Naming according to the time of birth
Naming a child according to the time of birth is one of the favorite traditional naming customs of our people. There are different ways to express the name of a child based on the time of his birth. Here are some of the main ones.
1. Named after the hour of birth
Ancient people often used twelve branches to represent twelve hours, and each hour is exactly equal to two modern hours. In modern times, each hour is divided into Chu and Zheng. The list is as follows:
Zichou Yin Mao Chen Si Wu Wei Shen You Xu Hai 2313579111315171921 Zheng 24246810121416182022
"Zizheng "It means 12 o'clock in the evening, and "Shen Chu" means 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Some people are used to naming their children using this timing method. Of course there are other timing representations, here are a few examples.
You: The nickname of the famous cross talk actor Hou Baolin is "You". Hou Baolin's family named him "You" because he was born on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month at You hour (i.e. 5-6 pm), and because Beijingers are accustomed to using the rhyme "er", adding "小" in front of it and "ER" in the end. , also called "Xiao You'er".
Xu Chu: Deng Tuo’s nickname. His father, Deng Ouzi, gave him this name because he was born in the early morning.
Xu Gui: Chen Yu was born in a family of sailors. Because his father was born in Chenshi (i.e. 7-8 a.m.), when the rising sun rises in the east, and because he is a sailor and likes the morning sun the most, his father gave his child Take the word "Xu". Grandma believes that when a child is born, the house will be filled with golden light, which means that he will be able to build a family and a career in the future, hence the word "expensive". These two characters represent the wishes of two generations. Together, "Xugui" became Chen Yu's first name.
Zhongwu: Literary historian Yang Gongji was born in Zhengding County, Hebei Province at noon on January 16, 1921. His grandfather named him Zhongwu.
Lingling: Born at midnight, expressed with a homophone.
2. Named after the date of birth
Qingchun: Lao She was born on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (February 3, 1899) in the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. On the first day of "Beginning of Spring", his parents named him "Qingchun".
National Day: The birthday is October 1, the anniversary of the birth of the Republic of China.
Zhengyi: Born on the first day of the first lunar month.
3. Named after the month or season of birth
Dongsheng: Educator Wu Yifang was born in Wuchang, Hubei Province in January 1893, and her family named her Dongsheng.
Xilinzi: Guan Xiangying was the first son born to his parents, and he was born in the golden autumn season when crops were harvested. His grandmother named him Xilinzi.
Wintersweet: a daughter born in the twelfth lunar month.
4. Named after the year of birth
In ancient my country, the year was mostly recorded by stems and branches. The ten stems and twelve branches were combined into sixty units in sequence, called sixty Jiazi:
Jiazi Yi Chou Bing Yin Ding Mao Wu Chen Ji Si
Geng Wu Xin Wei Ren Shen Gui You Jia Wu Yi Hai
Bing Zi Ding Chou Wu Yin Ji Mao Geng Chen Xin Si
Ren Wu Gui Wei Jia Shen Yi You Bing Wu Ding Hai
Wu Zi Ji Chou Geng Yin Xin Mao Ren Chen Gui Si
Jia Wu Yi Wei Bing Shen Ding You Wu Xu Ji Hai
Geng Zi Xin Chou Ren Yin Guimao, Jia, Wu, Yisi
Bingwu, Dingwei, Wushenji, Youyou, Gengxu, Xinhai
Renzi, Guichou, Jiayin, Yimao, Bingchen, Dingsi
Wuwuji Wei Geng Shen Xin You Ren Xu Gui Hai
After the "Sixty Years" cycle ends, it starts again. This chronology is still used today, such as 1992, which is also called the Renshen year. Some people's names are named Gengchen, Xinmao, etc. based on the chronology of the stems and branches, so that others can know the year of their birth at a glance. Names are given based on the year of the stems and branches. Some people only take one of the characters as the representative. For example, a person born in the year of Yichou is named Zhang Yi.
There are also zodiac animals used to represent the year. Each zodiac sign represents a year and is matched with the twelve earthly branches: Rat, Chou Ox, Yin Tiger, Mao Rabbit, Chen Dragon, Snake, Wu Horse, The Wei Sheep, Shen Monkey, You Rooster, Xu Dog, and Hai Pig reincarnate once every twelve years. For example, those born in 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949, 1937, 1925, 1913, 1901, etc. are all cattle. People like to give children born in these years nicknames such as "calf", "Aniu", "cowboy", etc. This method of naming based on the stems, branches, and zodiac signs can be regarded as a unique naming method in my country.