This is a whole science: ancient culture with trepidation about the language and its writing, it gives the name power that can influence a person’s fate, his relationships with other people, therefore the choice of a name in China is treated with great caution and often changes it throughout life.

Many foreigners living in China or working with Chinese partners or colleagues are faced with a difficult problem - how to choose a Chinese name to improve perception or give themselves a name that would not distort the impression of the interlocutor.

Neutral method - transliteration

The simplest and, perhaps, the most common way to choose a Chinese name, which is chosen by students at the initial stage of learning Chinese or by people who are not at all knowledgeable of the language. Names such as Alexander （亚历山大）, Alexey（阿历克谢）, Andrey (安德烈), Sergey (谢尔盖) and others have become familiar and standard for the Chinese and will be the easiest and most reliable way to convey your name, in no way influencing your image.

However, such names do not carry any meaning for the Chinese and are therefore not easy to remember. In addition, very often names are repeated, due to the prevalence of some names. This pushes many foreigners to choose an original name - but this process is very difficult due to the significant homonymy of the Chinese language, in other words, due to the fact that your name can refer your interlocutor to unpleasant or funny associations.

Should I ask the teacher to choose a name?

Many people, when choosing a name, ask for help from friends or a teacher, or check the chosen one themselves - this is very good way, especially if the name was received with a bang by several people from different areas activities, different ages and parts of China. Don’t be lazy to check your name with several people at once - polite Chinese, especially if it’s your friends who won’t dare criticize your choice, even if you immodestly called yourself “a great talent” or “a mountain of gold.” Choosing a name through a teacher is fraught with a certain danger - just remember that Chinese teachers of the Russian language gave them such rare names like Ambrose, and the girls Violetta, or vice versa, without bothering themselves, they produced a significant number of Chinese Ver.

This method is partly successful, but it is worth paying attention to the fact that not every Chinese, teacher or friend, knows you well enough to reflect your character. Therefore, it will be better to discuss with the Chinese the meaning of the name that he offers you, ask different friends different variants- and choose the optimal combination for yourself.

How not to choose your name

Choosing a Chinese name gives free rein to the flight of fancy; Chinese names are very individual and therefore rarely repeated. In this regard, foreigners do not limit themselves in choosing a name and often come up with extraordinary names that surprise the Chinese and even take them by surprise. Real case- a foreigner with the name "Jin Mao" 金茂 (the name of the Jin Mao skyscraper in Shanghai) is akin to the name after the Eiffel Tower in Paris - sounds a little strange. The name Jimmy, transcribed as “hot rice,” is unlikely to make interlocutors take this person seriously.

After choosing funny names, the second common mistake is choosing loud, flashy hieroglyphs: "great dragon", " great wealth" - such names are also found, but in Chinese villages. Such a name indicates the arrogance of its bearer, his immodesty, and sometimes simple-mindedness - if you want to no longer be taken seriously and be considered just another foreigner who does not know China - call yourself “great.” Elegance is important in a name - the Chinese covertly convey the concepts of “beauty”, “greatness”, “power”, “wealth” and “luck” through homonymous hieroglyphs - let’s look at the name of billionaire Jack Ma, his name is Ma Yun (马云) - surname Ma - horse, Yun - cloud. However, all Chinese understand that "yun" is a homonym of the hieroglyph "luck" (运).Shades of meaning, indirect hints - this is the basic rule for choosing hieroglyphs in a name.

How to choose your last name

You can limit yourself to the transliteration of your name, but if you decide to endow yourself with a Chinese essence and choose a Chinese surname, then you can use a number of the most common surnames in China from the collection “One Hundred Surnames” (百家姓) - do not be afraid to choose a rare surname, this will better correlate with your status as a foreigner, unusual for Chinese society - Demin - 杜， Danilov - why not choose the surname 戴， Efremov - why not take the surname 叶 and so on. This principle is based on the fact that a person with a European appearance and the surname Zhang, Wang and Liu cannot but cause cognitive dissonance among the Chinese. Obviously, the difference in Chinese and Slavic phonetics is so great that it is unlikely that you will be able to fully convey both the sound and meaning of your surname.

