The ancient Chinese literati had a lot of elegance and rhyme, so the methods of selecting words were also very interesting and varied, which cannot be summarized simply. But if we understand the relationship between ancient names and characters, we can also help you solve some problems. For example, when the pronunciation of "Guan" in the poet "Qin Guan" of the Northern Song Dynasty is pronounced as guān or guàn, you can make inferences based on his characters. Qin Guan's courtesy name is Shaoyou. From his character, we can judge that it is pronounced guān. Generally speaking, names are reserved for oneself, and calling others one's own name is a form of humility and civility. For example, according to the "Analects of Confucius", Mencius often called himself "Qiu" in front of his students in order to show his politeness as a "sage".
Generally speaking, the place where people call themselves names is often when subordinates deal with their superiors, ministers deal with the monarch, and juniors deal with the elderly. Likewise, when addressing another person, it is polite and polite to use the name. Especially when subordinates talk about their superiors, ministers talk about the monarch, and juniors talk about the elderly, they must not call them by their first names. Among peers, in order to express respect for him, he is also called "duo". For example, Li Ling's "Reply to Su Wu Shu" of the Han Dynasty: "Zi Qing's single step is to diligently promulgate the virtues of the order, and the policy is famous in the Qing Dynasty." Zi Qing's character is naturally Su Wu. Let’s give another example from the back. Du Fu, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, served as Yan Wu's think tank when he was in Chengdu.
After getting drunk once, Du Fu actually said in front of Yan Wu: "I don't think Yan Tingyun is like this!" Because of his gaffe, he actually shouted the name of Yan Wu's father. This made Yan Wu furious, and he flew into a rage: "How dare Du Shenyan's grandson stroke a tiger's beard?" Du Shenyan is the name of Du Fu's grandfather. Yan Wu's "swearing back" escalated to another level, which shows how strict the regulations on addressing were at that time! The earliest origin of the ancient surnames of the Chinese nation is admiration, totem worship and ancestor worship based on the initial religious beliefs of the "Three Thousand Avenues". The so-called "Three Thousand Great Ways" are the standards for everything. Initial totem worship is the fundamental reason for the ancient surnames of the Chinese nation. Many ancient references support this insight.
The descendants of the same ancestor are called families. The surname form originally began with the name of the tribe or the name of the tribe leader. Its main function is to help distinguish the descendants of different clans in the tribe and facilitate marriages between different clans. Therefore, the formation of surname style means the change from group marriage to kinship-based marriage, which is an important milestone in the history of human development. After the surname is formed, it is passed down from generation to generation. It is generally not easy to change and is relatively stable. However, the surname changes with changes in fiefdoms and official titles. Therefore, a person's descendants may have several surnames, or the father and son may have different surnames for several generations. The surname form and the person's given name together form a person's name. "The surname refers to the place where the ancestors came from; the surname refers to the place where the descendants of the family are divided." The surname is a racial number, and the surname is the branch of the surname. From the Western Han Dynasty to the present, surnames and styles have been combined into one.