---
title: "Famous Chinese People and Their Names in Chinese: Confucius, Li Bai, Bruce Lee and More, With Pinyin"
description: "82 famous Chinese people with their names in Chinese, pinyin and sound: thinkers like 孔子, emperors like 秦始皇 and 武则天, the four beauties, poets from 李白 and 杜甫 to 李清照, writers from 曹雪芹 to 莫言, scientists like 屠呦呦, and stars from 李小龙 to 姚明."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/famous-chinese-people"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 82 names

# Famous Chinese people

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E5%AD%94%E5%AD%90%20%E5%AD%9F%E5%AD%90%20%E8%80%81%E5%AD%90%20%E5%BA%84%E5%AD%90%20%E5%AD%99%E5%AD%90%20%E7%A7%A6%E5%A7%8B%E7%9A%87%20%E6%B1%89%E6%AD%A6%E5%B8%9D%20%E5%94%90%E5%A4%AA%E5%AE%97%20%E6%AD%A6%E5%88%99%E5%A4%A9%20%E6%88%90%E5%90%89%E6%80%9D%E6%B1%97%20%E5%BA%B7%E7%86%99%20%E4%B9%BE%E9%9A%86%20%E6%85%88%E7%A6%A7%20%E6%BA%A5%E4%BB%AA%20%E8%8A%B1%E6%9C%A8%E5%85%B0%20%E5%B2%B3%E9%A3%9E%20%E8%AF%B8%E8%91%9B%E4%BA%AE%20%E6%9B%B9%E6%93%8D%20%E5%85%B3%E7%BE%BD%20%E9%83%91%E5%92%8C%20%E7%8E%84%E5%A5%98%20%E5%9B%9B%E5%A4%A7%E7%BE%8E%E5%A5%B3%20%E8%A5%BF%E6%96%BD%20%E7%8E%8B%E6%98%AD%E5%90%9B%20%E8%B2%82%E8%9D%89%20%E6%9D%A8%E8%B4%B5%E5%A6%83%20%E5%B1%88%E5%8E%9F%20%E9%99%B6%E6%B8%8A%E6%98%8E%20%E6%9D%8E%E7%99%BD%20%E6%9D%9C%E7%94%AB%20%E7%8E%8B%E7%BB%B4%20%E5%AD%9F%E6%B5%A9%E7%84%B6%20%E7%99%BD%E5%B1%85%E6%98%93%20%E8%8B%8F%E8%BD%BC%20%E6%9D%8E%E6%B8%85%E7%85%A7%20%E7%BD%97%E8%B4%AF%E4%B8%AD%20%E6%96%BD%E8%80%90%E5%BA%B5%20%E5%90%B4%E6%89%BF%E6%81%A9%20%E6%9B%B9%E9%9B%AA%E8%8A%B9%20%E9%B2%81%E8%BF%85%20%E8%80%81%E8%88%8D%20%E5%B7%B4%E9%87%91%20%E5%BC%A0%E7%88%B1%E7%8E%B2%20%E9%87%91%E5%BA%B8%20%E8%8E%AB%E8%A8%80%20%E7%8E%8B%E7%BE%B2%E4%B9%8B%20%E9%BD%90%E7%99%BD%E7%9F%B3%20%E5%BE%90%E6%82%B2%E9%B8%BF%20%E5%BC%A0%E5%A4%A7%E5%8D%83%20%E6%A2%85%E5%85%B0%E8%8A%B3%20%E9%83%8E%E6%9C%97%20%E5%BC%A0%E8%A1%A1%20%E7%A5%96%E5%86%B2%E4%B9%8B%20%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%B6%E7%8F%8D%20%E9%92%B1%E5%AD%A6%E6%A3%AE%20%E8%A2%81%E9%9A%86%E5%B9%B3%20%E5%B1%A0%E5%91%A6%E5%91%A6%20%E6%9D%A8%E6%8C%AF%E5%AE%81%20%E6%9D%A8%E5%88%A9%E4%BC%9F%20%E5%AD%99%E4%B8%AD%E5%B1%B1%20%E6%AF%9B%E6%B3%BD%E4%B8%9C%20%E9%82%93%E5%B0%8F%E5%B9%B3%20%E6%9D%8E%E5%B0%8F%E9%BE%99%20%E6%88%90%E9%BE%99%20%E6%9D%8E%E8%BF%9E%E6%9D%B0%20%E5%B7%A9%E4%BF%90%20%E7%AB%A0%E5%AD%90%E6%80%A1%20%E5%BC%A0%E8%89%BA%E8%B0%8B%20%E6%9D%8E%E5%AE%89%20%E9%82%93%E4%B8%BD%E5%90%9B%20%E7%8E%8B%E8%8F%B2%20%E5%91%A8%E6%9D%B0%E4%BC%A6%20%E5%A7%9A%E6%98%8E%20%E5%88%98%E7%BF%94%20%E6%9D%8E%E5%A8%9C%20%E9%83%8E%E5%B9%B3%20%E9%A9%AC%E4%BA%91%20%E9%A9%AC%E5%8C%96%E8%85%BE%20%E5%90%8D%E4%BA%BA%20%E8%AF%97%E4%BA%BA%20%E4%BD%9C%E5%AE%B6%20%E7%9A%87%E5%B8%9D)

