HSK 5 · Article · 624 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-do-chinese-names-work

中国人的名字有什么讲究？

How do Chinese names work?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

在zài中国zhōngguó，如果rúguǒ你nǐ在zài街jiē上shàng喊hǎn一声yìshēng“张伟”，可能kěnéng会huì有yǒu不少bùshǎo人rén同时tóngshí回头huítóu。根据gēnjù公安部gōng’ānbù的de统计tǒngjì，全国quánguó叫jiào张伟的de人rén将近jiāngjìn三十万sānshíwàn。为什么wèishénme重名chóngmíng的de人rén这么zhème多duō？这zhè要从cóng中国zhōngguó人rén的de名字míngzi说起shuōqǐ。

中国zhōngguó人rén的de姓名xìngmíng，姓氏xìngshì放fàng在zài前面qiánmiàn，名字míngzi放fàng在zài后面hòumiàn，跟gēn英语yīngyǔ正相反zhèngxiāngfǎn。比如bǐrú“张伟”，张zhāng是shì姓氏xìngshì，伟wěi是shì名字míngzi。姓氏xìngshì大多dàduō只有zhíyǒu一yí个gè字zì，也yě有yǒu两liǎng个gè字zì的de，叫作jiàozuò复姓fùxìng，比如bǐrú欧阳ōuyáng、诸葛zhūgě。在zài中国大陆zhōngguó-dàlù，女性nǚxìng结婚jiéhūn以后yǐhòu一般yìbān不bù改姓gǎixìng。孩子háizi大多dàduō跟gēn爸爸bàba姓xìng，不过búguò法律fǎlǜ上shàng也yě可以kéyǐ跟gēn妈妈māma姓xìng。

中国zhōngguó的de姓氏xìngshì很hěn多duō。古时候gǔshíhou孩子háizi认字rènzì用yòng的de《百家姓bǎijiāxìng》，一共yígòng收shōu了le五百多wúbǎiduō个gè。排pái第一dìyī的de是shì赵zhào，因为yīnwèi《百家姓bǎijiāxìng》是shì北宋běisòng时shí编biān的de，当时dāngshí的de皇帝huángdì姓xìng赵zhào。可是kěshì常见chángjiàn的de姓氏xìngshì其实qíshí没méi几jǐ个gè。今天jīntiān，王wáng、李lǐ、张zhāng、刘liú、陈chén这zhè五wǔ个gè大姓dàxìng，加jiā在zài一起yìqǐ占了le全国quánguó人口rénkǒu的de将近jiāngjìn三分之一sānfēn-zhīyī。而ér刘liú在zài《百家姓bǎijiāxìng》里li，排pái到dào了le第二百五十二dì’èrbáiwǔshí’èr位wèi。

大姓dàxìng就jiù这么zhème几jǐ个gè，重不重名chóngbu-chóngmíng，关键guānjiàn就jiù在zài名字míngzi上shàng。名字míngzi一般yìbān是shì一两yìliǎng个gè字zì。二十世纪èrshí-shìjì九十jiǔshí年代niándài，单字dānzì名míng特别tèbié流行liúxíng，很hěn多duō孩子háizi的de名字míngzi只有zhíyǒu一yí个gè字zì。伟wěi、芳fāng、静jìng这样zhèyàng的de字zì，用yòng的de人rén太tài多duō了le，难怪nánguài张伟、王芳到处dàochù都dōu是shì。现在xiànzài的de父母fùmǔ更gèng喜欢xǐhuān两liǎng个gè字zì的de名字míngzi，还hái爱ài挑tiāo不bù常见chángjiàn的de字zì。2020年nián出生chūshēng的de宝宝bǎobao里，最zuì受欢迎shòuhuānyíng的de名字míngzi，男孩nánhái叫jiào“奕辰”，女孩nǚhái叫jiào“一诺”。

以前yǐqián，从cóng名字míngzi里还hái能néng看出kànchū辈分bèifèn。很hěn多duō大家族dàjiāzú会huì在zài家谱jiāpǔ里定dìng好hǎo一yí串chuàn字zì，每měi一代yídài用yòng一个yígè。同一tóngyí辈bèi人rén的de名字míngzi里都dōu有yǒu同tóng一yí个gè字zì，一yí看kàn就jiù知道zhīdào是shì哪nǎ一yí辈bèi的de。

