Chinese names. Chinese names are beautiful

As a Chinese teacher, I often get asked by students "how do I say my name in Chinese?". The logic of this question is quite clear to me, firstly, the topic “what is your name?” found in one of initial lessons, and, quite naturally, the student would like to introduce himself in Chinese. Secondly, most students of the Kitai language school have already been taught English language and, with relative ease, picked up the English equivalents of the Russian name.

However, choose your Chinese name The task is more difficult than it seems at first glance. There are several ways. You can simply pick up hieroglyphs that are as similar in sound as possible to the name in the original.

Many online resources offer to translate the name into Chinese.

So Anastasia will become 阿娜斯塔西娅 ā nà sī tǎ xī yà

Sergei 谢尔盖 xiè ěr gài Xie er gai

Catherine 叶卡特丽娜 yè kǎ tè lì nà Ye ka te li na

Vladimir 弗拉基米尔 fú lā jī mǐ ěr Fu la ji mi er

Svetlana

However, from my point of view, this method is far from the best.

To explain why, I would like to digress a little and tell you a little about Chinese names. Most Chinese full names consist of three characters, the first of which is the family name and the other two are the given names. Each character is read as one syllable. For example, Mao Zedong or Deng Xiaoping. It happens that full name consists of only two characters. But there are very rare cases when there are more than three hieroglyphs in the name.

So, compared to most Chinese names, translated "long" names sound, at least, strange. If you still insist and introduce yourself to the Chinese, for example, as Konstantin Ivanov 康斯坦丁. 伊凡诺夫 kāng sī tǎn dīng yī fán nuò fū, then most likely, the Chinese, practical by nature, will immediately give a “nickname” to a Russian acquaintance and he will turn into 小康 xiǎo kāng (small Kan) or something similar.

In the event that your name is “short” and fits in two hieroglyphs, most likely, in order for it to be as similar in pronunciation as possible to the Russian original, you will have to neglect the meaning of the hieroglyphs and your name, in best case, won't mean anything. Well, at worst, it will mean something not quite adequate.

The second option to acquire a Chinese name is to ask a Chinese person you know to choose a name for you. From my point of view, this is a more reasonable approach to choosing your Chinese name.

However, even here there are "pitfalls". A lot of students who come to China for language practice receive Chinese names from their teacher. And here there is a chance to get a beautiful Chinese name from a native speaker. However, it may happen that a busy instructor won't think too hard about choosing a name for you. And it might not work for you. For example, I was offered to somehow be 马莉 (horse - jasmine). I didn’t really like it, a horse, I didn’t really want to be called.

It would not be superfluous to carry out preliminary work and familiarize yourself with the reading and meaning of hieroglyphs often found in names.

Here are some examples of hieroglyphs for male names

伟	wei	great
海	hǎi	sea
明	ming	clear
光	guang	light
凯	kǎi	triumphal
嘉	jiā	excellent
德	de	moral
永	yǒng	endless
浩	hao	boundless
耀	yao	brilliant
勇	yǒng	brave
世	shim	age, life
丹	dan	red, sincere
晋	jin	move forward, go ahead
龙	long	the Dragon
泽	ze	pond, lake
峰	feng	mountain peak
戈	ge	a spear
朝	chao	[imperial] court
忠	zhong	loyalty
羽	yǔ	feather
润	run	receive favors
皓	hao	light
征	zheng	go on a campaign (war)
雄	xiong	leader, leader
彦	yan	highly educated person
跃	yue	jump, run
尹	yǐn	manage
艺	yì	ability, talent
旭	xi	rising sun; radiant

And female names

美	mei	beautiful, lovely
芳	fang	fragrant
淑	shū	virtuous
云	yun	cloud
珍	zhen	pearl
娟	juan	elegant
秀	xiu	flowering
心	xin	heart
雪	xǔe	snow
志	zhi	pursuit
燕	yan	martin
红	hong	red
希	xi	rare
宝	bǎo	jewel
清	qing	clean, bright
星	xing	star
瑶	yao	best jade
奕	yì	great，beautiful
焱	yan	sparks; flame
琴	qin	qin musical instrument
莲	lian	lotus
尤	you	special
妃	fei	princess
珑	long	a jade tablet with an image of a dragon carved on it (used when praying for rain)
赫	he	imposing; majestic
灵	ling	flexible; mobile
俊	June	graceful, elegant
姬	jī	court lady
凤	feng	phoenix
娥	é	gorgeous
辰	chen	chen (fifth cyclic sign out of twelve); dragon sign

If you already have a couple of ideas, it might be easier for your Chinese friend to come up with a name for you.

