Nomenclature of red chamber

In fact, the names of Jia family members are all taken in strict accordance with the provisions of the genealogy. Brothers and sisters of Baoyu's generation are all beside the word "Wang", and they are all single names. Only Jia Baoyu is not beside the word Wang, and it is a double word. However, the author has already explained it in A Dream of Red Mansions, because Jia Baoyu is just his nickname.

In the third episode of A Dream of Red Mansions, Lin Daiyu once said, "At home, I also heard my mother mention that this brother is one year older than me and nicknamed Baoyu."

Because he was born with jade in his mouth, he was called Jia Baoyu. Baoyu was loved by the old lady since he was a child. The old lady was afraid that he would be difficult to raise, so she had his nickname written and posted everywhere, so that people could call him Baoyu to raise him.

There is an ancient saying that children should be given a nickname, so that they can grow up disease-free and disaster-free, and the more common the nickname, the better. The most typical example is Liu Xun, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who is the son of the emperor Sun in history. However, because his birth coincided with the disaster of witchcraft, everyone was executed, and only Liu Xun escaped.

Later, Liu Xun was raised by female prisoners Hu Zu and Guo Zhengqing. For the healthy growth of their grandchildren and to avoid being hunted, they named Liu Xun Liu Bingyi. Liu Bingyi was brought up by them.

Therefore, it is understandable that Jia Baoyu was nicknamed as a child because he was loved by the old lady. As for the real name of Jia Baoyu's genealogy, A Dream of Red Mansions did not elaborate. So many people speculate on Jia Baoyu's name. I think there is a saying that Jia Baoyu's name is "Jia Ying", which is quite reasonable for the waiter Shen Ying.