Chinese name

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A Chinese name ( Chinese  中文 名 , Pinyin zhōngwénmíng , also: 漢 名  /  汉 名 , hànmíng  - "Han name") consists of a family name ( 姓氏 , xìngshì , short: 姓 , xìng  - "surname"), usually monosyllabic, rarely two-syllable, followed by a first name ( 名字 , míngzi , short: 名 , míng  - "name"), which can be either one or two syllables. The family names come from the clan names of ancient China , the personal name can be formed almost freely from the basic elements of the vocabulary and often conveys a meaning intended by the namesake.

Surnames

Among the Chinese family name ( Chinese  姓 , pinyin xìng , including: clan name , clan name ) is defined as a family name than seven hundred, by the Han Chinese are used and the addition at Sinicized nationalities are located in China use. In Chinese society, the family name is traditionally passed on from father to children. According to the current naming law of the People's Republic of China, the parents have formal freedom of choice to give their child the family name of the father or mother. This choice can be changed at any time, even by the child himself when he is of legal age. Usually, however, children only take on their mother's surname if the marriage has been divorced and the child stays with the mother. If someone is adopted , he is usually given the family name of the adoptive father.

Chinese women usually keep their maiden name after they get married. Sometimes the man's family name is placed before his own family name. The former chairman of the Hong Kong administration and later MP Anson Chan is called  " Chan Fong " ( 陳 方  /  陈 方 ) in Chinese with a double name ( 雙 姓  /  双 姓 , shuāngxìng - “double family name” ), her full Chinese name is C HAN F ONG On-sung ( 陳方安 生  /  陈方安 生 ), where Fong ( 方 ) is the maiden name (coll. "Maiden name"). Until the early 20th century, it was common for a woman to take the man's surname when she married and to have her maiden name with a trailing Shì (氏) as the new first name (meaning “from the family” or “born”) .

Although there are over 700 Chinese family names, most Chinese only share around 20 very common names.

In addition, it was common in the Chinese imperial era for the Chinese emperors to pass on their family names to their subordinates in order to promote them. With the exception of emperors who did not belong to the Han Chinese , the Chinese emperors had completely normal family names - not like in Europe, where the nobility could already be read off from the family name. So all emperors of the Han dynasty were called Liú ( 劉  /  刘 ), and all emperors of the Ming dynasty were called Zhū ( 朱 ).

This was the result of the Chinese imperial theory, according to which an ordinary citizen could get the mandate of heaven and thus be proclaimed emperor. But whoever became emperor kept his actual family name.

In addition, and this also distinguishes China from Europe, the entire family of the emperor lost power when the imperial family was replaced. Thus, the passing on of the family name by the emperor to the subjects was also a means of binding the latter to himself.

As a result of the practice that the emperor passed his family name on to his subjects in order to promote them, there were very many people with the same name as that of the emperor, but without any relationship to him or the imperial family. There are some complex traditions associated with family names that usually have to do with respect for ancestors. For example, in Taiwan there is a clan with the so - called double liao as a family name. The story behind this is that one of the ancestors of this clan was adopted and therefore given the family name Liao . In honor of his ancestors, he wanted to be buried under the name Chen . To this day, the family name Liao is used by his descendants as long as they live, but they are buried as Chen .

In some regions it is not possible for people with certain surnames to marry. On the other hand, there are areas where people with certain family names are not considered to be related. As a rule, however, people with the same family name do not marry there either.

Most family names are monosyllabic and therefore only consist of one character. Of the originally just over 60 two-syllable family names ( 複姓  /  复姓 , fùxìng  - "family name made up of several characters"), around 20 have made it into modern times. The better known of which are Sīmǎ ( 司馬  /  司马 ) zhuge ( 諸葛  /  诸葛 ), Ouyang ( 歐陽  /  欧阳 , often as O'Young transcribed), and Situ ( 司徒 after Cantonese transcription : Szeto ). There are also family names with three or four characters (syllables), which are usually non-Han names, for example Manchurian or Mongolian names. Àixīnjuéluó ( 愛新覺羅  /  爱新觉罗 ) is an example of this, often referred to as Aisin Gioro from the Manchurian language; this was the family name of the emperors in the Qing dynasty founded by Manchurians .

