This common saying is actually a way of naming children by the ancients. It says that boys cannot have the word "天" in their names, and girls cannot have the word "仙" in their names. You know, the ancients were paying attention to naming their children. In terms of education, especially aristocrats or intellectuals, they are much more particular than modern people. There must be no missing surname, surname, given name, or characters, and no one can be confused. The name expresses the parents' expectations for their children.
The knowledge of naming by the ancients
Naming is really a knowledge and an art. The ancients used characters to express family seniority according to the layout in the family tree. Generally, they used In this way, when two people with the same surname meet, they can distinguish the elder and the younger according to their generation. This is a ritual system that has lasted for thousands of years. Some more radical ones, such as the Zhu Yuanzhang family, have developed All kinds of rare words are filled with the periodic table of elements, which serve as the standard for naming for future generations. Zhu Yuanzhang has his own reasons for doing this, so I won’t go into details here. In short, the naming of seniority is a ritual system. Even today, some families still name their families according to their seniority, but these are very rare.
If everything follows etiquette, it is really a very cumbersome matter. As for names, people in ancient China had surnames, surnames, given names, characters, and more elegant ones also had nicknames. Compared with modern times, there have been great changes, such as surnames. In modern times, surnames only refer to surnames. However, in ancient times, surnames and surnames were separate. They were symbols of the continuation of Chinese descendants’ families and also a symbol of blood relationships. In the pre-Qin period, surnames and surnames were What was separated was gradually unified after the Qin Dynasty.
Names and characters are also different. Generally speaking, when a child is 3 months old, a boy is named after his crown, while a girl is named after her hairpin. But usually girls don’t have any characters, because after they reach their hairpin, It's time to get married and take your husband's surname. According to social etiquette, only parents can call people by their first names. Even today, it is very impolite to call them by their first names. In ancient times, when people called each other by their first names, they could not call each other by their first names, but only by their first names, unless you had the intention of killing your father. There is no hatred for seizing your wife, otherwise it is better to abide by etiquette.
In addition, there are pet names (nicknames), which are more casual. The ancients believed that the "cheaper" species are easier to feed, so dogs and cows often appear in nicknames. Sima Xiang For example, the nickname is Gouzi. What a name full of joy. If Mr. Stephen Chow lived in ancient times, according to the ancient people's thinking logic of nicknames, his child would most likely be called Zhou Cockroach, and his nickname would be Zhou Xiaoqiang, also known as Mr. Tenacious. (Just kidding, no disrespect intended)
Speaking of these, it is difficult for young people nowadays to sort them out, so people’s names are simplified nowadays, but they are also in line with the trend of the times, especially now There are more and more international exchanges. For example, according to the ancient way of naming, foreigners may accidentally "insult China". Mr. Lin Yutang's "The Biography of Su Dongpo" said that Chinese names and font sizes are too complicated, so that everyone can understand them. Understand, I only call different characters by one name to avoid trouble for me to write and for you to not understand.
Men do not carry heaven, and women do not carry immortals
Since there is so much emphasis on naming, it will be easier to understand if we return to the topic.
Men do not have Tian, ??which means that boys’ names cannot be bigger than Tian. Not only can they not contain the word “天”, you cannot call them Zhang Yudi, Zhao Emperor, Li Rulai, Huang Laojun, or girls. The child cannot be called Empress Li, Wang Chang'e, Fairy Zheng, or Concubine Zhou. If you insist on making a point, why not just use the name to have a meaning? Why don't you just make up for it in the name if you are missing something in your life? My family is missing an emperor. So my son is called Emperor Zhao. This is not naming him, but seeking death.
Not to mention the subtleties, implications, and taboos, Chinese people also talk about "can't suppress it" when doing things. If you have nothing to do, the king will give you a prime minister. Officials are dissatisfied, such as Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao State in "Da Qin Fu". This is a moral incompetence. You will think that there is something wrong with the monarch of Zhao State. One dares to give and the other dares to receive.
The same goes for parents naming their children. If you name your son Emperor Zhang, you really dare to name him. The problem is that there is no emperor named Zhang in history. , isn’t this embarrassing?
People believe that the name must have a good meaning and a good symbol, but it must be in line with your ability. If you go to fortune telling, the teacher said that this child lacks fire in his life, you can just choose it with peace of mind. His name is Zhang Huo, he is crisp and neat, which is in line with his destiny. Isn’t he delicious? You must think that this child will become a big thing in the future, but he is so popular that he is just three years old. A thunderbolt hits his head, and he dies on the spot. Five words float from the sky: You are not worthy.
No need to.