After the Qing army entered Shanhaiguan, it widely absorbed the traditional culture and lifestyle of the Han nationality, and this change was also reflected in the naming of the members of the imperial clan. In the late Jin Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, the names of imperial clan members were mostly transliterated in Manchu, such as Mangurtai, Dourgen, Azig, Duo Duo and Haug. Later, it was gradually sinicized, and fixed words were used according to generations. During the Qianlong period, Emperor Liu Ziyong? Painted a picture of the Year, and presented it to the empress dowager Niuzhilu. Emperor Qianlong's Hongli inscribed a poem on the painting, which contained the poem "Yong Mian also carries kindness and entertainment". Later, Hongli took the word "Yong Mian Yi Zai" as the word generation of the nearest imperial clan, and changed the word "Yi" to "Yi". Daoguang five years (1825), Daoguang Emperor? F Ning also decided the word "Pu Yu Heng Qi" and succeeded the word "Zai". Xianfeng six years (1857), Xianfeng emperor game? Set "event? The word "Zengqi" is regarded as the generation below the word "Qi". In this way, there are 14 words in the selection of the characters of the imperial clan: "Yin Hong Yong Mianyi carries Pu, Yu Heng Qi Tao?" Zengqi. "
The imperial clan in the Qing Dynasty not only determined the characters used in different generations, but also made clear provisions on the radicals of the second word according to the difference between relatives and friends. Since the Kangxi dynasty, there have been strict regulations on the names of members of imperial clan. For example, the second word of the name of Emperor Kangxi Xuanye is used next to the word, such as Yin? , hey? Wait; The philosophers of emperor Qianlong's Hongli used oblique jade, such as Yongqi and Yong? Wait. On the other hand, the names of distant clans are not allowed to use the same radical words as those of near clans, so as not to confuse relatives and friends.
It is not difficult to see that at this time, the name of the imperial clan has basically stopped using Manchu transliteration, but has been named directly in Chinese. Besides the surname still retains Manchu cultural characteristics, the name has become more and more Chinese. However, with the proliferation of the imperial clan population, the naming of members of the imperial clan violated the rules, which attracted the attention of the emperor and caused corresponding punishment.
one is the phenomenon of the same name.
With a large population, it is inevitable to have the same name. However, in the imperial clan, having the same name may lead to the disorder of seniority and even violate the emperor's taboo. In the thirty-second year of Kangxi (1693), measures were formulated to deal with the phenomenon of imperial clan having the same name. It is stipulated that from the king down to the idle imperial clan, if there is anyone with the same name, "the humble and the young will be changed" and the patent books will be changed. (Guangxu Chao Qing Hui Dian)
In the 11th year of Qianlong (1746), Emperor Hongli of Qianlong named his newborn seven elder brothers Yong Cong. Unexpectedly, the next day, when Hongli held a banquet in Xiyuan Yingtai, he found that a member of the imperial clan who attended the banquet was also called Yong Cong. Hong Li, who was very disappointed, asked the clan mansion and the worship room why they didn't report the fact that some clan members were named Yong Cong in time, and asked to check the names of all clan members of Yong Zi generation to see if there were any duplicate names. According to the precedent made in the thirty-second year of Kangxi, the imperial clan named Yong Cong had to be renamed because its status was inferior to that of the seventh elder brother, and Hongli renamed it Yong Chang. Yu Nu's lingering Hongli also requires the Zongren House to "take a name after leisure, and not reuse the words drawn up by the imperial palace". ("Examples of Imperial Scriptures of the Qing Dynasty")