Not all family names are common. Some names are very common in the north, but rarely to be found in the south. The name Xiāo ( 蕭  /  萧 ) is rarely heard in Hong Kong. Chén ( 陳  /  陈 ) is very common in Taiwan. The name Fang ( 方 ) is very common in southern China and is the most common name in the Chinatown of San Francisco .

Table with the most common names (family names)

The following table lists the 60 most common names in their Chinese and Cantonese transcriptions.

character Standard Chinese Cantonese Other dialects
T. V. Pinyin Flat share 1 Other Jyutping Yale 2 / Penkyamp Other
1 王 王 Wáng Wang   Wong4 Wòhng (Wong4) / Wong Vong Ong, Heng
2 陳 陈 Chén Ch'en (Chen) Chern Can4 Chàhn (Chan4) / Cen Chun Tan, thing
3 李 李 Lǐ Li lee Lei5 Léih (Lei5) / Léy lee Ly, Le
4th 張 张 Zhāng Chang   Zoeng1  Jēung (Jeung1) /? Cheung  
5 劉 刘 Liú Liu Liou Lau4 Làuh (Lau4) / Lau Liao  
6th 楊 杨 Yáng Yang   Joeng4 Yèuhng (Yeung4) /?    
7th 黃 黄 Huáng Huang Hwang Wong4 Wòhng (Wong4) / Wong   Vong
8th 吳 吴 Wú Wu Woo Ng4 Ng̀h (Ng4) /?    
9 林 林 Lin Lin   Lam4 Làhm (Lam4) /? Lum Lim
10 周 周 Zhou Chou Joe Zau1 Yeah (Jau1) /? Chow  
11 葉 叶 Yè Yeh   Jip6 Yihp (Yip6) / Yib Yap Ip
12 趙 赵 Zhào Chao   Ziu6 Jiuh (Jiu6) /? Chiu  
13 呂 吕 Lǚ Lü (Lu)   Leoi5 Léuih (Leui5) /? Lui  
14th 徐 徐 Xú Hsü (Hsu)   Ceoi4 Chèuih (Cheui4) /? Tsui  
15th 孫 孙 Sūn Sun Suen Syun1 Syùn (Syun) / Sün    
16 朱 朱 Zhu Chu   Zyu1 Jyù (Jyu1) /? Chue Gee, Ju
17th 高 高 Gāo Kao   Gou1 Gòu (Gou1) / Ko Go  
18th 馬 马 Mǎ Ma   Maa5 Máh (Ma5) /? Mah  
19th 梁 梁 Liáng Liang   Loeng4 Lèuhng (Leung4) / Leong Long  
20th 郭 郭 Guo Kuo   Gwok3 Gwok (Gwok3) / Gwôg Kwok  
21st 何 何 Hé Hê (He)   Ho4 Hòh (Ho4) / Ho    
22nd 鄭 郑 Zhèng Cheng Jehng Zeng6 Jehng (Jeng6) / Cheng    
23 胡 胡 Hú Hu   Wu4 Wùh (Wu4) / Wu Woo  
24 蔡 蔡 Cài Ts'ai (Tsai)   Coi3 Choi (Choi3) / Choi Choy  
25th 曾 曾 Zēng Tseng Tzeng Zang1 Jàng (Jang1) /? Tsang  
26th 佘 佘 Shē She   Ne4 Sèh (Se4) / Sheh    
27 鄧 邓 Dèng Teng   Dang6 Dahng (Dang6) / Tang Manure  
28 沈 沈 Shen Shen   Sam2 Sám (Sam2) / Sum Shum  
29 謝 谢 Xiè Hsieh Sheih Ze6 Jeh (Je6) / Tse    
30th 唐 唐 Táng T'ang (Tang)   Tong4 Tong (Tong4) / Tong    
31 許 许 Xǔ Hsü (Hsu)   Heoi2 Héui (Heui2) / Hui    
32 羅 罗 Luó Lo   Lo4 Lòh (Lo4) / Lo Law Lion
33 袁 袁 Yuan Yuan (yuan)   Jyun4 Yùhn (Yun4) / Yuen    
34 馮 冯 Féng Feng Remote Fung4 Fùhng (Fung4) / Fong    
35 宋 宋 Song Sung Soong Sung3 Sung (Sung3) /? Shung  
36 蘇 苏 Sū Su   Sou1 Sòu (Sou1) / Sun    
37 曹 曹 Cáo Ts'ao (Tsao)   Cou4 Chòuh (Chou4) / Cho    
38 陸 陆 Lù Lu   Luk6 Luhk (Luk6) /?    
39 麥 麦 May May   Mak6 Mahk (Mak6) / Mak Muk  
40 董 董 Dǒng Tung   Dung2 Dúng (Dung2) / Tung    
41 于 于 Yú Yü (Yu)   Jyu4 Yùh (Yu4) / Yu    
42 韓 韩 Hán Han   Hon4 Hòhn (Hon4) / Han    
43 任 任 Rén Jen   Jam4 Yàhm (Yam4) / Yam Yum  
44 蔣 蒋 Jiǎng Chiang Chung Zoeng2 Jéung (Jeung2) / Cheung Chiang  
45 顧 顾 Gù Ku   Gu3 Gu (Gu3) / Gu Goo  
46 鍾 钟 Zhong Chung   Tongue 1 Jùng (Jung1) / Chung    
47 方 方 Fang Catch   Fong1 Fòng (Fong1) / Fong    
48 杜 杜 You Do   Dou6 Douh (Dou6) / Thu To  
49 丁 丁 Thing Ting   Thing1 Dìng (thing1) / thing Ting  
50 姚 姚 Yáo Yao   Jiu4 Yìuh (Yiu4) / Yao    
51 潘 潘 Pān P'an (Pan)   Pun1 Pùhn (Pun4) /? Poon  
52 姜 姜 Jiāng Chiang   Goeng1 Gèung (Geung1) /?    
53 譚 谭 Tan T'an (Tan)   Taam4 Tàahm (Taam4) / Tam Tom Hom
54 邱 邱 Qiu Ch'iu (Chiu) Chiou Jau1 Yau (Yau1) /?    
55 蕭 萧 Xiāo Hsiao   Siu1 Sīu (Siu1) / Siu    
56 金 金 Jīn Chin Kim Gam1 Gàm (Gam1) / Kam Gum  
57 賈 贾 Jiǎ Chia   Gaa2 Gá (Ga2) / Ga    
58 田 田 Tián T'ien (Tien)   Tin4 Tìhn (Tìn4) / Tin    
59 崔 崔 Cuī Ts'ui (Tsui) Tsuei Ceoi1 Chèui (Cheui1) / Cheui    
60 程 程 Chéng Ch'eng (Cheng)   Cing4 Chìhng (Chìng4) / Ching    
Notes on the table