To choose a surname, I recommend that you refer to the list "100 most common surnames". Most Chinese have surnames from this list.

Once you've made your choice, I would recommend "testing" your name a few times and seeing how the other person reacts. The fact is that the basis of Chinese names is historical and cultural heritage country, which is very hard to feel for a non-native speaker. So, if it seems to you that the reaction to your name is not entirely adequate, it may be worth reconsidering the chosen option.

Also, examples of real Chinese names can serve as a basis for inspiration and choice of a Chinese name. Try to choose the one you like and pair it with the last name from the list.

Choosing a Chinese name, from my point of view, is not a matter of two or three minutes. But the result - a beautiful Chinese name, which is not ashamed to introduce itself to the Chinese and acquaintances from Russia, without a doubt, is worth the effort spent on it.

China - country original culture. Their religion, traditions and culture are so far from ours! This article will focus on Chinese names, the choice of which in the Middle Kingdom is still treated with special trepidation.

Exclusivity did not save the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, they did not escape the fashion for borrowed names. But even in this, the Chinese remained true to their traditions. "Imported" names they famously adjusted to the tone of their own. Elinna - Elena, Li Qunsi - Jones. There are even names with Christian origins. For example, Yao Su My means Joseph in translation, and Ko Li Zi Si is the name George.

In China, there is a tradition of giving posthumous names. They sum up the life lived, reflect all the deeds committed by a person in this world.

How to address a resident of the Middle Kingdom?

Chinese appeals are somewhat unusual for our ears: “Director Zhang”, “Mayor Wang”. A Chinese person will never use two titles when referring to a person, such as "Mr. President". He will say "President Obama" or "Mr. Obama." When referring to a saleswoman or maid, you can use the word "Xiaojie". It looks like our "girl".

Chinese women do not take their husband's surname after marriage. "Ms. Ma" and "Mr. Wang" do not interfere in life at all. These are the laws of the country. Foreigners are most often addressed by their first names, with a polite title added if they do not know the person's profession or position. For example, "Mr. Michael". And no patronymic! It's just not here!

The Chinese are the bearers of a great ancient culture. Although China is a developed country, it ranks not last place on the world market, but it seems that the inhabitants of the solar state live in some special world, preserving national traditions, their own way of life and a philosophical attitude to the environment.

Content

Compared to Europeans, the Chinese began using surnames even before our era. Initially, they were peculiar only to the royal family, the aristocracy, but gradually they began to be used. simple people. Some of them have changed over time, while others have remained unchanged.

Origin of surnames

If some nations still do not even have such a concept, then chinese culture On the contrary, he takes this issue very seriously. ancient chinese surnames initial stage had two meanings:

• "sin" (xìng). The concept that was used to define blood relatives, family. Later, a meaning was added to it, indicating the place of origin of the genus. This concept was just used by representatives of the imperial family.
• "shi" (shi). Appeared later and was used to show family ties within the entire genus. It was the name of the clan. After a while, it began to denote the similarity of people by occupation.

Over time, these distinctions have faded. Today there are no differences between people, but the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire still carefully treat their family, revere and carefully study it. An 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 Koreanized, for example, Chen.

Meaning of Chinese surnames

Chinese surnames and their meanings are of different origin. They have a large number of them, but only about two dozen are widely distributed. Some are descended from professional activity(Tao is a potter). Part is based on the name of the states-possessions into which China was fragmented in feudal times (Chen), and part bears the name of the ancestor who gave the name to the clan (Yuan). But all the strangers were called Hu. Greater value in the country have names, of which there are a huge number.