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## Why their English names look different

| | In Chinese | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Confucius | 孔子 Kǒngzǐ | Latin, made by Jesuit missionaries from 孔夫子, Master Kong |
| Mencius | 孟子 Mèngzǐ | Latin too, for Master Meng |
| Laozi | 老子 Lǎozǐ | A title, the Old Master, not a name |
| Sun Yat-sen | 孙中山 Sūn Zhōngshān | Cantonese for 孙逸仙, another of his names |
| Bruce Lee | 李小龙 Lǐ Xiǎolóng | His screen name, Little Dragon Lee |
| Jackie Chan | 成龙 Chéng Lóng | His screen name, become a dragon |
| Eileen Chang | 张爱玲 Zhāng Àilíng | 爱玲 was chosen to sound like Eileen |
| Pony Ma | 马化腾 Mǎ Huàténg | His surname 马 means horse |

## Thinkers

kǒng孔zǐ子

Confucius (551-479 BC)

mèng孟zǐ子

Mencius (Confucian philosopher)

lǎo老zǐ子

Laozi (ancient Taoist philosopher)

zhuāng庄zǐ子

Zhuangzi (Taoist philosopher of the Warring States period, and the book named after him)

sūn孙zǐ子

Sunzi (author of The Art of War)

## Emperors and empresses

qín秦shǐ始huáng皇

Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC), first emperor of China

hàn汉wǔ武dì帝

Emperor Wu of Han (156-87 BC)

táng唐tài太zōng宗

Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin, 599-649)

wǔ武zé则tiān天

Wu Zetian (624-705, the only empress regnant of China)

chéng成jí吉sī思hán汗

Genghis Khan

kāng康xī熙

Kangxi Emperor (reigned 1661-1722) of the Qing dynasty

qián乾lóng隆

Qianlong (Qing emperor, reigned 1735-1796)

cí慈xǐ禧

Cixi (1835-1908), Empress Dowager of the late Qing

pǔ溥yí仪

Puyi (1906-1967, last Qing emperor)

## Heroes and travellers

huā花mù木lán兰

Hua Mulan (legendary heroine)

yuè岳fēi飞

Yue Fei (1103-1142, Song dynasty general)

zhū诸gě葛liàng亮

Zhuge Liang (181-234), strategist of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period

cáo曹cāo操

Cao Cao (155-220), warlord of the late Han and founder of Wei

guān关yǔ羽

Guan Yu (d. 220), general of Shu Han

zhèng郑hé和

Zheng He (1371-1433, Ming dynasty navigator)

xuán玄zàng奘

Xuanzang (Tang dynasty monk and pilgrim to India)