Under Others are inscriptions that even before the unification of transcription systems have been introduced, and especially of overseas Chinese and some dialects are used. The diacritical marks or tone numbers (e.g. Wang, Pinyin: Wáng / Wang2, Jyutping: Wong4, Yale: Wòhng / Wong4) which indicate the tones are not given in passports and similar official documents.

1. Unofficial versions of the Wade-Giles romanization (without diacritical marks) in brackets. Wade-Giles is widely used in Taiwan to Latinize Taiwanese names, and is often used incorrectly without diacritical marks.

2. Yale-Cantonese romanization with diacritical marks and tone numbers in brackets.

The "Old Hundred Names"

In the Chinese language there is the established expression of the old hundred (family) names ( 老百姓 , lǎobǎixìng  - "better: old hundred e family names"), in which the popular idea that the Han Chinesentum originally consisted of exactly one hundred through the same many names of different families existed. If a person describes himself as "lǎobǎixìng", this is to be understood as a modesty formula, with which one considers oneself to be part of the core of the Chinese people, but at the same time describes oneself as an average Chinese of little class and without social influence. As a metaphor for the population of China, “lǎobǎixìng” means as much as in German “the simple population”, “the simple citizen”, “the general rank and file”, “the average consumer”, a term that tends to be disparaging for the population in their mass, mediocrity and manageability.

