Most of our Chinese people today only have one surname. But in ancient times, people's names were far from simple. Under normal circumstances, in addition to the surname and first name, there are also words, numbers, etc.
The so-called "name" is a special name for an individual in society, that is, a symbol used by an individual in society. There are roughly three situations in which people call themselves by name:
(1) Call yourself by your given name. For example, "Within five steps, Xiangru will be able to splatter blood on his neck," and "Luling Wen Tianxiang prefaces his poem by himself."
(2)? Used for introduction or biography. For example, "Sui and Lu Su both went to Sun Quan", "Liu Jingting was a native of Taizhou".
(3)? Call someone you hate or despise. For example, "Unfortunately, Master Lu and Meng Gou were evil in the front, and Jia Yuqing was flattering in the back." "Zi" is often the explanation and supplement of the name, and is the opposite of the "name", so it is also called "table character". "Book of Rites Tan Gong Shang" says: "Young name, crown character." "Shu" says: "You start adding names in the third month of your life, so it is said that you have a young name. At the age of twenty, you have the way to be a father. Friends and other categories cannot be repeated. When you call someone by his or her name, you should add a name to it. "Also, "Yi Li·Shi Guan Li" says: "When you call someone by his name, you should call him by name before you call him by name."
It can be seen that names are given when children are young and are used by elders to call them. Words are for the convenience of others. Calling peers or seniors by names is out of politeness and respect. When a man reaches adulthood at the age of twenty, he must hold a crowning ceremony, which marks that he will become an official and enter society. When a woman grows up, she has to leave her mother's home and be married. Those who are not married are called "Wei Zi" or "Wai Zi".
The names of the ancients were mainly used to refer to themselves, and the characters of the ancients were mainly used to refer to others. Of course, this does not mean that it is necessary to address people by their names in all cases. This depends on the mutual status of the two parties in the dialogue. Those of equal status should respectfully address others by their names instead of their names, and humbly address themselves by their names instead of their names. Elders can also address their juniors, teachers to their students, and superiors to their subordinates by their names, which makes them appear more cordial. If the purpose of naming is to distinguish each other, then the choice of words is to indicate superiority and inferiority. This is the basic difference between the functions of names and words.
When choosing a name, you must carefully consider the connotation it contains and consider it repeatedly. "Zuo Zhuan: The Sixth Year of Duke Huan" records the five principles of naming in the Spring and Autumn Period: "There are five names: trust, righteousness, image, falsehood, and type." This is the answer to Duke Huan's question by Shen Ru, a senior official in the state of Lu. The name was mentioned at the time, which means: either based on the characteristics of the person's birth, or from several aspects such as admiring auspiciousness, supporting objects to symbolize aspirations, praising virtues, and reposing the expectations of the parents. He also put forward seven no’s: “Not based on country, not based on officials, not based on mountains and rivers, not based on hidden diseases, not based on animals, not based on utensils and coins”.
The ancients’ practice of attaching importance to meaning and connotation in naming has continued to this day for thousands of years. For boys and girls born due to their physiology. Their personalities and the careers they are going to engage in are different, so the names are also different. Men are often named with words that are mighty, brave, wise, strong and perseverant, while women are often named with words that are virtuous, beautiful, beautiful and beautiful.
In addition, naming also reflects the characteristics of the times. The Xia and Shang dynasties mentioned above are a typical example of their preference for using names of stems and branches. Later, in the long-term feudal society, the families of wealthy officials were mostly named after the meanings of loyalty, filial piety, good fortune, longevity, and prosperity, and promotion and wealth. Therefore, they were called benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, trust, blessing, virtue, longevity, and glory. There are particularly many people who are promoted, succeeded to their ancestors, honored their ancestors, and continued their lineage. Common people also want to live a good life and hope to have more children and go to school, so they are called Fugui, Defu, Jincai, Zhixue, Ping'an, Changshun, Mancang, Mancun, Baocheng, Jinsuo, Shuanzhu and other names. Very many. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many new names appeared, such as Jianguo, Aid Korea, Weiguo, Support the Army, Jianjun, Support Yue, Stay in the Soviet Union, Weidong, Red Guard, Cultural Revolution, Study and Work, Support Agriculture, etc.
Most people nowadays have a "name" but no "word", so when we talk about "name", we usually refer to only the person's name, or given name. However, in ancient times, most people, especially officials and intellectuals, had both a "name" and a "character", and some people had a "number" in addition to their name and character.
An alias is a fixed alias, also known as an "alias". In ancient times, in order to respect others, people generally did not call them by their names, but called them by nicknames. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, people had already begun to take numbers. In this regard, "Zhou Li" explains that the title is "respecting his name is more laudable", which means that the title is an honorific or a laudatory title for a person in addition to his name and character. The early Hao had this characteristic, and most of the people with Hao were sages and scholars. For example, Laozi was nicknamed Guangchengzi, Fan Li was nicknamed Guiyizipi, etc.
In the pre-Qin period, there were not many people with names and titles. By the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were still not many people with titles. The only ones whose names are recorded in historical records are Tao Qian, alias Mr. Wuliu and Ge Hong. The nickname is Baopuzi and several others. However, in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the prosperity of the feudal country and the highly developed culture, more and more people had nicknames besides their given names. For example, Li Bai was named Qinglian Jushi, Du Fu was named Shaoling Yelao, and Bai Juyi was named Xiangshan Jushi. They all fall into this category. In the Song Dynasty, the practice of taking titles developed further. The well-known 108 generals in "Water Margin" all have nicknames, which represent the social atmosphere at that time. People in the Ming and Qing Dynasties regarded it as a fashion to take a nickname. From the emperor to the common people, almost everyone had a nickname.
As for the name and font size, since Tai Shigong combined the surname and surname into one in "Historical Records", the surname consists of two parts: the original matrilineal clan surname (representing blood relationship) and the paternal clan name. Composition:
Surname = surname (maternal line) + surname (paternal line)
In this way, it is easy to understand: the surname is the general outline, and the first name is determined by your father or the elder above. , the name is the name you choose; the name is your own evaluation of yourself, and the posthumous title is the official (imperial court) evaluation.
In summary, it can be seen that the titles of ancient Chinese people are far more complicated than those of modern people. They have names, characters, and nicknames. The coexistence of caste names and names not only adapts to the needs of the parties at different ages and situations, but also adds new content to Chinese name culture.