The second rule for choosing a first and last name is their brevity - standard first and last names consist of two or three hieroglyphs, while the first hieroglyph is perceived by the Chinese as a family character, the second and third - as a personal one. After choosing a first and last name, the Chinese will most likely “cut off” the surname and begin to use it in accordance with the social hierarchy - old Dai (“Lao Dai”), or little Xie (Xiao Xie, from Sergei), girl Ye (Ye Xiaojie, from Elena) and so on.

As noted above, choosing a name is a science that, as a rule, is trusted by local fortune-tellers, who are able to give a name favorable to the elements under whose sign a man is born, but for a foreigner it will be enough to follow our simple tips and rules and not deviate from the standard norms for choosing a name. If you chose the wrong name - don’t worry, you can always change it and the Chinese will treat this with understanding - each of the Chinese has many names and the tradition of getting new names, changing creative pseudonyms is intertwined with the rich history of the science of choosing a name (起名學).

Elena Soroka

Anyone who begins to learn Chinese goes through an initiation ritual: they come up with a “Chinese name” for themselves. Traditional names and surnames in China carry a full meaning, so you can, without hesitation, make your cherished childhood dream come true and introduce yourself as “Flying Snow” or “Jade Dragon” with a serious face. All you have to do is read a short educational program on Chinese names and you can safely prepare to join the league of superheroes.

1. Sun Chunlan - where is the first name and where is the surname?

A common Chinese name consists of two or three characters. The last name is put first, and then the first name. That is, Sun is a surname, and Chunlan is a person’s given name. Majority Chinese surnames- monosyllabic, two-syllables are very rare. Three- and four-syllable surnames already indicate a person’s non-Chinese origin - he may belong to one of the 55 national minorities living in the PRC. For example, the descendants of the Manchus bear the surname Aixinjuelo, which is difficult to pronounce not only for us, but also for the Chinese themselves.

Chinese children memorize the “Book of One Hundred Surnames” - a rhyming list of the most common surnames (of which, in fact, there are not 100, but about 500). But despite the variety of options, there is a high probability that your Chinese friend will bear the surname Wang, Li or Zhang - these three are firmly ahead of the rest of the competition. For example, if you want to enter a Chinese company without an invitation, you can confidently tell the security guard that you have a meeting with Mr. Zhang. True, do not be surprised if in response you are asked to clarify which Zhang exactly - there is a possibility that they have five of them working for them.

2. Is Sun Chunlan a man or a woman?

But this is a mystery that the Chinese themselves sometimes struggle with.

Of course, if the name contains the character “mei” (beauty), “ting” (grace) or “doe” (orchid), then most likely it is a girl. And if “qiang” (power), “wei” (great) or “ming” (light), then this is usually a boy. However, how to determine the gender of Happy Rain or Shining Chariot? In such cases, even the Chinese get lost, which sometimes leads to embarrassment: for example, having met the girl of his dreams on the Internet, before meeting in person, the Chinese will worry whether the chosen one will turn out to be a man. And boys with too-girly names are sometimes teased at school, which may cause them to change their name before university.

3. Who is Sun Chunlan and what does her name mean?

Sun Chunlan is quite a real man. "Spring Orchid of the Sun Family", holds a high position in the Politburo and is the vice chairman of the Association for Promoting the Peaceful Reunification of China. At Politburo congresses, Spring Orchid expresses China's ironclad position on issues of disputed territories. And although the Chinese still believe that the name determines the character and destiny of a person, nothing prevents the Spring Orchid from threatening its neighbors with the full might of the thousands of Chinese army.