Personal names

In contrast to the limited family names available, the personal names míng ( 名 ) are innumerable, as they are freely formed from basic elements of the vocabulary, but with the restriction that there are only one or two characters. Most personal names are related to what parents want their child to be. These desires are expressed through words such as “wealth”, “long life” or through innuendos. An attempt is also made to influence fate with personal names. In order to bring happiness to the child, names are often chosen that contain the characters for dragon lóng ( 龍  /  龙 ) or phoenix fèng ( 鳳  /  凤 ) as well as for character traits such as dé ( 德  - "virtuous"), yǒng ( 勇  - "brave") ) or yǎ ( 雅  - "elegant"). Often names are chosen whose individual symbols stand for the season and weather that prevailed on a child's birthday. Religious parents often give their children names like Fóguāng ( 佛光  - "Light Buddhas"). In Taiwan , names of Christian saints such as Qiáozhì ( 喬治  /  乔治  - "George / Georg") and Bǐdé ( 彼得  - "Peter") are gradually gaining ground .

Generation name

In the traditional family, the personal name must establish a connection between the wearer and his generation within the family. All persons who are the same distance from the common ancestor then have the same character, the generation name, in their name, depending on the region in the first or second position. An old taboo, however, forbids taking the name of an ancestor.

To illustrate the use of the generation name, here is a prominent example:

were brothers, the generation name is ze .

But the political turbulence of the last century can also be read by names, especially in the People's Republic. Children who were born in the years after the founding of the People's Republic often listen to names whose components mean “New”, “New China”, “Construction”, (love for) “Fatherland” or the like. During the Cultural Revolution, on the other hand, children were often given names that included terms such as “red”, “revolution” or “soldier”.

The recent economic changes and population policy are also reflected in the naming:

  • Laidi 來 弟  /  来 弟 (“come younger brother”) a few farmers call their first-born daughter when they hope that the next child will be a boy.
  • Caidian 彩電  /  彩电 (short for: cǎisè diànshìjī 彩色電視機  /  彩色电视机 , color television set ) is the name of a farmer's son who was born despite the regulations of the one-child policy. The name expresses that the penalty for the second-born was so high that his parents could have afforded a color television for the money.

In general, however, a recourse to common traditional names can be observed in the People's Republic.

Naming in children

  • Bad names are rare and indirect. Corpulent boys are often called 小胖 , (Xǐaopàng  - "little fat one" ) or girls whose face is too round, 圓圓  /  圆圆 , (Yúanyúan  - "round, plump" ) .
  • Numbering (first sister, second sister ...): Numbering is only used in the family group. The oldest son and daughter are called 大哥 , (Dàgē  - "big brother" ) and 大姐 , (Dàjiě  - "big sister" ) respectively . All others are then also called 哥 and 姐 starting with the 2 . The youngest brother and the youngest sister are then always 弟弟 , (Dìdi  - "little brother" ) and 妹妹 , (Mèimei  - "little sister" ) .
  • Finding a name (meaning of line numbers, astrological aspects or political names) is essential for Chinese names. In Taiwan, you can often find names like Deguo ( 德國  /  德国  - "Moral of the country or even morality Country = Germany"), giving the attribute the wearer to be moral for his country. Another politically coined name is Gúogūang ( 國 光  /  国 光  - "light of the country"), which indicates as much as that the bearer makes his country proud and the light stands for the hopeful future of the country or as a shining example for the country serves.
  • Pet names ( milk names ) in babies and toddlers are usually the last of the three or two names double with 小 , (Xiǎo  - "small") or one of the two syllables of the first name or the syllable of the first name with 阿 , (Ā  - “a Particle that is placed in front of a person's name as a sign of familiarity ”) in front of it. For example, 黃雲婷  /  黄云婷 ( Huáng Yúntíng ) becomes 婷婷 ( Tíngtíng ), 小婷 ( Xiǎotíng ), 阿婷 ( Ātíng ), or 阿 雲  /  阿 云 ( Āyún ).

Other names

The understanding of names in China is not as firm as in German-speaking countries, as the above examples of names for children or family names and temple names for emperors show.

  • Pseudonyms often become the main name, a change is quite normal, common especially among writers, or to indicate a changed painting style.