## The four beauties

sì四dà大měi美nǚ女

the Four Beauties of ancient China

xī西shī施

Xi Shi (famous beauty of ancient China)

wáng王zhāo昭jūn君

Wang Zhaojun (Han dynasty beauty sent to marry a Xiongnu chief)

diāo貂chán蝉

Diaochan (legendary beauty of the Three Kingdoms period)

yáng杨guì贵fēi妃

Yang Guifei (Tang dynasty imperial consort)

## Poets

qū屈yuán原

Qu Yuan (c. 340-278 BC, poet of the state of Chu)

táo陶yuān渊míng明

Tao Yuanming (Jin dynasty poet, 365-427)

lǐ李bái白

Li Bai (Tang dynasty poet)

dù杜fǔ甫

Du Fu (712-770), Tang dynasty poet

wáng王wéi维

Wang Wei (701-761, Tang poet and painter)

mèng孟hào浩rán然

Meng Haoran (689-740), Tang dynasty poet

bái白jū居yì易

Bai Juyi (772-846), Tang poet

sū苏shì轼

Su Shi (Su Dongpo, 1037-1101), Song dynasty poet

lǐ李qīng清zhào照

Li Qingzhao (1084-c. 1155), Song dynasty poet

## Writers

luó罗guàn贯zhōng中

Luo Guanzhong (author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms)

shī施nài耐ān庵

Shi Nai'an (author of Water Margin)

wú吴chéng承ēn恩

Wu Cheng'en (Ming author of Journey to the West)

cáo曹xuě雪qín芹

Cao Xueqin (c. 1715-1763), author of Dream of the Red Chamber

lǔ鲁xùn迅

Lu Xun (1881-1936, Chinese writer)

lǎo老shě舍

Lao She (Chinese writer)

bā巴jīn金

Ba Jin (Chinese novelist)

zhāng张ài爱líng玲

Eileen Chang (1920-1995), Chinese writer

jīn金yōng庸

Jin Yong (1924-2018, Hong Kong martial arts novelist)

mò莫yán言

Mo Yan (Chinese novelist, Nobel laureate)

## Artists and musicians

wáng王xī羲zhī之

Wang Xizhi (303-361), famous calligrapher

qí齐bái白shí石

Qi Baishi (Chinese painter)

xú徐bēi悲hóng鸿

Xu Beihong (Chinese painter, 1895-1953)

zhāng张dà大qiān千

Zhang Daqian (Chinese painter)

méi梅lán兰fāng芳

Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), Peking opera master

láng郎lǎng朗

Lang Lang (Chinese pianist)

## Scientists

zhāng张héng衡

Zhang Heng (78-139), Han dynasty astronomer and inventor

zǔ祖chōng冲zhī之

Zu Chongzhi (429-500), mathematician and astronomer

lǐ李shí时zhēn珍

Li Shizhen (1518-1593), author of the Compendium of Materia Medica

qián钱xué学sēn森

Qian Xuesen (Chinese rocket scientist)

yuán袁lóng隆píng平

Yuan Longping (Chinese agronomist, father of hybrid rice)

tú屠yōu呦yōu呦

Tu Youyou (Nobel-winning pharmacologist)

yáng杨zhèn振níng宁

Chen-Ning Yang (Chinese-American physicist)

yáng杨lì利wěi伟

Yang Liwei (1965-), first Chinese astronaut

## Modern history

sūn孙zhōng中shān山

Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), founder of the Republic of China

máo毛zé泽dōng东

Mao Zedong (1893-1976), founding leader of the People's Republic of China

dèng邓xiǎo小píng平

Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997), Chinese leader

## Film and music stars

lǐ李xiǎo小lóng龙

Bruce Lee (1940-1973)

chéng成lóng龙

Jackie Chan (Hong Kong actor)

lǐ李lián连jié杰

Jet Li (martial artist and actor)

gǒng巩lì俐

Gong Li (Chinese actress)

zhāng章zǐ子yí怡

Zhang Ziyi (Chinese actress)

zhāng张yì艺móu谋

Zhang Yimou (Chinese film director)

lǐ李ān安

Ang Lee (Taiwanese film director)

dèng邓lì丽jūn君

Teresa Teng (Taiwanese singer)

wáng王fēi菲

Faye Wong (Chinese singer and actress)

zhōu周jié杰lún伦

Jay Chou (Taiwanese singer, 1979-)