生活shēnghuó中zhōng，熟人shúrén之间zhījiān不bù一定yídìng叫jiào全名quánmíng。年轻niánqīng的de同事tóngshì常cháng被bèi叫作jiàozuò“小张xiǎozhāng”，年纪niánjì大dà一点yìdiǎn的de就jiù成chéng了le“老张lǎozhāng”。这里zhèlǐ的de“老lǎo”不是búshì说shuō你nǐ老lǎo，而是érshì表示biǎoshì亲切qīnqiè和hé尊重zūnzhòng。

外国人wàiguórén也yě可以kéyǐ有yǒu中文zhōngwén名字míngzi。美国měiguó有yǒu位wèi历史学家lìshǐxuéjiā叫jiào费尔班克，一辈子yíbèizi都dōu在zài研究yánjiū中国zhōngguó。建筑学jiànzhùxué家jiā梁思成liángsīchéng给gěi他tā起qǐ了le个gè中文名zhōngwénmíng，叫jiào费正清。“费fèi”像xiàng他tā的de姓氏xìngshì，“正清”听起来tīngqǐlai像xiàng他tā的de名字míngzi，还有háiyǒu正直zhèngzhí、清白qīngbái的de意思yìsi。

所以suóyǐ，如果rúguǒ你nǐ也yě想要xiǎngyào一个yígè中文zhōngwén名字míngzi，先xiān别bié急jí着zhe用yòng，上网shàngwǎng搜sōu一yì搜sōu再zài说shuō。不然bùrán，你nǐ说不定shuōbudìng就jiù成chéng了le第三十万dìsān-shíwàn个gè张伟。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
同时	tóngshí	at the same time; simultaneously
叫作	jiàozuò	to be called; to be known as
女性	nǚxìng	woman; female; the female sex
法律	fǎlǜ	law
排	pái	to arrange; to line up
当时	dāngshí	then; at that time
关键	guānjiàn	key; crux; crucial point; crucial; pivotal
流行	liúxíng	popular; fashionable; to be popular; to be in fashion
父母	fùmǔ	parents; father and mother
定	dìng	to fix; to set
之间	zhījiān	between; among
表示	biǎoshì	to express; to indicate; to state

English (for the teacher)

In China, if you shout “Zhang Wei” in the street, quite a few people may turn round at once. According to figures from the Ministry of Public Security, nearly 300,000 people in the country are called Zhang Wei. Why do so many people share a name? To answer that, we have to start with how Chinese names work.

In a Chinese name, the surname goes first and the given name last: the exact opposite of English. Take “Zhang Wei”: Zhang is the surname, and Wei is the given name. Most surnames are a single character, but some have two, and these are called compound surnames, like Ouyang and Zhuge. In mainland China, women usually keep their own surname when they marry. Most children take their father’s surname, though by law they can take their mother’s instead.

China has a great many surnames. The Hundred Family Surnames, which children once used to learn their characters, lists more than five hundred of them. First on the list is Zhao, because the book was compiled in the Northern Song dynasty, and the emperor at the time was a Zhao. Yet only a handful are actually common. Today the five biggest, Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu and Chen, together make up nearly a third of the country’s population. Liu, meanwhile, comes in at number 252 in the Hundred Family Surnames.

With only a few big surnames, whether you share a name comes down to your given name. A given name is usually one or two characters. In the 1990s, one-character given names were especially popular, and lots of children got a given name of just one character. So many people used characters like wěi “great”, fāng “fragrant” and jìng “quiet” that it’s no wonder there are Zhang Weis and Wang Fangs everywhere. Parents today prefer two-character given names, and they love to pick unusual characters. Among babies born in 2020, the most popular names were Yichen for boys and Yinuo for girls.

In the past, a name could also tell you someone’s generation in the family. Many big clans set down a string of characters in the family genealogy, one for each generation. Everyone of the same generation has that same character in their name, so you can tell at a glance which generation they belong to.

In everyday life, people who know each other don’t always use full names. A young colleague is often called “Xiao Zhang”, little Zhang, while an older one becomes “Lao Zhang”, old Zhang. The “old” here isn’t saying you’re old: it shows warmth and respect.

Foreigners can have Chinese names too. There was an American historian called Fairbank who spent his whole life studying China. The architect Liang Sicheng gave him a Chinese name: Fei Zhengqing. Fei echoes his surname, Zhengqing sounds like his first names, John King, and it also means “upright and pure”.

So if you want a Chinese name too, don’t rush to use it: search it online first. Otherwise you might just become Zhang Wei number 300,000.