Confucius said, "If the name is not correct, then the words will not be correct." Su Dongpo also said, "In this world, names are the only things that cannot be deceived." This shows the importance of names to people and embodies the philosophical connotations of many sages.
Naming is a major event in life, and there are many naming customs spread among the people. The main naming customs are as follows
Seasonal method - naming the child according to the season and flower in which the child was born. Such as Chunhua, Xiayu, Lanzhen, etc., which are common in women.
Place name method - take one word each from the ancestral home and the place of birth, and combine them to form a name, mainly for commemoration. Such as Shen Shen (Shanghai), Yuan Jin (Shanxi), Huang Yunsheng (Yunnan), etc.
The method of looking forward to having a baby - parents give birth to baby girls one after another, and they are eager to look forward to having a baby, so they will use some homophonic words when naming their daughters, such as Gen (He) Di, Ling (Ling) Di, Zhao Brother, Pandi, etc.
The method of raising a child - the couple has no children and adopts a child from another place or with a different surname. The names of such children often include the word "Lai", such as Lai Bao, Lai Jiao, etc.
Weight method - Lu Xun's novel "The Storm" describes "The habits of this village are a bit special. When women give birth to children, they like to use a scale to weigh them, and use the number of pounds as a nickname. Such as "Ba Liang Jin" is a special naming custom popular among people in eastern Zhejiang.
Seniority method - in some large families, everyone must be ranked according to seniority, for example, If you are from the generation with the character "Zhen", then when naming, the name must contain this character. This is very strict. In such a family, the name is usually decided by the grandfather or father.
Metaphorical method - Nowadays, people’s names are generally decided by their parents. The origins of names are mostly allegorical names. For example, Zhang Shun probably wishes him a smooth life; Zhang Ruifang probably wishes her a happy life. Beauty in the future, etc.
Ranking method - brothers with the same upper or lower character are called rankings. For example, the three Ruan brothers Ruan Xiaoer and Ruan Xiaoer in "Water Margin" are familiar to us. Ruan Xiaowu, Ruan Xiaoqi.
Five elements method - naming according to the missing five elements. In the old days, fortune tellers were asked to predict the five elements and horoscopes of a child. If there is a certain line or two lines, then you have to use the word with the missing line or the word with the missing line as the radical to make up for it, otherwise the child will have a bad fate. For example, the origin of the name Runtu in Lu Xun's novel "Hometown", "Leap month birth". Yes, the five elements lack earth, so his father called him "Run Tu".
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