After a person reaches adulthood, the name given by his elders is no longer suitable to be called directly in public. If you want to choose a new name, you have a word. The name is for the convenience of others, and it is out of politeness and respect for peers or seniors. For example: Sima Qian is called Sima Zichang, Li Bai is called Li Taibai, Ouyang Xiu is called Ouyang Yongshu, Su Shi is called Su Zizhan, etc.
The word is common to both men and women, not unique to men. In the third chapter of "Dream of Red Mansions", Jia Baoyu asked Lin Daiyu her sister's name, and Daiyu said her name. But when Baoyu asked what the word was, Lin Daiyu said there was no word. This is because Lin Daiyu is under fifteen years old and is not married, so she does not have her own handwriting.
An alias is a title other than a first name and a given name. In ancient times, in order to respect others, people generally did not call them by their names, but called them by nicknames. Numbers and names are not necessarily meaningfully related. The number can have two characters or more than three characters.
For example: Lu You, nicknamed Fang Weng; Tao Qian, nicknamed Mr. Wuliu; Su Shi, nicknamed Dongpo Jushi. Sometimes nicknames with many characters can be shortened to two characters, such as Su Dongpo.
The fundamental difference between a name, a nickname and a nickname is:
The name and nickname are chosen by the father or elders, while the nickname is chosen by oneself. A nickname is generally only used for self-proclaiming to show a certain interest or express a certain emotion; it is also a respectful title for a person. For example: Li Bai was called Qinglian layman, Du Fu was called Shaoling Yelao, Bai Juyi was called Xiangshan layman, Li Shangyin was called Yuxisheng, He Zhizhang was called Siming Kuangke in his later years, Ouyang Xiu was called Drunkard, and Liuyi layman in his later years, etc.
The meaning of the word is similar to the name, but not exactly the same, and they can complement each other. For example, Lu Ji, whose courtesy name is Shiheng, and Ji and Heng are both the names of the Big Dipper constellations and complement each other.
The word and name have opposite meanings. Zhu Xi's character is "Hui". Xi means morning light, indicating the day is bright, while Hui means darkness, indicating the sky is dark.
The meanings of characters and names are in harmony, causing each other, or they can be used to explain names, such as Zhao Yun, whose courtesy name is Zilong.