A one-character name is called a single surname，while a two-character name is called a compound surname．Although there is no exact figure about how many surnames there are in China，according to statistics，more than five thousand surnames appear in Chinese historical documents．Today, there are about 200 commonly used surnames in our Chinese lessons online. Zhang1，Wang2，Li3，Zhao4，Liu2，are the most commonly seen single surnames．Zhu1ge3，Ou1 yang2，and Si1 tu2 are examples of compound surnames. Influenced by Confucian teachings that we should respect our ancestors，Chinese pay close regard to surnames．Changing the surname means changing your ancestor, and this of the most humiliation．In modern Chinese novels，particularly in her novels，

In our Chinese online lessons, you will know the Chinese names that have their own tradition and characteristics, quite different from English names．Chinese surnames are placed before the given name the opposite of English names．“姓” xing4 is similar to an English speaker’s family name, passed down from generation to generation．“名” ming2 is the equivalent of an English first name，comprised of one or two characters. A Chinese name often has a specific meaning，expressing a certain aspiration．Some names include the place and time of birth，or natural phenomena，such as capital，morning，and snow.  Some Chinese names reveal hope or some kind of virtue，such as Loyalty，Righteousness，and Belief．Still other names reveal a yearning for health，long life，and happiness，such as Jian4 (health)，Shou4 (long life)，and Fu2 (fortune). Male names and female names are different Male names express prestige and fierceness, as in Hu3 (tiger)，Xiong2 (hero)，and Gang1 (strength)．Female names are expressed by warn]and beautiful characters，such as Feng4 (phoenix)，Yu3 (Jade)，and Juan1 (graceful)．

   

When Chinese give names，they often represent a person’s place in the hierarchy of the family, For example，a name can include a character that represents seniority,  while another character expresses the family name．In some names，a radical indicates family seniority in the clan．By learning online Chinese lesson, you will know that is quite different from that in English．Chinese also avoid as much as possible giving the name of an elder member to a junior member，which has been a taboo since ancient times．

Source: 

http://chinesetool.bloggets.net/further-culture-chinese-names/