4. What is “ suitable name"and which list to choose from?

Chinese naming is an absolute flood of fantasy. We are accustomed to the fact that in most cultures there is a limited list of names from which you can choose the one you like and give it to your child. Very few Russian parents will dare to name their child whatever they want, and numerous Mashas and Vadims will probably tease the classmate whom the brave parents called “The Mighty Cloud.” The Chinese do not suffer from such restrictions. Usually the child's name contains hieroglyphs that carry some kind of good meaning: boys often choose hieroglyphs associated with heroism, intelligence, wealth or greatness, while girls get everything associated with beauty, flowers and natural phenomena. A pragmatic parent can name a child “Health and Happiness,” and parents who dote on their child will call him “Jasper Charm.” Also in China there is a profession of a fortuneteller who will help you choose a name that will have a beneficial effect on the child’s destiny or develop it best qualities. However, no correlation has been observed between successful students and those with the name “Wisdom of Heaven.” Likewise, the parents of “Spring Orchid from the Sun family” hardly expected that the girl would become a threat to foreign aggressors.

5. What can limit the degree of pathos?

Only your sense of taste. There are no restrictions on the Chinese at all. Therefore, when choosing foreign names, they also do not recognize Western frameworks. After a couple of years of doing business with the Chinese, you will have a collection of business cards with the names Mr. Zhang Apple, Mr. Li Seven Heroes, Mr. Zhou Green Stone, Mrs. Wei Sweet Candy.

So when choosing a Chinese name for yourself, limit yourself to only the number of characters (two or three). Open the dictionary and find the most beautiful hieroglyphs there, the reading of which at least vaguely resembles your real name. For example, Lenas often choose the character "li" 丽 (beauty) or "doe" 兰 (orchid). And Vasily can pay attention to the popular hieroglyph “wei” 伟 (great).

But remember: there are no rules. Create! The Chinese will appreciate it.

Many foreigners do not try to find out the real names of their Chinese friends and continue to fill their phones with endless Fridays, following the tradition of the character in Defoe's novel. Meanwhile, each name has its own story hidden, because choosing it in China is a serious process.

More than three years ago, when I came to study in China, I asked my friend to choose a name for me that meant “clean jug,” implying my ignorance and the fact that I was going to fill it as I studied Chinese and China. The surname Wen (瓮, pitcher) was found in the dictionary. And from several options for a proper name, Xue (雪, snow) was chosen, one of the meanings of which is also “pure”.

In China, the custom of using several names for one person is still preserved. The newspaper has already written about, and how the division into male and female names. First, the family sign is written down, and then the personal name: for example, Li Wuhui (李无辉), where Li is the surname and Wuhui is the given name. The family sign of the clan, often monosyllabic, is traditionally preserved from generation to generation and is revered above the individual. Even in the Book of Changes (易经), the tradition of putting the surname first and then the given name is described.

Previously, in mainland China, married women's names included the husband's surname first, then maiden name. It was also possible, although less common, for a child to combine both parents' surnames. For the famous heroine of the legend in China, Meng Jiang Nü (孟姜女): Meng (孟) is the surname of the father, and Jiang (姜) is the surname of the mother. These days, this tradition is common in Hong Kong. For example, the name of the head of the World Health Organization is Chen Feng Fuzhen (陈冯富珍), where Chen (陈) and Feng (冯) are surnames.

The first and last name may contain information about the place and time of birth. For example, a Chinese woman I know is named Huang Helou (黄鹤楼): she was named after the famous Yellow Crane Tower in China (Wuhan city). The surname Ye (叶, leaf) is quite common in Guangdong Province, and the surname Xiong (熊, bear) is quite common in Hubei Province.

There is a list of common Chinese surnames baijiaxing(百家姓). This is a rhyming list serving educational material for learning hieroglyphs by heart. The number of names in its various publications ranges from four to almost six hundred. The most popular surnames in China according to statistics are Wang (王), Li (李) and Zhang (张).

Currently, the number of Chinese surnames is approaching twelve thousand: of these, a little more than 5,000 consist of one character, about 4,000 consist of two characters, more than 1,500 surnames consist of three, approximately 600 surnames are four-character, 22 surnames consist of six characters, 7 - from seven characters, 3 - from eight and 1 surname - from nine.

