Most of today's people have a "name" but no "character", 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. Why does this phenomenon occur? Is there any intrinsic connection between names and characters? How to use names and characters? In fact, understanding these not only increases our knowledge of ancient Chinese, but also helps us read ancient Chinese.
(1) What is a name and a word?
The so-called "name" is a special name for an individual in society, that is, a symbol used by an individual in society. "Zi" is often the explanation and supplement of a name, and is the opposite of "name", so it is also called "Xi Zi". "Book of Rites? Tan Gong Shang" says: "Young name, crown character." "Shu" says: "You start adding names in the third month after birth, so it is said that you have a young name, and you have the way to be a father at the age of twenty. Friends and other categories cannot be repeated. When you call someone by his name, you add a name to him. "Also, "Rituals? Shi Guanli" says: "When you call someone by name, you give him a name, and others call him by name." It can be seen from this that the name is the name. Started in childhood, for the elders to call upon. 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 marry. Those who are not married are called "Weizi" or "Waizi", so we can still hear the saying "Waizi boudoir". When you get married at the age of fifteen, you will hold a haircut ceremony, and you will also have to pick a character for your friends to call you.
In ancient times, early personal names were generally very simple. For example, the personal names left by the Xia and Shang dynasties were named Kongjia, Lugui, Waibing, Yongji, Pangeng, Wuding, Xiaoxin, etc. The names of stems and branches may be related to the people's concept of paying attention to time at that time. Later, with the advancement of society, the development of language and writing, and the strengthening of consciousness and concepts, people's names became more and more complex, and naming people became a science. When choosing a name, the connotation it contains must be carefully considered and considered 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 class." This is what Shen Ru, a senior official in the Lu State, said in reply to Duke Huan's famous The name was proposed at that time, which means: either based on the characteristics of one'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 the country, not based on the official, not based on the mountains and rivers, not based on the hidden diseases, not based on the animals, not based on the tools and coins”.
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. Ordinary 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, Pregnancy smooth, Mancang, Mancun, Baocheng, Jinsuo, Shuanzhu and other names. Very many.
(2) What is the connection in meaning between the word for table and the name?
The ancients were very particular about choosing the word for table, and the situation was also very complicated. However, careful inspection, analysis, and research revealed that there are rules. Findable. For example, it is common to choose names according to the order of eldest and youngest brothers. For example, Confucius was the second eldest, so he was named Zhongni. He also had an elder brother who was named Meng Lai. The most typical one is Brother Sun from Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period. Sun Ce was the eldest son and was given the courtesy name Bofu; Sun Quan was the second son and was given the courtesy name Zhongmou; Sun Yi was the third oldest son and was given the courtesy name Shubi; Sun Kuang was the fourth oldest son and was given the courtesy name Jizuo.
There are also many cases where the word "子" is used in the word "子", because "子" was a good name or honorific for men in ancient times. So people like to use it, such as Kong Zhuang, whose courtesy name is Zisi; Zhong Yuan, whose courtesy name is Zi Lu; Sima Qian, whose courtesy name is Zichang; Cao Zhi, whose courtesy name is Zijian; Su Shi, whose courtesy name is Zizhan; Du Fu, whose courtesy name is Zimei; Yuan Mei, whose courtesy name is Zicai.
Although these expressions are common, they have little connection with the real name. In fact, Bo, Zhong, Shu, Ji Hezi are not the real expressions, and the characters behind them are such as "ce" and "quan". ", "thinking", "long", "beautiful", etc. are the main components of the Chinese characters. This main component is related to the meaning of the real name, and they are introduced below:
1. The same meaning: that is, the word and the name have the same meaning, are connected, and are in a parallel relationship, so they are also called "parallel formulas" . Such as: Qu Ping, whose courtesy name is Yuan. Guangping Riyuan has the same meaning. Yan Hui, courtesy name Ziyuan. Yuan, backwater, has the same meaning. Jaeyu, named Ziwo. Yu, I also, have the same meaning.
2. Similar meanings: that is, the words and names have similar meanings, but are not exactly the same. They can assist each other, which is called "auxiliary form". For example: Liang Hong, named Boluan. Luan and phoenix are both birds, but they are not the same species. Hongyan and phoenix can help each other. Lu Ji, courtesy name Shiheng. Ji and Heng are both star names in Beidou, and they assist each other.
3. Opposite meaning: that is, the meaning of the character and the name are opposite. This situation can be called a "contradiction", such as: Zeng Dian, the character Xi. The spots are black and the skin is white. Zhu Xi, whose courtesy name is Yuanhui. Xi is the dawn, Hui is the night.
Yan Shu, named Tongshu. Special is the opposite of agreement. Wang Ji, named Wugong. Achievements and reactive efforts are exactly the opposite.
4. The meaning is consistent: that is, the word and the name often come from a sentence, the meaning is consistent, and the word is a supplementary explanation or modification of the meaning of the name. This situation can be called "expansion" Mode". For example: Xu Qian, with a long character. "Kong Congzi" said: "It is not that the body is great." The name and the character have the same meaning in one sentence, and the character provides a supplementary explanation to the name.
Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde. "Xunzi Encouraging Learning" says: "Life depends on what is, and death depends on what is. This is called morality." In one sentence, the word and name combine to form morality, that is, moral conduct, and the word modifies the name. Explanations and additions.
5. The meaning is extended: that is, the meaning of the word is an extension of the meaning of the name. This situation can be called "extension". For example: Li Bai, whose courtesy name is Taibai. Taibai refers to Taibai Venus, which is an extension of the meaning of "Tai". Du Mu, also known as Muzhi. Muzhi means grazing, which extends the meaning of "mu".
(3) How to address names and characters in ancient times
In ancient times, due to the special emphasis on etiquette, the naming of names and characters was very particular. In interpersonal communication, first names are generally used as modesty, condescension, or as a term of address for superiors versus inferiors, or for seniors versus juniors. Peers only call each other by name when they are familiar with each other. In most cases, it is considered impolite to refer to each other or to be called by his or her first name. It is considered polite among peers to address each other by name. When you are writing or calling someone from a humble position to a superior, you can use names, but you can never use names, especially the names of the monarch or your own parents and elders. You cannot even mention the names of the monarch or your parents or elders. Otherwise, it will be "disrespectful" or "treasonous". ", so our country's unique "taboo" system came into being. I won’t talk about it here for now.
It can be seen from the above that when we are doing classical Chinese translation questions, we must understand the relationship between the characters in the text, and then accurately choose the title translation.