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 Chinese. Many languages ​​have developed special systems transcriptions 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 given name (one or two syllables) is written, since the family comes first for them. In Russian, according to the rules, they are written similarly. The compound name is written together, and not with a hyphen, as it was until recently. In modern Russian, the so-called Palladium system is used, which has been used since the nineteenth century, with the exception of some amendments, to write Chinese surnames in Russian.

Chinese surnames for men

The nicknames of the Chinese do not differ 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 names and surnames for men carry the features that a man should have:

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

Women's

Women in the Celestial Empire leave their own after marriage. The Chinese do not have specific rules that govern when naming a child. Here leading role plays the fantasy of the parents. Chinese names and surnames for women characterize a woman as a gentle creature, full of affection and love:

• Ai - love;
• Venkian - purified;
• Ji - pure;
• Jiao - graceful, beautiful;
• Gia - beautiful;
• Zhilan - rainbow orchid;
• Ki - fine jade;
• Kiaohui - experienced and wise;
• Kiuyu - 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 is the moon;
• Yuming - jade brightness;
• Yun - cloud;
• I am elegance.

declination

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

How many surnames in China

It is difficult to determine exactly how many surnames there are in China, but only about a hundred of them are known to be in widespread use. The Celestial Empire is a country with a multi-billion population, but paradoxically, most of its inhabitants have the same last name. According to tradition, the child inherits it from the father, although recently only the son could wear it, the daughter took the mother's. At present, the names of the genus do not change, although at the initial stage, hereditary names could change. This makes life difficult for the official authorities, as it is very difficult to keep 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 spelling will consist of three or even four characters. Chinese with the same surname are not considered relatives, but only namesakes, although until recently people were forbidden to marry if they had the same surname. Often a child could be given double - father and mother.

The most common

It may seem funny to some, but just over twenty percent of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire have three surnames. The most common Chinese surnames are Li, Wang, Zhang, Nguyen. IN modern language even there are stable expressions like “three Zhang, four Li”, which mean “any”. They may have different spelling depending on the translation.

Funny Chinese names and surnames

According to pronunciation, many foreign words for someone else's speech, they look, if not funny, then bizarre. Therefore, even the most harmless word in a foreign language can cause laughter in a Russian person. But sometimes the fantasy of parents leads to the fact that in the language itself, names can mean funny, and sometimes just wild things. funny names and Chinese surnames:

• Sun Vyn;
• Sui Taken;
• Chew yourself;
• Get up Sun.

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Chinese names. Chinese surnames. The meaning of Chinese names and surnames. The most common first and last names in China. European names for the Chinese. Nice Chinese baby name or nickname.

January 8, 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 customary to change the name during life, due to various important events or life stages. Let's see what is special about Chinese names and how they are translated into Russian.

Chinese surnames, what is special about them

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

Initially, 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 whole clan, and even later - for people with the same kind of activity.

In modern China, the list of surnames is very limited. It does not go beyond the “Baytsyasin” table, which means “Hundred Surnames” in translation (although there are actually more than a hundred, but still not so many).

Chinese surnames usually have one syllable. On the letter, they look like one hieroglyph. Their origin is different. So, some went from the type of activity (for example, Tao is a potter), others - from the names of the states that formed the basis modern China(for example, Yuan). But all the foreigners were called Hu.

A woman after marriage often does not take her husband's surname, but leaves her maiden name, or takes double surname own + husband. In writing, it looks like this: maiden name+ husband's surname + proper name.

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

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

The most common Chinese surnames

Interestingly, the first two surnames on the list (Li and Wang) are over 350 million Chinese.

Chinese names - Chinese names

The surname and name in China are written together, and in that order - first comes the surname, then the given 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 recorded with a hyphen, but never separately.

A few decades ago, a child could be called a dissonant, even nasty, including for the Chinese, name. 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;
• Goshen - the remains of dog food;
• Goudan is the missing dog's egg.

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

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

Everything has changed these days. But in some places (mainly in the villages) this tradition is preserved in the form of household nicknames or a child's name.

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. composed of two characters.

Male and female Chinese names do not have grammatical, spelling or other differences. There is a gender division, but it is based on meaning.