Most Han surnames are from one character, although occasionally two are found, such as Ouyang (欧阳) or Sima (司马). All surnames with three or more characters belong to national minorities in China. For example, some heirs of the Qing imperial family still bear the Manchu surname Aishingyoro (爱新觉罗), although many have changed it to the closely related Chinese Jin (金).

Unlike surnames, the many names that a person traditionally has in Chinese society include children's names, school names, adult names, and others. IN early childhood Chinese man wears baby name(小名), at the beginning of school the child is given a school one (学名), after reaching adulthood he receives an official one (名), which accompanies him until his death. There may also be a name from a family genealogy book (谱名).

For example, the political and military leader Jiang Jieshi (蒋介石) had several names: at birth he was given the name Ruiyuan (瑞元, good first-born), then he had the school name Zhiqing (志清, purity of thoughts). Then, upon completion of his studies, he received adult names: Jieshi (介石, unshakable as a cliff) and Zhongzheng (中正, a fair and straightforward person). Outside of China he is known as Chiang Kai-shek.

The choice of an official name was regulated by certain rules known as the system paikhan(排行, lining up) and had significance before the implementation of the birth control policy. Under this system, the names of all members of the same generation within a kin group included a repeating common element. Each family had a family genealogy book (家谱), which necessarily contained a list of characters for the syllables that were to be included in the names. For example, Jiang Jieshi's name in the genealogy book was Zhoutai (周泰, trustworthiness).

Parents can also attract attention to the child if they name him after an outstanding historical figure. For example, Teaching Staff from the university where my friend studies, considers the name of the student Xuanye not entirely modest, since the Qing Emperor Kangxi bore such a proper name.

Based on the meaning of the hieroglyphic characters that make up the personal name of a Chinese person, it is possible to determine and gender identity person. In modern China, in women's names you can often find the names of flowers, precious stones, birds, or hieroglyphs symbolizing beauty, happiness, and femininity. For example, in 2015, among the characters that were used in popular names for girls, the most common were: xue (雪, snow), yu (雨, rain), men (梦, sleep, dream), ting (婷, graceful), mei (美, handsome).

IN male names it is customary to use more masculine hieroglyphs, for example, those denoting animals or natural phenomena. Names that contain the hieroglyph “dragon”, “tiger”, as well as hieroglyphs with the meaning of intelligence, willpower, etc. are common. An acquaintance of a friend of mine unofficially changed his name because he is embarrassed by his “female” name Xinchun (新春, early spring). The most popular male names are Ming (明, light) and Wei (伟, great).

Chinese names may contain rare characters, which emphasize their uniqueness. For example, friends of a Chinese woman named Ma Yang (马玚) periodically have to write the second character Yang (玚) by hand because it may not be in the layout. Names in which both signs are related in meaning may be interesting. For example, Zhangge (战戈), where both characters mean military action. And in the name Peng Yuhao (彭友好) there is a play on words, where the surname Peng (彭) combined with the first character of the name Yu (友) is consonant with the word “friend”, at the same time the meaning of the name Yuhao (友好) is also “close friend”.

It would seem that newly formed names, as in the Russian language after the 1917 revolution (for example, from the abbreviation of the slogan “Long live the First of May”), cannot exist in Chinese due to the structure of the language, but they also exist - in honor of October 1, 1949 . The names that were popular in the communist era are very close in meaning: Jianguo (建国, foundation of the state), Guohong (国宏, greatness of the state).

As in many countries, in China there was (and still is in some places) a tradition of not using personal names out loud. This concerned not only the names of the supreme rulers, but also the common people. To reveal a personal name means to give another person a certain power over oneself. China still has an extensive system of appeals for younger generation in relation to elders, where relatives are called by substitute words in order of seniority by kinship: her (爷爷, grandfather), nainai (奶奶, grandmother), laoe (姥爷, maternal grandfather), etc.

According to ancient superstition, children at birth were often given an ugly baby name, which was retained by the child until school, the purpose of which was to deceive evil spirits. For example, it was believed that no evil spirit would be attracted to a child named Gousheng (狗剩, leftover dog food), and the child would be healthy. However, in recent decades, due to the cacophony of a number of written characters, by decision of members of the advisory council at the Ministry of Justice, it was prohibited to use hieroglyphs in the names of children: corpse, cancer (disease), etc.

