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. (1) What is a name? 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 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 after birth, 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 name, you add a name to him. "Also, "Yi Li·Shi Guan Li" 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 be married. Those who are not married are called "Wei Zi" or "Wai Zi". 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 Kongjia, Lugui, Waibing, Yongji, Pangeng, Wuding, Xiaoxin, etc. They were all named after Ganzhi people, which may be related to the people at that time. It is related to the concept of paying attention to 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·Huan Gong Sixth Year" 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 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”. 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 to use names of people with branches and zodiac signs. 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, 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. Since the opening up, there has been a rise in using foreign names. This is not advisable and should not be promoted. (2) What is the connection in meaning between abbreviations and names? The ancients were very particular about selecting abbreviations, and the situation was also very complicated. However, careful inspection, analysis, and research revealed that there are rules to be found. 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 gave his eldest son the courtesy name Bo Fu; Sun Quan gave his second son the courtesy name Zhongmou; Sun Yi, the third oldest son, took the courtesy name Shubi; Sun Kuang ranked fourth and took the courtesy name Ji Zuo. There are also many cases where the word "子" is used in the name, 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.
"Six Such", according to his own words, life is like an illusion, like a dream, like a bubble, like a shadow, like dew, and like electricity. It happened to be an expression of the negative emotions of frustrated literati; the poet Yang Wanli of the Southern Song Dynasty was nicknamed "Chengzhai" because Zhang Jun, the famous anti-gold general, once encouraged him with "righteousness and sincerity", and Emperor Guangzong personally wrote the word "Chengzhai" to him. Such "sincerity" not only shows his "sincerity" in study, but also includes his "sincerity" to the country. C, profound meaning Zhu Da, a painter in the late Ming Dynasty, was nicknamed "Bada Shanren" when the Ming Dynasty fell. The two characters "Bada" are written in succession, which seems to be crying but not crying, and seems to be smiling but not smiling. It expresses the sadness and indignation of missing the motherland. Fu Shan, a famous scholar in Taiyuan in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, called himself "Taoist Zhu Yi". After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he wore red clothes and lived in a cave. The Qing government invited him to Beijing several times to take the Bo Xue Hong Ci examination, but he refused every time and refused to cooperate with the Manchus. "Zhuyi" looks red on the surface, but it is actually a symbol of the Ming Dynasty, because the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was named Zhu, and red means Ming, which embodies deep feelings for the Ming Dynasty. Dai Fuxu, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, called himself "Shipingshan native", which also embodies a kind of spirit. It can be seen from the poems he wrote. The poem "Ganyu" says: "People will build a golden dock, and I will use stone as a screen." "Stone" is as hard as "gold"; although "stone" is not as expensive as "gold", it is simple, clumsy and magnificent. Feng, this is exactly the portrayal of the author's personality and spirit. Zhang Yong, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, nicknamed himself "Guaiyazi". In his own words: "Being good will go against the public, and cliffs are not good for things. The name Guaiya is a symbol of virtue." It can be seen that the name "Guaiyazi" embodies His character, ambition, and integrity. Ding, the use of specific nouns. The ancients often used some specific nouns when giving nicknames. Those who call "Mr." such as "Mr. Wuliu" (Tao Yuanming), "Mr. Fuli" (Lu Guimeng), "Mr. Donglai" (Lu Zuqian), "Mr. Longchuan" (Chen Liang), "Mr. Langu" ( Bai Pu); those called "Gong", such as "Shi Gong" (Yuan Hongdao), "Mei Gong" (Lu Jipu), "Ren Gong" (Liang Qichao), "Jian Gong' (Gao Xu); those called "Zi" , such as "Youyouzi" (Lu Zhaolin), "Zhi Feizi" (Sikong Tu), "Gui Laizi" (Chao Buzhi), "Lu Feizi" (Huang Jingren); "old man", such as "Shaoling" "Ye Lao" (Du Fu), "Old Quan" (Su Xun), "Old Man Qianyan" (Xiao Dezao), "Old Man Huanghua" (Wang Tingyun), "Old Man Xiyan" (Zhang Zhihan), "Old Man Suiyuan" (Yuan Mei) , "Yingbin Yi Lao" (Su Che), "Hunan Yi Lao" (Wang Ruoxu); "Weng", such as "Sangxuan Weng" (Lu Yu), "Drunkard Old Man" (Ouyang Xiu), "Fu Weng" (Huang Tingjian) ), "Fang Weng" (Lu You), "Li Weng" (Li Yu); those called "Sou", such as: "Zhengzhai Sou" (Guan Hanqing), "Qing Chi Sou" (Lu Cai), "睯 Sou" ( He Shaoji), "Mengsou" (Qian Qianyi); "foreign history", such as: "Haiyue foreign history" (Mi Fu), "Kuiji foreign history" (Wang Mian), "Qiu Ta foreign history" (Liang Chenyu) ; "(Luo Guanzhong), "Gu Qu Sanren" (Feng Menglong), "Qingdu Sanren" (Zhao Nanxing); those who are called "Yuhe Qiao", such as: "Yidong Fisherman" (Kang Hai), "Oudang Fisherman" "(Yan Shengsun), "Hubei Peach Blossom Fishing" (Gao Lian), "Yandang Mountain Woodcutter" (Chen Chenhu), "Baizi Mountain Woodcutter" (Ruan Dacheng), "Tianmu Mountain Woodcutter" (Zhang Wenhu). ② It is recognized as the work of others. This kind of "nickname" is called "nickname" or "mixed number" or "mixed number". It has a strong symbolic meaning. It can not only enhance people's memory of various characters, but also be a good name. It is a supplement to the characters and numbers, and is often a reflection or reflection of the character's appearance and character. The vivid nicknames of "Black Tornado Li" of "Shui Lin Zhuan" left a very deep and unforgettable impression on the readers. Nicknames such as Feng, Leopard-head Lin Chong, Green-faced Beast Yang Zhi, Flower Monk Lu Zhishen, Thunderbolt Fire Qin Ming, Winged Tiger Lei Heng, Desperate Saburo Shi Xiu, Langli Baitiao Zhang Shun vividly and accurately describe the characters' personalities and specialties. or physiological characteristics.
