Zi, also known as Biaozi or Xiaozi, refers to a name other than the real name that expresses virtue or the meaning of the real name. In ancient times, it was inconvenient for a 20-year-old man and a 15-year-old woman to call them by their first names, so they chose another alias that was related to the meaning of their real names and called them zi to express their virtues. When people call each other respectfully, they must call them virtuous words. The latter word is called table word.
The words are usually chosen by parents or teachers.
According to the "Book of Rites·Tan ??Gong", when a person reaches adulthood, he needs to be respected by the society. It seems disrespectful for his peers to call him by his first name, so he needs to choose a word for himself. Used when interacting with others in society to show mutual respect. Therefore, after the ancients reached adulthood, their names were only used by their elders and themselves. Calling themselves by their names showed humility, while the words were used to be called by people in society.
Yan Zhitui of the Northern Qi Dynasty believed that names distinguish people from each other, while characters reflect a person's virtues. Most people's names and characters are related in meaning.
Extended information:
In ancient times, due to the special emphasis on etiquette, the names and characters were very particular. In interpersonal communication, first names are generally used as modesty, condescension, or as a term of address for superiors versus inferiors, or for seniors versus juniors. Peers only call each other by name when they are familiar with each other. In most cases, it is considered impolite to refer to each other or to be called by his or her first name. It is considered polite among peers to address each other by name. When you are writing or calling someone from a humble position to a superior, you can use names, but you can never use names, especially the names of the monarch or your own parents and elders. You cannot even mention the names of the monarch or your parents or elders. Otherwise, it will be "disrespectful" or "treasonous". ", so our country's unique "taboo" system came into being.
In ancient times, names and characters were used together to show respect. There are two situations that deserve our attention:
The first situation is that in the pre-Qin period, when the first name and the character were combined, the character should come first and then the name.
The second situation is that after the Han Dynasty, when names are called together, "name" is used first and then "zi".
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Biaozi