If desired and available good reason Chinese people can change their legal name. The reason may be a change in a woman’s surname after marriage, a change of name for religious reasons, or when the surnames and first names of relatives coincide. For example, an acquaintance of editor Polina Strukova named Wang Wei (王伟) had several relatives with the same name. After collecting evidence that they lived in his region, as well as attaching an explanatory note and an application for a name change, he changed his name to Wang Yun (王勇), which is also common, but much less common.

Proper names in their original linguistic environment can have a certain semantic load and unique features. Knowledge of the principles of transferring names and their properties helps to create the most equivalent translation. The correct transfer of a name to another linguistic soil helps the reader speed up the process of identifying its bearer.

For example, in the translation of the laureate’s book Nobel Prize Mo Yanya "" Igor Egorov adds a large number of notes on the names of the main characters. The translator explains to readers that Lan Lian (蓝脸) literally means blue face, and the character Lan Jiefang (解放) has a name that translates to liberation. The hero's name Yu Wufu (五福) is an example of a “speaking” name: Ufa- “complete happiness”, “as many as five”: longevity, wealth, tranquility, virtue and death in old age.

Should we deviate from the regular rules of transcription and the phonetic principle if, when translated from Chinese, a proper name evokes undesirable associations with reduced vocabulary? There is no clear answer to this question. At a meeting held in Shanghai in December 2015, translator Igor Egorov gave an example of a work situation from his experience. In a recent issue of the literary magazine “Lamp”, published by the editors of Renmin Wenxue (人民文学), there is a story “Heavenly Bridge” by the writer Cai Dong. The main character's name is Huyan Fei (呼延飞), and the translator suggested changing his name. The Chinese editor-in-chief rejected the proposal, and they did not deviate from the transcription rules.

Sometimes the Chinese themselves may have undesirable associations with a name, because the semantic variant of words depends solely on the tone. In practice you will always find that we're talking about about different words, because their meanings are determined by context, location in a sentence, and much more. But if you take words without context, for example, an original Chinese name, then it is possible mixed perceptions because of the similar sound.

For example, it is difficult for bearers of the following names to avoid incidents:

Shi Zhenxiang: shi (史, history), zhen (珍, jewel), xiang (香, valued) - shi (屎, dung), zhen (真, really), xiang (香, fragrant);

Fan Jian: fan (范, standard), jian (剑, sword) - fanjian (犯贱, to disgrace);

Zhu Yiqun: zhu (朱, red paint), yiqun (逸群, to stand out from the crowd) - zhu (猪, pig), yiqun (一群, herd).

In exceptional cases, it is possible to record a name consisting of two hieroglyphs on all documents without using a surname. They decided to name the daughter of my friends Chuntian (春天, spring). The girl's parents are completely sure that a child with such beautiful name the common surname Wang (王) will interfere, so according to all documents the girl goes without a surname.

The Chinese also take the choice of a foreign name seriously, following the usual traditions: they are interested in the meaning and sound of the name for a Chinese person, and not for a bearer of the culture and language of the country whose language they are studying. A Chinese man named Zhang Mingshi (张明石) studied Russian and wanted to Russian name. My friends suggested the name Misha (Mikhail - god-like), which is similar to Minshi (明石). He was very indignant, saying that it was consonant with the Chinese Misha (米沙, rice crumbs), and this sounded completely “uncool”, and became Volodya.

It is not the name that makes a person beautiful, but his actions. But still.

