When the ancients were born, they not only had a name, but also a character, which is how the name came about. In ancient times, names mainly included three parts: surname, given name, and character, and these three parts had different usage occasions and functions. In the eyes of the ancients, there was a certain degree of emphasis on how to choose names and characters. They are not just names for a person, but also represent the culture and personal characteristics of a family. So how did the ancient Chinese come up with their names? The difference between names and characters
As for the role of names, people in the Qing Dynasty once said, "Names are used to represent the correct form, and characters are used to express virtues." In other words, names are used to distinguish the differences between individuals. The character represents the person's personal virtues. In ancient times, calling a person by his or her name was only a phased process, just like now when we were children, we would have nicknames or nicknames, and when we grow up, we would call them by their given names. When the ancients had characters, they would avoid calling people by their names. Names would be more private and obscure than characters. When addressing a person, they would generally call them by their names instead of their names. The ancients paid attention to characters
The names of the ancients had various categories and uses. When some people chose characters, they would combine the character representing age with another character to form the character in their own name. Others When people choose words, they only use one word and do not combine it with other words. It was after the Eastern Han Dynasty that people really started to pay attention to how to choose characters. After that, there were more and more cases of choosing characters. Although the ancients had names, words were more important in their eyes. When choosing names, they would often consult classics to find more profound words that fit their personal meanings. In addition to the name, the number?
Although the ancients had surnames, given names and words, there were various other titles besides the name, such as the number. When they reach a certain age, some people will give themselves or others a number. This is a custom that started in the Zhou Dynasty. The nickname can also represent a person's honorific title or a good name. There are also some ancient nicknames that people later took in order to commemorate him. After the development of different dynasties, the method of choosing nicknames has also continued to develop. Even in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people regarded taking nicknames as a trend. Regardless of the royal family or the common people, almost everyone had their own nickname.