The Book of Chinese Names: A Guide to Auspicious and Elegant Names

Goh Kheng Yew, Goh Kheng Chuan

Description

What makes a good Chinese name and how does the name shape destinies and character? How do you ensure that the name is meaningful, elegant and auspicious at the same time?

This book provides all the knowledge you need for devising a good Chinese name for your child.

This book covers:
- Creative Methods For Naming: Number of Strokes Theory, Chinese Horoscope, The Five Elements, The Eight Characters Theory, The Chinese Zodiac Theory, Chinese Idioms, Chinese Symbols and many more.
- Easy Selection of Characters For Naming: Chinese characters and baby names are categorised into specific themes such as Auspicious, Artistic, Moral, Business, Nature, etc. Contains thousands of auspicious and inspiring names.
- Easy Search and Combination of Characters: The English index of meanings provided lets you search and combine characters to form the names you desire.

This is a classic best-seller and an essential guide for parents and anyone who wants to create a Chinese name since it was first published in 1996! It is also a great read for Westerners who wish to know what goes into a Chinese name when studying the beauty of Chinese culture.

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 15 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789810727819
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title
Copyright
Revised 2004 Edition
Published by:
Rank Books
Blk 1002, Toa Payoh Ind Pk, #07-1423, Singapore 319074
Tel
: (65) 6250 8180
Fax
: (65) 6250 6191
Website
: www.rankbooks.com
Email
: [e-mail]
ISBN 978-981-07-2781-9 (ebook)
Copyright © 2004 Rank Books
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information retrieval systems without written permission of Rank Books.
Conditions of Sale: This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Preface
The aim of this book is to help parents devise meaningful and elegant names for their children. You will learn what makes a good name and the steps involved in creating one.
Here, you will be introduced to the various traditional methods utilised in the creation of names. We also provide a section that has been categorised according to specific themes such as Auspicious, Artistic, Business, Moral, etc. for easy selection, as well as a list of suitable Chinese symbols that may be used as parts of names.
This book aims to promote awareness amongst the Chinese in Singapore and overseas of the beauty and uniqueness of Chinese names. As the Chinese name is part of our Chinese cultural heritage and identity, the understanding of Chinese names is essential for an appreciation of Chinese culture.
The rapid economic development of China and the booming economies of other East Asian countries have created numerous business opportunities in the region. A growing number of Western businessmen, senior executives and managers who have been stationed in China and Taiwan have adopted Chinese names as an act of goodwill to the local Chinese. As a result, the Chinese name is fast becoming more than a marker of cultural identity that also carries economic significance.
It is hoped that the collection of Chinese characters and examples provided in this book will help parents create names that are both meaningful and inspiring.
Goh Kheng Yew & Goh Kheng Chuan
How To Use This Book
Firstly, reading Chapters 1 and 2 will give you a good idea of the origin and importance of Chinese names, as well as an adequate understanding of what constitutes a good name. Then choose a method and/or combination of methods from Chapters 3 and 4 in order to devise a name. Alternatively, you could refer to Chapter 5 to choose a combination of characters that have been organised into theme to come up with a name.
For example, if you wish to give your child a name that is related to success in business, simply refer to the Business theme in Chapter 5 . A list of characters is provided. After selecting a character that you like, you may wish to do one of three things: Combine this character with any of the 10 suggested characters below it to form a name, Combine this character with any other characters under the same theme, or Combine this character with any other characters from any other themes within the chapter to form names that have meanings spanning different themes.
Let us examine the example of the character (Wei), meaning prestige, might and power, from the Business category.