One of the most frequently asked questions by friends (and not so familiar) is: What does my name sound like in Chinese? How to say Konstantin, Sasha, Rimma in Chinese? It is impossible to answer this question definitely. And I’m not sure whether to put a dash after the word “unambiguously” in the previous sentence.
Generally speaking, there are many nuances associated with the specifics of the language that are not easy for people who have never studied this language to understand. This is not how to write Victor or Lisa in English. Where such names already exist, or if they do not exist, then write them in Latin. Here everything is much more complicated. Because in Chinese (I’ll make a discovery) there are no letters! There are no letters, but each hieroglyph has its own sound - usually it is similar to our syllables of 2-3 letters.
So, for example, it is impossible to write the name Rimma in Chinese, if only because the sound “r” does not exist in nature. The maximum that we can choose that is consonant with this name is li and ma. Here is the next nuance - the sound li can have up to 30-40 hieroglyphs. In order not to be unfounded, 力li strength; 里li inside; 离 li with, from; 利ì - benefit, benefit. Etc. The same story with ma, you can also “shove” a lot of hieroglyphs with this sound here. So there can be a great many combinations.
When you take a Chinese name, it is very important not only to choose hieroglyphs from good value, it is also very important to pay attention to how the hieroglyphs sound in combination (in a duet or trio). I had one Russian girl friend Dasha. She came to China, took hieroglyphs for her name, there are sounds in Chinese, and sha. But, as it turned out later, this name causes laughter every time from the Chinese and Chinese speakers. Therefore, in Chinese, “great stupid, complete fool” sounds exactly like dasha 大傻. She had to change her name to Daliya.
This concerns foreign names. By the way, the most common names, especially English ones, are ready-made. But you can take one that no one else has, the main thing is to be more careful. It’s better to ask a friend, which is important, a serious Chinese
What do the Chinese call their children? This is a very interesting question.
There are no ready-made names. Each newly born child receives his own special name that has not yet existed before him. (There are almost 2 billion people in China, so there are probably coincidences, but they say that if they do happen, it is very rare).
This question interested me very much, and I asked my friend in more detail.
It turns out that the Chinese do not prepare a name for their child, because it is very important to look into his eyes and understand what to call him. A lot depends on what time and place he was born. And the family surname is no less important - so the name went with it.
My friend recently had a nephew, they named him tiantian 天天. This hieroglyph, when it is alone, means “day”. When the duplication is “every day”, “day after day”. I asked what meaning did you put into the name of this baby? She answered 天天高兴 Every day (day after day) happy. Like this)
It’s interesting that an untrained eye often won’t be able to pick out a name from a text (I’m not even talking about how to understand what gender a person is), because the words can be the most frequently used. For example, this one of mine friend's guy, his name is yeqing 叶青。The first hieroglyph is the surname, if you translate the leaf (tree). And the second one translates as “light green”, the color of fresh young foliage. Here the name was clearly chosen to match the surname. And what’s even funny Hello, Svezhe -green leaf.
My husband has a friend, he also had a daughter not so long ago. They named her wan 晚, which translates into Russian as “late”, “late”. And all because she was born several weeks late and was born late at night. Strange of course , doomed the child to be late all his life. Or maybe there is some other hidden meaning. The Chinese soul is a mystery.
A friend also said that many people turn to special people, fortune tellers, astrologers. The Chinese greatly revere the 5 elements - fire, water, earth, air and metal (gold). Apparently, this person, whose profession is to name children, tells which element the baby meets the requirement. And the name of this child is given the appropriate meaning and hieroglyphs. For example, if there is fire, the name can be “sparkling”, “brilliant”, “warming”, etc.
In the Russian manner, Chinese names sound comical, and only because the Russians for some reason decided that there is a soft sign at the end of words everywhere (in fact, there is none at all).
In fact, Chinese names are a delicate matter. East.

If you are a native resident of China or are moving to live in this densely populated country, you should know according to what rule a child is named here, and how. If you just love this culture and want to choose original name child, then this article will make your task easier. In it you will find the most interesting and popular Chinese female names.

History of the origin of Chinese female names

As a rule, when choosing a name, Chinese families are guided by the following order: after the name comes the surname. This is because the Chinese respect their genus more than their individual name. Chinese female names are more a merit of the imagination of the child’s parents. The surname consists of one syllable, while the given name consists of two.

Interesting. In China, names are always written in full and do not have initials.

