Chinese male names in English. Chinese surnames for men and women

In ancient times, the Chinese knew two types of surnames: family names (in Chinese: 姓 – xìng) and clan names (氏 – shì).

Chinese surnames are patrilineal, i.e. are passed on from father to children. Chinese women usually keep their maiden name after marriage. Sometimes the husband's surname is written before one's own surname: Huang Wang Jieqing.

Historically, only Chinese men possessed xìng (surname), in addition to shì (clan name); women only had a clan name and took a xìng husband after marriage.

Before the Warring States Period (5th century BC), only the royal family and aristocratic elite could have surnames. Historically there was also a distinction between xing and shi. Xing were surnames borne directly by members of the royal family.

Before the Qin Dynasty (3rd century BC), China was largely a feudal society. As fiefs were divided and subdivided among heirs, additional surnames known as shi were created to distinguish seniority of descent. Thus, a noble could have both shi and xing. After the states of China were unified by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC, surnames gradually passed down to the lower classes and the distinction between xing and shi became blurred.

Shi surnames, many of which survive to this day, originated in one of the following ways:

1. From xing. They were usually kept by members of the royal family. Of approximately six common xing only Jiang(姜) and Yao(姚) have survived as common surnames.

2. By imperial decree. During the imperial period, it was common practice for subjects to be given the surname of the emperor.

3. From the names of states. Many ordinary people took the name of their state to show their belonging to it or their national and ethnic identity. Examples include Dream (宋), Wu (吴), Chen(陳). It is not surprising that, thanks to the mass of the peasantry, they are one of the most common Chinese surnames.

4. From the name of the fief or place of origin. Example - Di, Marquess of Ouyanting, whose descendants took the surname Ouyang(歐陽). There are approximately two hundred examples of surnames of this type, often two-syllable surnames, but few survive today.

5. On behalf of the ancestor.

6. In ancient times, syllables Meng (孟), zhong (仲), shu(叔) and zhi(季) were used to denote first, second, third and fourth sons in a family. Sometimes these syllables became surnames. Of these Meng is the most famous.

7. From the name of the profession. For example, Tao(陶) – “potter” or Wu(巫) – “shaman”.

8. From the name of the ethnic group. Such surnames were sometimes taken by non-Han peoples of China.

Surnames in China are unevenly distributed. In northern China the most common is Wang(王), worn by 9.9% of the population. Then Lee (李), Zhang(张/張) and Liu(刘/劉). In the south the most common surname Chen(陈/陳), covering 10.6% of the population. Then Lee (李), Zhang(张/張) and Liu(刘/劉). In the south Chen(陈/陳) is the most common, being shared by 10.6% of the population. Then Lee (李), Juan (黄), Lin(林) and Zhang(张/張). In the main cities on the Yangtze River, the most common surname is Lee(李) with 7.7% speakers. Followed by Wang (王), Zhang (张 / 張), Chen(陈/陳) and Liu (刘 / 劉).

A 1987 study found that there were more than 450 surnames widely used in Beijing, but there were fewer than 300 surnames in Fujian. Despite the presence of thousands of surnames in China, 85% of the population bears one of the hundred surnames, which make up 5% of the family stock.

A 1990 study found that 96% of people in a sample of 174,900 had 200 surnames, 4% had 500 other surnames.

The three most common surnames in mainland China are: Li, Wang, Zhang. They are worn by 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% of people respectively. This is about 300 million. Therefore, these three surnames are the most common in the world. In Chinese there is an expression "three Zhangs, four Lis" which means "any".

Most common surnames in China have one syllable. However, about 20 surnames have two syllables, e.g. Sima (司馬), Ouyang(歐陽). There are also surnames with three or more syllables. By their origin they are not Han, but, for example, Manchu. Example: last name Aisin Gyoro(愛新覺羅) Manchu imperial family.

In China, all namesakes are considered relatives. Until 1911, marriages between namesakes were prohibited, regardless of the existence of real family relations between them.

© Nazarov Alois

Compared to Europeans, the Chinese began using surnames before our era. Initially, they were characteristic only of the royal family and 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. Ancient Chinese surnames initially had two meanings:

• “xing” (xìng). A concept that was used to define blood relatives, family. Later, a meaning was added to it, indicating the place of origin of the clan. This concept was precisely used by representatives of the imperial family.
• "shi" (shi). Appeared later and was used to show family ties within the entire family. This was the name of the clan. Over time, it began to denote the similarity of people by occupation.