We may:- Combine it with (Hong) to form or (Qi) to form , Combine it with (Yao), also from the same category, to form the name , or Combine it with (Guang) from the nature category to form .
With this system alone, we are able to create almost limitless 'combinations of names that are beautiful, elegant and uniquely meaningful.
If you encounter difficulties in finding the correct Chinese character that fits the meaning you wish to have for your child, you may refer to the Index of Meanings provided at the end of this book. By looking up the English meaning of the character you wish to have in your child's name, the index will provide a quick reference to the Chinese character with the equivalent meaning. For example, simply look up "beautiful" or "clever" from the index in order to find Chinese characters that symbolise these qualities, as well as suggestions as to how to combine the characters.
The purpose of this book is to provide ideas and suggestions, as well as to introduce traditional Chinese methods of naming, in order to help parents devise elegant and auspicious names for their children. It is important to choose the name you prefer or feel is right for your child. It is hoped that you will develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the beauty and meaning of Chinese names as you read this book.
If in doubt, you may choose to select one of the fully formed names that have been provided under some sections and theories. Be assured that these names have been very carefully chosen and devised not simply for the sake of the topic being discussed in the different chapters. The suggested names are chosen because they sound pleasant, possess good visual form and do not have any associations to negative homophones, meanings and idioms. We hope you enjoy this book and wish you a pleasant time creating the very first gift you will ever give your child.
Contents
Contents
Preface
How to Use This Book
1.
The Importance Of Names
The Origin of Surnames
The Origin of Clan Names
How Clan Names became Surnames
Surnames and their Places of Origin
List of Chinese Surnames
2.
What Makes A Good Name
The Difference between Ming and Zi
The Uniqueness of Chinese Names
What Constitutes a Good Name
Male and Female Names
Things to Avoid when Choosing a Name
3.
Methods Of Naming
Naming after Generational Names
Names Expressing the Hopes and Ideals of Parents
Names with Interesting Meanings
Picturesque Names
Names using Chinese Symbols
Profound Names
Naming after Special Events
Naming through Dreams
Admiration for Prominent People
Naming using Chinese Proverbs/Idioms/Phrases
List of Chinese Idioms and Proverbs
Naming by Teachings
Naming from Poems
4.
Naming By Theories
The Eight Characters Theory
The Zodiac Theory
The Number of Strokes Theory
5.
Themes Of Names
Artistic
Auspicious
Business
Feeling
Feminine
Knowledge
Moral
Nature
Numerical
People
Professional
6.
Chinese Symbols
7.
Index Of Meanings
1. The Importance Of Names
The Chinese character for name, (Ming), is formed by the characters (Xi), which means "evening", and (Kou), meaning "mouth". In the evening, when it is getting dark and we can no longer see who is approaching us, we would naturally ask "Who are you?" or "What is your name?" in order to establish the identity of the person. The use of the characters "evening" and "mouth" is thus logical and meaningful because when we cannot see, we use our mouths to ask and identify ourselves and people. Thus, the use of: and in the formation of the word is not just relevant but deeply profound.
To the Chinese, a name is more than just a name. It embodies the values, personality, culture and philosophy of the person. A person's name is of such great importance that to some extent, the name is believed to be sacred and it possibly determines his destiny. As a result, the Chinese go through great pains and much thought when naming their children in order to ensure a bright and prosperous future for their offspring. For those who are more superstitious, they even consult fortune tellers and mediums to suggest appropriate names for their newborn.
The reverence that is accorded to Chinese names may also be seen in many Chinese customs and beliefs. In ancestral worship, the name of the deceased is written on the ancestral tablet to be displayed upon an altar. This is known as the (Ling Wei), or spiritual seat, and is prayed to by the family and descendants. As for the living, a man who wishes to ask for blessings from the Gods would go to a temple and write his name upon a piece of red paper. This would then be pasted upon a tablet known as a prosperity seat, or (Lu Wei), to which incense is offered, and oil lamps lit, for a certain period of time. The Chinese name is not simply a marker of identity, a wish or blessing bestowed upon our children, a link to our past or an aspiration for the future, but also a means by which we are honored and remembered.


Figure 1.1: The Lu Wei, or prosperity seat, with the words "The radiance of the Buddha shines upon Chen Da Qing family" upon it.
The Origin of Surnames
There are a few theories as to how surnames came about. It is recorded in the (Shi Ji), or the "Records of History", that surnames originated from totems, or animal symbols. It is said that during the Five Emperors Period, Emperor (Xuan Yuan) initiated a battle against Emperor (Yan). He deployed six contingents of troops, each of them represented by an animal sign. These included a tiger, a bear and other legendary animals. After the war, the descendants of these soldiers adopted the animal symbols representing their contingents as surnames. Hence, till now, it is not surprising to find characters denoting animals, such as (Xiong) or "bear", as surnames.
Other studies on surnames suggest that the Chinese began using surnames during the time China was a matriarchal society - when women, and not men, were heads of the household. Surnames were given by the mother to their children. This explains why the Chinese character for surname, (Xing), is made up of the characters (Nu), meaning "woman", and (Sheng), meaning "giving birth". Surnames were not fixed during that time. Each child from the same family could possess different surnames. Some surnames were devised to mark special events or occasions. For instance, it was recorded that the moth