Hào (honorary name, pseudonym)

Hào ( Chinese  號  /  号 , Pinyin hào , W.-G. hào ; jap. 号 gō ; kor. 호 ho ; viet. Hiệu ), also called Biéhào ( 別 號  /  别 号 ), is an alternative name that is common is referred to as a pseudonym . It was mostly three or four characters long and was probably originally used because people had the same farm name (legal age) zì . A hào was usually chosen by yourself and you could have several. It had no relation to the family name míng or court name zì of the bearer; rather, it was often a very personal, sometimes imaginative choice, perhaps containing an allusion or a rare character, as would, for example, correspond to an educated writer. Another possibility was to choose the name of his residence as a pseudonym hào ; so was Su Shis hào Dongpo Jushi (i.e.: 'residents of Dongpo' ('eastern slope'), a place name where he lived during his exile). The pseudonym hào of an author was also often used in the title of his collected works.

Zì (adult name, adult name, farm name)

Zì ( Chinese  字 , Pinyin zì , W.-G. tzu ; jap. 字 , azana ; Kor. 자 , ja ), also: Biǎozì ( 表字 , piao-tzu ), mostly called as 'age name', 'adulthood name' or 'Hofname' translated, in English also as 'Chinese style name' or 'courtesy name', are second names that men in particular acquired during the imperial era when they entered adulthood. This name, which the person gives himself, is mostly derived from the first name and reflects this accordingly. It also largely replaces the first name, which is reserved only for older family members, and is used to address people of the same age. Zì are unusual today .

Fǎhào (Dharma name)

Fǎhào ( Chinese  法號  /  法号 , W.-G. fa-hào  - “Dharmapseudonym”; Japanese 法号 , ほ う ご う hougou ), also known as “ Dharma name”, ie the name of a Buddhist student, is a name the z. B. a monk or a nun of a Buddhist monastery community at the hair cutting ceremony, with which "going into homelessness" ( 出家 , chūjiā , Sanskrit pravrajyā ) is awarded. The more general name for it is Fǎmíng ( 法名 ), Japanese also Hōmyō , ( 法名 , ほ う み ょ う ) or Jièmíng ( 戒 名 ), also called “ Sila name”, Japanese Kaimyō ( 戒 名 , か い み ょ う ). A Buddhist student, i.e. a monk or nun, as well as a practicing believing layperson with a “master-student relationship” who “does not go into homelessness” can have several “dharma names”. Some of these “Dharma names” are taboo during lifetime, some are only given posthumously, e.g. B. the Jièmíng , Japanese Kaimyō . To address one uses the Fahào , short: Hào . The (informal) designation Sēng ( 僧 ) is often added to a monk's name to make it easier to identify.

Transcriptions and internationalizations

For the People's Republic of China, the Hanyu Pinyin is used in the transcription of Chinese names . This means that the Chinese name does not contain any hyphens or aspiration characters after the initial ('). The first name, if it is a two-syllable, is written together. It gets a bit complicated with names that were still in circulation in old romances. Several spellings are known here. However, only the use of pinyin conforms to the rules and is becoming more and more popular internationally as it is now being promoted by important institutions such as the UN and the Library of Congress .

  • Example: Mao Tse-tung becomes Mao Zedong , his wife Chiang Ch'ing becomes Jiang Qing
  • Deviation: instead of Sūn Zhōngshān or Sūn Wén , Sun Yat-sen is used internationally , instead of Jiang Jieshi , Chiang Kai-shek , Mao's adversary, is still used . Here, due to the low recognition value of Pinyin, which is based on Mandarin Chinese, the correct transcription does not prevail, since both men are known under the transcription based on their southern Chinese name pronunciation.

In fact, not all Chinese follow these relevant rules. There are many reasons. On the one hand there were historical reasons, on the other hand also personal reasons. Due to the political development of China over the last 150 years and the territorial political consequences of imperialism at the time and the Chinese civil war in their own country, different linguistic systems initially developed for the transcription of the Chinese language and names into Latin. In the case of names, on the one hand, the regional pronunciation should be reflected in the transcription and, on the other hand, English-language or Christian names should often be inserted. There are three main reasons for the latter: firstly, Chinese names are often unfamiliar to non-Chinese people and not easy to pronounce in any form of transcription; secondly, it is simply chic and gives an international flair. In addition, an international first name gives the uninitiated to a certain extent an orientation as to where the first name and surname are hidden in the letters.

For clarification, here is an example of the name of the former well-known Hong Kong singer and actor Leslie Cheung ( 張國榮  /  张国荣 ) according to Cantonese pronunciation .