Over time, these differences disappeared. 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. Interesting fact It can be assumed that Koreans use Chinese characters to write their personal names. They adopted them from the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom and made them Korean, for example, Chen.

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 widely distributed. Some originated from professional activity (Tao - potter). Some are based on the name of the states-possessions into which China was fragmented in feudal times (Chen), and some are named after the ancestor who gave the name to the clan (Yuan). But all foreigners were called Hu. Names, of which there are a huge number, are of greater importance in the country.

Translation

There are many dialects in the country, so the same name can sound completely different. Transliterating it into other languages ​​can change the meaning completely, since most of them do not convey intonation, which plays a large role in the Chinese language. Many languages ​​have developed special transcription systems in order to somehow unify the spelling and translation of Chinese surnames.

Chinese surnames in Russian

Last names in Chinese are always written first (one syllable), and only then the name is written (one or two syllables), since family comes first for them. In Russian, according to the rules, they are written similarly. A compound name is written together, and not with a hyphen, as was the case until recently. In modern Russian, the so-called Palladian system is used, which, with the exception of some amendments, has been used to record Chinese surnames in Russian since the nineteenth century.

Chinese male surnames

The nicknames of the Chinese do not differentiate by gender, which cannot be said about the name. In addition to the main name, twenty-year-old boys were given a second name (“zi”). Chinese male names and surnames carry the traits that a man should have:

• Bokin - respect for the winner;
• Guozhi – state order;
• Deming - dignity;
• Zhong – loyal, stable;
• Zian – peaceful;
• Iyngji – heroic;
• Kiang – strong;
• Liang – bright;
• Minj – sensitive and wise;
• Rong – military;
• Fa – outstanding;
• Juan - happiness;
• Cheng – achieved;
• Eiguo – country of love, patriot;
• Yun – brave;
• Yaozu – worshiper of ancestors.

Women's

Women in the Middle Kingdom leave their own after marriage. The Chinese do not have specific rules that guide them when naming a child. Here the main role is played by the imagination of the parents. Chinese female names and surnames characterize a woman as a gentle creature, full of affection and love:

• Ai – love;
• Venkian – purified;
• G – pure;
• Jiao – graceful, beautiful;
• Jiya – beautiful;
• Zhilan – rainbow orchid;
• Ki - beautiful jade;
• Kiaohui – experienced and wise;
• Kiyu – autumn moon;
• Xiaoli – morning jasmine;
• Xingjuan – grace;
• Lijuan – beautiful, graceful;
• Lihua – beautiful and prosperous;
• Meihui – beautiful wisdom;
• Ningong – calmness;
• Ruolan - like an orchid;
• Ting – graceful;
• Fenfang – fragrant;
• Huizhong – wise and loyal;
• Chenguang – morning, light;
• Shuang - frank, sincere;
• Yui – moon;
• Yuming – jade brightness;
• Yun – cloud;
• I am grace.

Declension

In Russian, some Chinese surnames are declined. This applies to those that end in a consonant. If they end in “o” or a soft consonant, then it remains unchanged. This applies to male names. Women's names remain unchanged. All these rules are observed if personal names are used separately. When they are written together, only the last part will be subject to declination. Assimilated Chinese personal names will be subject to full declension in Russian.

How many surnames are there 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 population of many billions, but paradoxically, most of its inhabitants have the same surname. According to tradition, the child inherits it from his father, although recently only the son could wear it, the daughter took her mother’s. Currently, the names of the genus do not change, although at the initial stage the hereditary names could change. This makes life difficult for the official authorities as it is very difficult to maintain records in such circumstances.

An interesting fact, but almost all personal names in Chinese are written in one character, only a small part consists of two syllables, for example, Ouyang. Although there may be exceptions: the writing will consist of three or even four hieroglyphs. Chinese people with the same surname are not considered relatives, but only namesakes, although until recently people were prohibited from marrying if they had the same surname. Often the child could be given double births - father and mother.

Fact one. The surname is written first.

