China is a country of original culture. Their religion, traditions and culture are so far from ours! This article will focus on Chinese names, the choice of which in China is still treated with special trepidation.
Earlier, in Chinese villages, the most dissonant names were chosen for newborn children. And this was done with a specific purpose. The parents wanted to mislead the evil spirits. They, according to legend, take away the most valuable. And what can attract a child whose name is Goshen, that is, “dog food leftovers”?
Modern Chinese names and surnames
In modern China, the hereditary name (surname) is written and pronounced first. Chinese surnames most often consist of one syllable - Wang, Li. Ma. Less commonly, there are disyllabic ones, such as Ouyang. An individual name has a two-syllable structure, such as Guozhi.
Chinese names and surnames, although short, are difficult to understand and pronounce for a Russian-speaking person. In addition, some of them do not sound quite decent in the understanding of people of other nationalities. By the way, in China, where such a huge number of people live, there are not so many surnames. On themost of the population there are only about a hundred. Therefore, a huge number of Chinese have the surnames of Li, Zhang or Wang.
Xiao-ming - "milk name"
According to an old tradition in China, it is customary to give a child a "milk" or household name that only family members know. Such Chinese names are either a reflection of the appearance of the child, or parents put some special meaning or wish into it, for example, how they want to see their offspring in the future. They chose the name Bingwen for their son, which means “bright, cultured man,” everything is simple and clear. This is exactly how parents want to raise an heir.
When a Chinese becomes an adult, he is given a middle name - min. It happened that a person chose him for himself, more precisely, a pseudonym - hao. When a person entered the service, he was also given a middle name - tzu. In modern China, hao and tzu are almost never used, a resident of the Celestial Empire has only one name - min. The tradition of giving household names is still strong in China.
What does the name say?
Chinese names are always associated with some qualities of a person. Dongmei must be steadfast like a winter plum, Jiya is a real beauty, Zenzen is a precious maiden, deep feelings for its bearer are hidden in this name. Ju is a chrysanthemum. Probably, they expect openness and purity from her. Dayu - black jade. By the way, many names are associated with stones, trees and flowers. The Chinese are philosophers, they see a special meaning in all things. Zhilan - rainbow orchid,Aimin - people's love.
Chinese names are not chosen by sound or fashion whim, each of them carries a certain semantic load. Therefore, in China they take the choice of a name very seriously, because it has a certain influence on a person. If a girl was named Ning, which means "calm", then she will most likely involuntarily try to show exactly this trait of character in order to match. - woman or man. For example, what does the name Rong tell you? To whom does it belong? You are confused. But the Chinese would immediately say that a man is hiding under him. It cannot be otherwise, because this name means "military man".
Names filled with wisdom and beauty
We must agree that Chinese names are beautiful. First of all, because they are individual, emotional and bright. Some sound like the sound of raindrops, others sparkle like morning dew in the sun. Parents lovingly named the girl the Rainbow Orchid (Zhilan), and the boy - the Heroic Son (Zihao). Beautiful, sophisticated and wise.
The translation of Chinese names, of course, cannot convey all the shades and nuances that the inhabitants of China hear in them. We are very surprised by the fact that each of them can be translated into any other language! But only in Chinese, where phonetics, tonality and rhythm are harmoniously combined, only what is embedded in it will sound in the name.
• Ai - love.
• Venkian - purified.
• Zhaohuipersonifies clear wisdom.
• Ji is the standard of spiritual purity.
• Jiao is elegance.• Qingzhao is understanding.
Fashion trends in the world of Chinese names
Above were examples of female names. Chinese male names are associated, as a rule, with such concepts as courage, strength, strength, kindness, wisdom. They carry all the qualities that a real man should have. Weisheng - born great, Bojing - delighted with victory. These names are not only a set of sounds, they have a whole Eastern philosophy.
Exclusivity did not save the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, they did not escape the fashion for borrowed names. But even in this, the Chinese remained true to their traditions. "Imported" names they famously adjusted to the tone of their own. Elinna - Elena, Li Qunsi - Jones. There are even names with Christian origins. For example, Yao Su My means Joseph in translation, and Ko Li Zi Si is the name George. In China, there is a tradition of giving posthumous names. They sum up the life lived, reflect all the deeds committed by a person in this world.
How to address a resident of China?
Chinese addresses are somewhat unusual for our ears: “Director Zhang”, “Mayor Wang”. A Chinese person will never use two titles when addressing a person, such as "Mr. President". He will say "President Obama" or "Mr. Obama." When referring to a saleswoman or maid, you can use the word "Xiaojie". It looks like our "girl".
Chinese women do not take their husband's last name after marriage. "Ms. Ma" and "Mr. Wang"it doesn't interfere with life at all. These are the laws of the country. People in China most often address foreigners by name, adding a polite title if they do not know the profession or position of the person. For example, "Mr. Michael". And no patronymic! It simply does not exist here!The Chinese are the bearers of a great ancient culture. Although China is a developed country, it occupies not the last place in the world market, but it seems that the inhabitants of the sunny state live in some special world, preserving national traditions, their own way of life and a philosophical attitude to the environment.