For a boy, parents choose a name that symbolizes:

• wealth;
• physical superiority: strength, high growth, quick reaction;
• character traits: honest, intelligent, diligent, honoring ancestors;
• lofty goals: discoverer, scientist, patriot, gaining greatness;
• nature: honoring the river, the top of the mountain, the wind, the sea;
• ancestors and places of worship: the Yangtze River, the rain (sea) of the elder brother, the golden mirror.

Often the name displays a good parental parting word. It is known that when Yue Fei was born, who later became a general and national hero China, swans sat on the roof of his house. There was a whole flock of them. The boy's mother wished her son to fly just as far and high. It was decided to name the newborn Fey, which means "flight" in translation.

• Parents call the girl a beautiful euphonious name, meaning something beautiful:
• Gems: pearl, jasper, refined jade;
• Flowers: morning jasmine, rainbow orchid, small lotus;
• Weather conditions; a little dawn, autumn moon, morning color of the cloud;
• Intellectual ability: smart, clear wisdom, indigo;
• Attractive external data: beautiful and prosperous, charming, graceful;
• Natural objects: Beijing forest, swallow, spring Flower, cloud.

Popular male Chinese names

Beautiful Chinese names for girls

Ai - love	Liling - a beautiful jade bell
Venkian - purified	Mei - plum
Ji - pure	Ehuang - the beauty of August
Jiao is beautiful	Shang - grace
Ging - abundance	Nuying - flower girl
Ju - chrysanthemum	Row - tender
Zhaohui - clear wisdom	Ting - graceful
Ki - fine jade	Fenfang - fragrant
Kiaolian - Experienced	Hualing - heather
Qingzhao - understanding	Shihong - the world is beautiful
Xiaoli - morning jasmine	Yun - cloud
Xiaofan - dawn	Yangling - forest swallows
Xu - snow	Huizhong - wise and loyal

Name change

In the Middle Kingdom long years there was a tradition of changing the name upon reaching a certain age.

At birth, the baby was given legal name("ming") and children's ("xiao-ming"). When he went to school baby name was replaced by a student - "xuemin". 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 "hao" - a nickname.

Most of the names are not currently used in China. Gone are the student's "xueming", the official "guanming". The child's name and nickname is still used.

Features of children's and school names in China

The baby (milk) name is used only by close relatives in the family circle. At will, parents give the newborn, in addition to the official first name, one more. But this is optional. The dairy name is very similar to our home nickname.

Previously, immediately after the birth of the baby, the father or other relative went to the seer in order to find out the fate of the child. This was especially true in rural areas. If she predicted that something threatened the baby in the future, for example, fire, then it was necessary to give a baby name associated with water. Conversely, if fate was destined to be afraid of water, the child received a milky name associated with matches, fire or flame.

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

Now the milk name, as a rule, emphasizes some individual features, the appearance of the child, contains a parental parting word, or just this beautiful poetic word.

The most beautiful Chinese baby names

• Hun - rainbow;
• Li is a small dragon;
• Chunlin - spring forest;
• Chunguang - spring light;
• Dun is the shield of a warrior.

When the child went to school, the teacher (rarely the parents) gave him the school name. It was used in all documents during its school life. The name most often displayed 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 enters the 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.

Name change 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 name change procedure is the same. Interestingly, the girl changes her name most often during the engagement.

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

Sometimes the middle name means the birth order of the child in the family. Hieroglyphs are used for this:

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

Beautiful Chinese names (second name)

• Bo Yang;
• Mende;
• Taipai;
• Pengju;
• Kunming;
• Zhongni;
• Zhongda;
• Junzhi;
• Xuande.

Nickname in China

Well-educated people, representatives of the nobility in China still had a hao - a nickname. They could choose it themselves. This name was used as a pseudonym, and consisted of three, four or more hieroglyphs. Most often, rare hieroglyphs or the name of the whole city (village, region) where the person was born were chosen. 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 display the first or second name in any way. It's something deeply personal. The nickname is very popular among scientists and writers.

Borrowing names from other languages

Modern parents in China, as well as in any other country, often call their children beautiful, but unusual for cultural tradition country name. This is based on the abbreviated form foreign name. Most often borrowed names:

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

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