Although Emperor Qianlong repeatedly declared by decree, the phenomenon of the same name still appeared from time to time. Even junior officials and soldiers have the same names as princes and ministers. During the Jiaqing period, Emperor Jiaqing? Yan found that Jing 'an, a county magistrate in Changji, who was about to be promoted to Dihua Prefecture, had the same name as Jing 'an, then governor of Hunan Province. ? Yan thought it was "extremely inappropriate" and said helplessly: "Once upon a time, there were people with the same name as princes and ministers, and after the imperial examination, Emperor Gao Zongchun repeatedly gave instructions and banned them. There are many officials and soldiers with the same names as princes and ministers. This is due to the fact that the minister in charge of the department did not pay attention to it, and the next subordinate soldier and other soldiers named it. " ? Yan ordered the name of Jing 'an to be changed according to Manchu semantics, and also ordered the three banners of Zongren House, Official Department, Ministry of Military Affairs, Eight Banners and Internal Affairs House to "find out that there are people with the same name among the soldiers of Jueluo Banner in Zongren House, and all of them are making changes, so they are not allowed to be the same as princes and ministers." ("Examples of Imperial Scriptures of the Qing Dynasty")
These bans did not completely eradicate the phenomenon of the same name. In Xianfeng and Guangxu dynasties, there were even people with the same name as the last emperor Puyi. This is the seventh son of Pu Yi, whose grandfather is Yi Xun. In the eleventh year of Xianfeng (1861), Pu Yi inherited the general who served the country. In the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), Puyi died, and his son Yu Xiu inherited from General Feng En. In the 12th year of Guangxu, Yuxiu died, leaving no heirs. (Draft of the History of Qing Dynasty) In the year when this member of the imperial clan named Puyi died, Zai Feng, the biological father of Puyi, the Emperor of Xuantong, was born. When Zai Feng's son was named, the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not find that the name Puyi had already been named. In the early years of the Republic of China, the old people of the former Qing Dynasty in the Qing History Museum did not pay attention to this problem of violating the taboo of "today" and directly wrote it into the chronological table of the imperial clan in the Qing History Draft.
the second is improper use of words.
As mentioned earlier, there are also strict rules on the side of the second character of the name of the nearest imperial clan, but some members of the imperial clan do not strictly follow the names. In the 11th year of Jiaqing (186), Wang Mianyi of Duoluorong County, a recent imperial clan, had his eldest son and his second son, both of whom belonged to the Yi generation. Therefore, the second word of his name was used next to the word Zi, but they were named Yi Ming and Yi? . Emperor Jiaqing was furious. He thought that Mianyi named his two sons without being invited, which was right and wrong, and there was no need to use the word "Zi", so he handed the matter over to the Zongren House for discussion. Emperor Jiaqing also asked Mianyi, "What's the purpose of using the golden character for personal use and naming the two sons of Iraq, instead of being close to the Sect and alienating themselves from each other?" And announced: "since Iraq relies on alienation, I don't treat Iraq with my nephew." As a result, Mianyi was removed from the post of Minister in the Guards and withdrew from Ganqing Gate. Yi Ming and Yi? Also renamed Yi Hua and Yi respectively? . Mianyi faced such severe punishment, even though there were hundreds of people, she could not defend herself, but only accepted it.
Some distant clans are named with the same characters as those of the near clans, which makes it difficult to distinguish between relatives and friends. In the thirteenth year of Jiaqing, Mianhu, a member of the far branch imperial clan, was named with the word "Hu" beside the oblique jade, but neither his brother Miankai nor his brother Mianbian used the word "Hu" beside the oblique jade. When Emperor Jiaqing learned of this incident, he thought that Mianhu's use of jade was "a big mistake", and accused the princes, Baylor and the heads of families of their negligence, and ordered it to be renamed Mianhu. He also vowed to reiterate: "In the later imperial families, if the names are inconsistent, they should be corrected at any time to customize them, and there should be no more omissions." (
The third is that the principle of using Chinese characters for generations has not been followed.
In the eleventh year of Qianlong, Hongli found a member of the imperial clan named Zhuerhang 'a at a banquet, who was Zhuang Qinwang Yong? Son, the grandson of Hongli, was named after Manchu transliteration. For this reason, Hongli made a decree: "Yesterday, I entered the Yanzong room, and the famous Zhuerhang Ah was my grandson, and I have ordered it to be renamed Mianqing. I first met Sun when I wrote a letter to the Prince and Zhuang Qinwang, and I will use the word Mian for the next generation. And put this message in the jade. " (Records of the Emperor Gaozong in Qing Dynasty)
The fourth is that it is suspected of being excessively sinicized.