If you write the western and the Chinese names together, the following variants are possible:

  • Cheung Kwok-wing, Leslie - Hongkong, official spelling Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation (government internal official Cantonese romanization)
  • Kwok-wing Leslie Cheung - Hong Kong, unofficial spelling
  • Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing - Hong Kong, unofficial spelling, a popular mix of Chinese and Western names
  • Leslie Kwok-wing Cheung - other countries (e.g. USA, GB) the Chinese first name becomes the middle name.

In official documents and publications, the surname can be underlined , e.g. B. Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing or small caps , so capitalization of the lowercase letters, z. B. Leslie C HEUNG Kwok Wing, or both together, e.g. B. Leslie C HEUNG Kwok Wing, should be highlighted to avoid confusion.

Exemplary transcriptions for Romanization according to standard Chinese pronunciation with the name of Leslie Cheung ( 張國榮  /  张国荣 ):

  • Zhang, Guorong - PR China, Taiwan, official spelling, Hanyu Pinyin (official Chinese translation)
  • Jang, Gwo-rong - China, unofficial spelling, Gwoyeu Romatzyh
  • Jang, Guo-rung - Taiwan, unofficial spelling, MPS2
  • Jhang, Guo-rong - Taiwan, unofficial spelling, Tongyong Pinyin
  • Chang, Kuo-jung - GB, unofficial spelling, Wade-Giles
  • Jang, Gwo-rung - USA, unofficial spelling, Yale Mandarin

Treatment of non-Han names in Chinese

  • Minorities in the VR
  • general handling (phonetic, meaning)
  • Foreigners

Salutation and other aspects of practical life

The family name is not only mentioned first in conjunction with the first name, but also placed before the salutation. If one had wanted to address Deng Xiaoping as "Mr. Deng" in Chinese, one would have had to do so in the order Deng Herr ( 鄧先生  /  邓先生 , Dèng xiānsheng ). It is the same with all other substantive forms of address. “Teacher Zhu” becomes Zhū ​​lǎoshī ( 朱 老師  /  朱 老师 ), and “Chairman Mao” becomes Máo zhǔxí ( 毛主席 ).

It looks a little different with the two adjectival salutations xiao ... ( 小  - "small, young; here: the" buddy (sticky) "...," younger (e) "..., small (r) ..."), the one if there is a large age difference between the elderly and the younger, such as B. for friends or acquaintances of your own children, here z. B. xiao Ming ( 小 明 ), xiao Ting ( 小婷 ). When addressing lao ... ( 老  - "old, existing for a long time; here: the venerable ...," well-known "...," old "..., experienced ..."), which is usually only used in combination with the surname, this is also put in front, here e.g. B. lao Chen ( 老陳  /  老陈 ), lao Wang ( 老王 ) etc.

Addressing only the first name implies a high degree of confidentiality and in most cases sounds very unusual to the person addressed. A teacher would not only address his student by their first name, but always the full name, e.g. B. Wang Qiang . It is also not common for Chinese to address each other by first name in business dealings.

The gender of the person cannot always be read from the first name, but there are certain indications for those who are skilled in drawing.

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Bauer : The Chinese personal name. The educational laws and the main meanings of Ming, Tzu and Hsiao-Ming (= Asian research. 4, ZDB -ID 503897-2 ). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1959.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Si Yuping: About naming among the Chinese ( Memento from March 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), Epoch Times Germany , September 6, 2006
  2. ↑ zhongwen.com - The 200 Most Common Chinese Family Names
  3. ↑ Lin Yu-tang Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage : Pinyin and the transcription after Jyuping for Cantonese
  4. ^ Names for Cantonese usage Lin Yu-Tang dictionary
  5. ↑ Yahoo! Hong Kong surname in today's Cantonese translation
  6. ↑ term "Fahao (法號/法号)" - Chinese: [1] - Accessed on April 18, 2017 - cidian.911cha.com - Online
  7. ^ Endymion Wilkinson: Chinese history. A new manual (= Harvard-Yenching Institute. Monograph Series. 84). Harvard University - Asia Center for the Harvard-Yenching Institute et al., Cambridge MA et al. 2012, ISBN 978-0-674-06715-8 , § 29.4.4.

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