The Chinese have their surname written and pronounced first, that is, the head of China, Xi Jinping, has the surname Xi and the first name Jinping. The surname is not declined. For the Chinese, all the most important things are “moved forward” - from important to less significant, both in dates (year-month-day) and names (last name-first name). The surname, belonging to the clan, is very important for the Chinese, who draw up family trees up to the “50th generation.” Residents of Hong Kong (South China) sometimes put their name forward or use an English name instead of a Chinese name - for example, David Mak. By the way, about 60 years ago in Sinology, the use of a hyphen was actively practiced to indicate the boundary of Chinese syllables in names: Mao Tse-tung, Sun Yat-sen. Yat-sen here is a Cantonese recording of the name of a southern Chinese revolutionary, which often confuses Sinologists who are unaware of the existence of such a dialect.

Fact two. 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 (Southern China), almost every third one is 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, aged” (about wine, soy sauce, etc.). Unlike Westerners, Chinese surnames are homogeneous, but the Chinese give free rein to their imagination when it comes to names.

Fact three. Most Chinese surnames are monosyllabic.

Two-syllable surnames include the rare surnames Sima, Ouyang and a number of others. However, a few years ago, the Chinese government allowed double surnames, where the child was given the surname of both the father and mother - which led to the emergence of such interesting names like Wang-Ma and others. Most 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 according to their meaning, or according to the advice of a fortuneteller. It’s unlikely that you would guess that each hieroglyph belongs to one or another element, 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. It is interesting that previously in Chinese villages a child could be called by 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 covet him. Most often, the choice of name preserves the old Chinese tradition of playing with meanings, for example, the founder of Alibaba is named Ma Yun, (Ma - horse, Yun - cloud), however, "yun" in a different tone means "luck", most likely his parents invested His name has this exact meaning, but sticking out anything or speaking openly in China is a sign of bad taste.

Fact five. Chinese names can be divided into masculine and feminine.

As a rule, for male names they use hieroglyphs with the meaning “study”, “mind”, “strength”, “forest”, “dragon”, and female names use hieroglyphs to denote flowers and jewelry, or simply the hieroglyph “beautiful.”

Chinese names. Chinese surnames. The meaning of Chinese names and surnames. The most common first and last names in China. Chinese have European names. A beautiful Chinese baby name or nickname.

01/08/2018 / 05:42 | Varvara Pokrovskaya

The Chinese are the largest nation on earth with ancient culture. However, their names - Li Qian, Mao Dun, Huang Bojing - sound exotic to a Russian person. It is also interesting that in China it is common to change one's name during one's life, in connection with various important events or life stages. Let's figure out what's special about Chinese names and how they are translated into Russian.

Chinese surnames, what's special about them

The Chinese began using surnames before our era. At first they were available only to members of the royal family and aristocracy. A little later, ordinary people began to use a surname along with their given name, which passed from generation to generation.

In the beginning, 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 designate the entire clan, 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 “Baiqiaxing” table, which means “One Hundred Surnames” (although there are actually more than one hundred, but still not that 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 is a potter), others - from the names of states that formed the basis of modern China (for example, Yuan). But all foreigners were called Hu.

After marriage, a woman often does not take her husband’s surname, but leaves her maiden name, or takes her own and her husband’s double surname. IN in writing it looks like this: maiden name + husband's last name + proper name.

For example, 李王梅丽. The first character, 李, is Li's maiden name, the second, 王, is her husband's surname, Wang, and the last characters are the proper name, which sounds like Meili (literally "beautiful plum") in Russian.

Children generally inherit their husband's surname, but not necessarily. They can also be recorded in the mother's surname.

The most common Chinese surnames

Interestingly, the first two surnames on the list (Li and Wang) are borne by more than 350 million Chinese.

Chinese names - Chinese names

The surname and first name in China are written together, and in exactly this order - first the surname, then the first name. This is all because the Chinese are very sensitive to their ancestors and their own roots. In old chronicles, the surname and first name were written down with a hyphen, but never separately.

Just a few decades ago, a child could be called a dissonant, even nasty, name, including for the Chinese. This was done in order to scare away evil spirits. They will think that the family does not like the baby and will not bother him. We're talking about names like:

• Tedan - iron egg;
• Goushen - leftover dog food;
• Goudan - the missing dog egg.

Parents called their children such scary names that the Chinese government had to issue a separate order, according to which the baby should not be given a name with the hieroglyph:

• death;
• dead body;
• excrement;
• debauchery (mistress, seduction, kept woman);
• curse;
• anger.

Nowadays everything has changed. But in some places (mainly in 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, it is mainly an epithet. Popular Chinese names are most often 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 gender, but it is based on meaning.