Many "nicknames" and "nicknames" are given when joking with each other in real life, so they often contain derogatory meanings of irony and ridicule. For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, people in the Qin State called Baili Xi "Doctor Wuxi" because After he fell to the Chu State, he was redeemed by Qin Mu Gong with five black ram skins and became a doctor in the Qin State. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, he was known as Li Yifu's "Smiling Sword", also known as "Human Cat". It was because when he was prime minister, he acted soft on the outside and treacherous on the inside; in the Song Dynasty, people gave Wang Gui the nickname "Prime Minister of Three Edicts" because he did nothing except take, receive, and deliver edicts during his more than ten years as prime minister. Something else. In rural areas, the trend of giving nicknames is even more popular, such as "Big Donkey", "Er Crock Pot", "Three Yellow Cai", "Four Pigeons", "Bagouzi", "Red Date", "Tao Nuzi" . "Big Yali", "Jinpi Walnut", "Five Hemp Seeds", "Dry Food", "Erhu Apricot", "Sanbangcao", "Xianjia", "Baitu", "Huangmao", "Duck Board" "", "Unreliable" and other nicknames are very common. Of course, there are more tacky ones than this, so I won’t mention them here. There are also some nicknames that do not contain derogatory connotations. For example, in the Song Dynasty, people called Song Qi the "Red Apricot Shangshu" because he wrote a poem about "the spring blossoms on the red apricot branches." When he wrote eight rhymes, people called him "Wen Bacha"; when the great poet Li Bai was posthumously talented and his writing became perfect, people called him "Li Banxian". This is also the case in modern times. The poet Li Ji nicknamed Bing Xin "Yu Taijun", reflecting the lofty prestige of this grandmother in the literary world. This "nickname" is elegant but not vulgar. The above is about "alias". (5) Fujue and Diwang In interpersonal communication, in addition to the name, surname, and nickname, people should also be called "Guanjue" and "Diwang". The ancients believed that this was the best way to show respect. For example, they are called "officials": Du Gongbu, Du Shiyi (Du Fu), Wang Youcheng (Wang Wei), Cai Zhonglang (Cai Yong), Sanlu doctor (Qu Yuan), Jia Taifu (Jia Yi), Zhang Yangong (Zhang Yue), Gao Changshi (Gao Shi), Zhang Cibu (Zhang) Following) Qian Kaogong (Qian Qi) Zhang Siye (Zhang Ji) Such as "Diwang": Du Shaoling (Du Fu) Han Changli (Han Yu) Liu Hedong (Liu Zongyuan) Kong Beihai (Kong Rong) Cen Jiazhou (Cen Shen) Baixiangshan ( Bai Juyi) Wang Jiangning (Wang Changling) Jia Changjiang (Jia Dao) Wei Suzhou (Wei Yingwu) Liu Suizhou (Liu Changqing) In this way, "official title" and "diwang" have become another nickname besides the name, character and title. (6) Rare numerical names In ancient my country, some people used numbers as their names. Although the number is not large, they can be encountered in ancient books, so it needs to be mentioned here to attract our attention. There are three situations where numbers are used as names: 1. The surname is numerical, such as: Yishan: A native of Dingzhou, Hebei during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, he served as the magistrate of Haoming County. Erzhi: During the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, he served as lieutenant in the palace. March 8: In the Yuan Dynasty, he was appointed Youcheng of Yunnan Province. Wuliang: A native of Annan, he served as an admonishment official in the Shu Han Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms. Qixixian: A native of Shizhou Wei, he served as a tutor in Yongchun County during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. Batong: During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, he served as the director of the Ministry of Rites. Jiujia: A native of Xiajin in the Tang Dynasty, he was a Hanlin scholar during the reign of Emperor Wude. Shihua: Jinshi during the Qianxing period of the Song Dynasty. 2． The names are numerical, such as: Qin Qi: Qin Shaoyou Huang Ba: Huang Tingjian Liu Ba: Liu Zong Yuan Yuan Jiu: Yuan Zhen Cui Jiu: Cui Xingzong Li Eleven: Li Gouzhi Zhang Twelve: Zhang Jia Li Twelve: Li Bai Han Eighteen: Han Yu Li twenty-two: Li Shen Bai twenty-two: Bai Juyi 3. Both the surname and the given name are numbers, such as: Sixty-seventh: A native of the Qing Dynasty, the author of "Youwai Shicao" and "Taiyang Miscellaneous Odes". July 11: Jinshi during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, author of "Records of Hearings and Seeings of the Western Regions". 8.16: General named during the Qianlong period. 9.10: Became Admiral of Guangxi during Jiaqing period. Using numbers as names became a trend in the Tang Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus preferred this way of naming. According to incomplete statistics, there were 110 numerical names written into official history books during the Qianlong period alone, and the folk names were not included among them. Such as sixty-seven, seventy-five, eighty-six, etc. So what are these numerical names based on? Most of the time, when a child is born, the child's name is based on the age of his grandparents or the sum of his parents' ages. In the Tang Dynasty, those numerical names represented the ranking between brothers with the same grandparents or the same great-grandparents.