List of beautiful names for girls

• Ai is one of the few names starting with the first letter of the alphabet that means “love”;
• Biyu – means “jasper”;
• Wenling - marks such gem like refined jade;
• Ven – “processing”;
• G – marks the girl as “pure”;
• Jiya is a female name meaning “beautiful”;
• Deiyu is another name that signifies the black jade gemstone;
• Zhilan – “rainbow orchid”;
• Iing – means “smart” or “eagle”;
• Kiang – “rose”;
• Kiu - marks the colorful season of the year - autumn;
• Xiu – “grace”;
• Xiaoqing – “small blue”;
• Lin – again a precious stone – “beautiful jade”;
• Lan – flower meaning – “orchid”;
• Ling – the meaning of the name is “understanding” or “compassionate”;
• Lijuan – “beautiful” and “graceful”;
• Mei – in honor of the “plum” fruit;
• Meiling – translated as “beautiful”;
• Niu - simply marks the gender of the child - “girl”;
• Ning - signifies calmness;
• Pages – “admired by the rainbow”;
• Roe – “tender”;
• Song - in honor of a coniferous tree, “pine”;
• Ting – translated as “graceful”;
• Fang – means “aroma”;
• Hualing – carries the meaning of “heather”;
• Changchang – translated as “prosperous”;
• Shu - the girl is characterized as “fair”;
• Yun – has a gentle, “airy” interpretation – “cloud”;
• Yuming – translated as “jade brightness”;
• Yanyu – name with interesting meaning– “swallowing jade”;
• Yangling - created in honor of the “swallow” or “Beijing” forest.

Rare female names of Chinese origin

As a rule, in China, names are associated with the external qualities of a girl. The names of flowers, fruits and precious stones are also common.

Among the rare, perhaps long-forgotten Chinese names, the following can be mentioned:

• Aimin – translated “ people's love»;
• Xiaoming - marks the “dawn”;
• Changchun - translated as " Eternal youth"or "Chinese rose"
• Yulan - personifies the magnolia flower;
• Yuming - after the stone - “bright jade” or “jasper”.

Maybe you'll like one of these sweet-sounding rare names. But do not forget that it must be consonant with the surname and patronymic.

Modern and popular names and their meanings

Increasingly, the Chinese themselves are using more modern names for your children.

Popular female names in China nowadays are as follows:

• Venkian is an enterprising girl who easily copes in the fields of commerce and industry. It has strong character, often does not spare either himself or others.
• Jieyi - she is characterized by wisdom and intuition. In childhood new material picks things up on the fly, is talented and funny. Lives one day at a time, without thinking about the future.
• Zenzen – the meaning of the name is “precious”. A girl with this name has no conflict; she is characterized by a soft and tactful character. She is advised to avoid quarrels and not worry about minor details in life.
• Liling – “beautiful jade bell”, this is how the name is translated. Liling's character is changeable, there is internal and emotional restlessness. Therefore, it is better to avoid conflicts and not attach much importance to various little things.
• Meihui is a hardworking and balanced person. Success awaits her in such areas. like science and technology.
• Shuchun – translated as “fair purity”. Possesses potential intelligence and the ability to develop highly. Shuchun can confidently look for himself among the following professions: inventor, discoverer of new things and musician.
• Yanmei is a diligent girl with her own “oddities”. Prone to analytical thinking, with good intuition. She is subject to such professions as composer or musician, poet, philosopher or thinker.

Ancient and forgotten names

In ancient times children female It was customary to call them by dissonant names in order to protect them from the influence of evil spirits. Therefore they have more complex shape, and are not always easy to pronounce.

These names are no longer used:

• Goudan – translated as “lost dog egg”;
• Goushen is a name with a very unpleasant meaning of “dog food leftovers”;
• Tedan - “iron egg”.

Important! These names and a number of other meanings were banned in China, as they carried a negative meaning. Today it is customary to choose only positive names.

Choose a name for your child in accordance with what you want to wish for him in life - a character trait or way of thinking. After all, the name has a strong power over the fate, character and abilities of a person, and therefore affects his realization as a person, success and personal happiness.