For a boy, parents choose a name that symbolizes:

• wealth;
• physical superiority: strength, tall height, quick reaction;
• character traits: honest, smart, diligent, honoring ancestors;
• high goals: discoverer, scientist, patriot, recipient of greatness;
• nature: one who worships the river, the top of the mountain, the wind, the sea;
• ancestors and cult objects: Yangtze River, rain (sea) of the elder brother, golden mirror.

Often the name reflects kind parental advice. It is known that when Yue Fei, who later became a general and national hero of China, was born, swans landed on the roof of his house. There was a whole flock of them. The boy's mother wished that her son would fly just as far and high. It was decided to name the newborn Fairy, which translated means “flight.”

• The parents call the girl a beautiful, euphonious name, meaning something beautiful:
• Gems: pearl, jasper, refined jade;
• Flowers: morning jasmine, rainbow orchid, small lotus;
• Weather phenomena; a little dawn, an autumn moon, the morning color of a cloud;
• Intellectual abilities: intelligent, clear wisdom, indigo;
• Attractive appearance: beautiful and prosperous, charming, graceful;
• Natural objects: Beijing forest, swallow, spring flower, cloud.

Popular male Chinese names

Beautiful Chinese names for girls

Change of names

In the Celestial Empire, for many years there was a tradition of changing one's name upon reaching a certain age.

At birth, the baby was given an official name (“ming”) and a child’s name (“xiao-ming”). When he went to school, baby name was replaced by the student's word - "xueming". 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” nickname.

Most of the names are not currently used in China. Gone are the student “xueming” and the official “guanming”. Children's names and nicknames are still used.

Features of children's and school names in China

A child's (milk) name is used only by close relatives within the family circle. If desired, parents give the newborn, in addition to the official first name, one more name. But this is not necessary. Dairy's name is very similar to our pet nickname.

Previously, immediately after the birth of a baby, the father or other 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 would be threatened by something in the future, such as fire, then she had to give a baby name associated with water. Conversely, if fate was destined to fear water, the child received a milky name associated with matches, fire or flame.

Sometimes parents named the child with a child's name, which is often found among monks. It served as a talisman for him.

Nowadays, a milk name, as a rule, emphasizes some individual traits, the child’s appearance, contains parental parting words, or is simply a beautiful poetic word.

The most beautiful Chinese baby names

• Hun - rainbow;
• Lee is a small dragon;
• Chunlin - spring forest;
• Chunguang - spring light;
• Dun is a warrior's shield.

When a child went to school, the teacher (less often parents) gave him his school name. It was used in all documents during its school life. The name most often reflected the intellectual or physical abilities (disadvantages) of the student. Now in the PRC the school name is not used.

Chinese second name

When a Chinese man reaches marriageable age (20 years for boys and 15-17 years for girls), he receives a middle name (“zi”), by which friends, relatives, and neighbors address him.

Changing your name is a whole ritual. The guy puts on a hat, stands in front of his father and he names him. Daughters put a hairpin in their hair, and then the procedure for changing their name is the same. Interestingly, a girl changes her name most often during an engagement.

Tzu includes two hieroglyphs, and is based on the name given at birth and complements it. For example, the second name of the great statesman Mao Zedong is Zhunzhi. Both names translate as “beneficial.”

Sometimes the middle name signifies the birth order of the child in the family. To do this, use hieroglyphs:

• Bo - first;
• Zhong is the second;
• Shu - third;
• Ji is for all other children.

Beautiful Chinese names (middle name)

• Bo Yan;
• Mende;
• Taibai;
• Pengju;
• Kunming;
• Zhongni;
• Zhongda;
• Zhunzhi;
• Xuande.

Nickname in China

Well-educated people, representatives of the nobility in China still had the nickname hao. They could choose it themselves. 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 entire 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 reflect 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 indeed in any other country, often call their children a beautiful, but unusual name for the cultural tradition of the country. The basis for this is the shortened form of the foreign name. The most commonly borrowed names are:

• Eastern: Amber, Alibey, Mohammed;
• Celtic: Bryn, Dylan, Tara;
• French: Olivia, Bruce;
• Slavic: Nadin, Vera, Ivan;
• Indian: Believed, Opal, Uma;
• Italian: Donna, Mia, Bianca;
• Greek: Angel, George, Selena;
• German: Charles, Richard, William.

So, if you happen to meet Lee Gabriella or Go Uma, don't be especially surprised.