## Sport and business

yáo姚míng明

Yao Ming (Chinese basketball player)

liú刘xiáng翔

Liu Xiang (Chinese hurdler, 2004 Olympic champion)

lǐ李nà娜

Li Na (Chinese tennis player)

láng郎píng平

Lang Ping (Chinese volleyball player and coach)

mǎ马yún云

Jack Ma (founder of Alibaba)

mǎ马huà化téng腾

Pony Ma (founder of Tencent)

## Words for the famous

míng名rén人

celebrity; famous person

shī诗rén人

poet

zuò作jiā家

writer; author

huáng皇dì帝

emperor

## Who are the most famous Chinese people in history?

The names every Chinese child knows: the thinker 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ), Confucius; 秦始皇 (Qín Shǐhuáng), the first emperor; 武则天 (Wǔ Zétiān), the only woman to rule as emperor; the strategist 诸葛亮 (Zhūgě Liàng); the poets 李白 (Lǐ Bái) and 杜甫 (Dù Fǔ); the admiral 郑和 (Zhèng Hé); and 孙中山 (Sūn Zhōngshān), Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China.

## Who are the most famous Chinese poets?

李白 (Lǐ Bái) and 杜甫 (Dù Fǔ) of the Tang dynasty, the golden age of Chinese poetry, are the best known; then 王维 (Wáng Wéi), 白居易 (Bái Jūyì) and 孟浩然 (Mèng Hàorán), also Tang, 苏轼 (Sū Shì) of the Song, the best-known woman poet 李清照 (Lǐ Qīngzhào), and 屈原 (Qū Yuán), whose death the Dragon Boat Festival remembers. A poet is a 诗人 (shīrén).

## Who are the most famous Chinese writers?

The four great classical novels were written by 罗贯中 (Luó Guànzhōng), Romance of the Three Kingdoms, 施耐庵 (Shī Nài’ān), Water Margin, 吴承恩 (Wú Chéng’ēn), Journey to the West, and 曹雪芹 (Cáo Xuěqín), Dream of the Red Chamber. 鲁迅 (Lǔ Xùn) is the father of modern Chinese writing, 金庸 (Jīn Yōng) the master of kung fu novels, and 莫言 (Mò Yán) won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012.

## Who were the four beauties of ancient China?

四大美女 (sì dà měinǚ): 西施 (Xīshī), so lovely the fish forgot to swim and sank; 王昭君 (Wáng Zhāojūn), at whom the geese forgot to fly; 貂蝉 (Diāochán), who made the moon hide; and 杨贵妃 (Yáng Guìfēi), who put the flowers to shame. Together they give the saying 沉鱼落雁，闭月羞花, for a woman of stunning beauty.

## Which Chinese scientists won a Nobel Prize?

屠呦呦 (Tú Yōuyōu) won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine for artemisinin, a malaria drug she found in an old Chinese remedy, and 杨振宁 (Yáng Zhènníng), Chen-Ning Yang, shared the 1957 Physics prize. 袁隆平 (Yuán Lóngpíng), the father of hybrid rice, and 钱学森 (Qián Xuésēn), father of China’s rockets, are household names too.

## Why is Confucius not called Kongzi in English?

Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century turned 孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ), Master Kong, into the Latin Confucius, and 孟子 (Mèngzǐ) into Mencius. In Chinese he is just 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ). Later names were spelled from Cantonese or the person’s own choice, so Sun Yat-sen is 孙中山 (Sūn Zhōngshān) in Mandarin and Bruce Lee is 李小龙 (Lǐ Xiǎolóng).

## Can’t hear it?

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## More on Chinese history

- [Chinese warrior and emperor names](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-warrior-and-emperor-names)
- [Chinese dynasties in order](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-dynasties)
- [Chinese inventions](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-inventions)
- [Chinese surnames](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-surnames)

Names, pinyin and who each person is from our own dictionary; prizes and dates from Wikipedia.