Although the members of the imperial clan who had been in Shanhaiguan for a long time had been deeply influenced by Chinese culture and used Chinese, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty kept away from excessive sinicization everywhere, calling Chinese culture "the habits of Han people" in a contemptuous tone and demanding that the imperial clan should not be contaminated. To this end, Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing have repeatedly reiterated this principle on the issue of naming imperial families.
in the thirty-second year of Qianlong, the official department led a member of the imperial clan named Man Jishan into the palace to be introduced. Man Jishan is the son of Man Bao, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and belongs to Zhenghuang Banner. As a result, Emperor Qianlong was greatly displeased and thought that this person was named Man Jishan, taking Man as his surname. To this end, he changed his name to Ji Shan, and reprimanded him in the imperial edict: "Ji Shan belongs to Jue Luo, which is very noble. Ji Shan didn't respect Jue Luo, but took Man as his surname and named him after Han people. What is the reason? People like this, such as the princes of the clan mansion, should pay attention to banning them. It's not forbidden today. What does the maharaja do? I'm afraid there are still people like this, so I'm going to pay attention to the princes of the Zongren House and find out that all the changes have been made, and this is strictly forbidden. This cannot be the case afterwards. " However, in the Jiaqing Dynasty, Emperor Jiaqing saw a name called "Jue Luotai" in the book submitted by the Ministry of Punishment, and questioned the name "what is the meaning of this name, which is actually influenced by the habits of the Han people". To this end,? Yan ordered Jue Luotai to be handed over to the Zongren Mansion, so that his name was changed according to Manchu semantics, and the yamen and the Eight Banners Manchuria and Mongolia were unified to find out. If there are people who are named after this surname, they are all forbidden, and they are all ordered to be changed separately according to Manchu semantics, so they have to be named after their surnames again, which will lead to the habits of Han people. " ("Examples of Imperial Scriptures of the Qing Dynasty")
Thirteen years of Jiaqing,? Yan found that the name of the second son of General Ying Zhi was Qing Yongtai in a textbook submitted by Zongren Mansion. ? Yan believes that this name is also illegal. To this end, he pointed out in the imperial edict: "Manchu has always been named, except for Qing language (Manchu), which does not count the number of words. If Chinese is used, only two characters are allowed, and three characters are not allowed. Today, the name of Yongtai in Qing Dynasty is no different from that of Han people, and it is very customized. " To this end, he ordered Qing Yongtai to change its name to Yongtai, and fined the princes who managed the Zongren House for three months, and the heads and seniors of Qing Yongtai himself were also punished for six months. (A Record of Renzong in Qing Dynasty)
Daoguang three years (1823), Daoguang Emperor? F Ning changed the name of an imperial clan assistant leader named Eternal Thai to Eternal, thinking that the name of Eternal Thai was "not a Manchu idiom, and it was out of place". However, he did not punish other personnel, but only reiterated: "Later, if there were people with the same name in the imperial clan, they would be corrected when they were submitted to the imperial clan."
The imperial clan was named after Chinese characters, but it was thought that the imperial clan was infected with the habits of the Han people. This argument was obviously subjective and arbitrary, which made it difficult for the imperial clan to adapt, and greatly limited the scope of their naming words. The phenomenon that two Puyi have the same name as before reflects the embarrassment that the names of imperial families are increasingly limited.
About the author
Sun? P, born in 1973 in Xi 'an, Shaanxi. Doctor of history, editor of the Commercial Press. He is mainly engaged in the diplomatic history of the late Qing Dynasty, the modern social history of China and the study of philology, and is the author of Northwest Society and the Revolution of 1911.