Chinese Names

Chinese names are quite different from the westerners', so knowledge about Chinese names and how to address a Chinese people may help you a lot during your tour in China.

A name means a lot to every Chinese person. A Chinese name is composed of a family name followed by a given name, such as 张三 (Zhāng Sān), of which the family name is 张 and the given name is 三. In ancient China, it is impolite to call a person's name directly, but used to name the Zi (字) or Hao (号) of the person. A Zi (字) is an alias relating to the name of a person, and is usually given by an elder family member. A Hao (号) is also an alias. Given by the person him/herself, a Hao often has nothing to do with the name but expresses his/her emotion, interests, or aspiration.

 Family Names in China 
According to statistics, there are over 4,100 family names commonly used in China, and most of them contain one Chinese character, such as 赵 (Zhào), 钱 (Qián), 孙 (Sūn), and 李(Lǐ). Some family names comprise two characters, such as 欧阳 (Ōuyáng), 上官 (Shàngguān), 司马 (Sīmǎ), 东方 (Dōngfāng), 西门 (Xīmén), 呼延 (Hūyán), and 慕容 (Mùróng). Some family names originated from the totems of ancient tribes, such as 熊 (Xióng, a bear), 龙 (Lóng, a dragon), and 虎 (Hǔ, a tiger); some came from the name of the states or countries, such as 齐 (Qí, a state of the Eastern Han Dynasty), 楚 (Chǔ, a state of the Eastern Han Dynasty), 赵 (Zhào, a state of the Eastern Han Dynasty), and 秦 (Qín, a state of the Eastern Han Dynasty); some were named after the living places, such as 西门 (Xīmén, the western gate), 郭 (Guō, outer city wall), and 丘 (Qiū, hills).

 Taboos in Giving a Name 
According to Chinese tradition, there are some taboos when given a new name. First, you can not name after the emperor or empress. Second, the name can not be the same as your boss's name. Third, you should avoid the name of saints, such as Confucius, Mencius, or Laozi. Fourth, the name of a child can not contain the same character nor have the same pronunciation as the names of the elder generations.

 Nicknames in China 
In China, people do not call the other's full name among friends or relatives. Intimate friends usually call each other's nicknames. For relatives, the elder generations call the names or nicknames of the younger generations while the younger generations address the elder generations' ranks in the whole family, such as uncle, sister, and cousin. The nicknames in China fall into the following four categories:
A. 小 (Xiao, meaning little or junior) or 老 (Lao, meaning old or senior) plus the family name, such as 小李 (Xiao Li) or 老张 (Lao Zhang);
B. The last two characters of the full name (if the name contains three characters), for instance, 思远 (Si Yuan) is the nickname of 张思远 (Zhang Siyuan);
C. Double read the last character of a name, for example, 远远 (Yuan Yuan) could also be the nickname of 张思远 (Zhang Siyuan);
D. 阿 (A, a prefix which has no meaning) plus one of the character in the name, e.g. 张思远 can also be nicknamed 阿远 (A Yuan).

 How to Address a Stranger 
When addressing a stranger you do not know the name of, you should always show your respect. 爷爷 (Ye Ye, meaning grandpa), 大爷 (Da Ye, meaning grandpa), 奶奶 (Nai Nai, meaning grandma), and 大妈 (Da Ma, meaning grandma) are for the seniors; 叔叔 (Shu Shu, meaning uncle) and 阿姨 (A Yi, meaning aunt) are for the middle-aged strangers; and 大哥 (Da Ge, meaning elder brother) and 大姐 (Da Jie, meaning elder sister) are for the persons who are older than you; to address the strangers the same age as you, 美女 (Mei Nü, meaning a beautiful girl) and 帅哥 (Shuai Ge, meaning a handsome guy) are commonly used nowadays. 小姐 (Xiao Jie, meaning Miss.), 女士 (Nü Shi, meaning madam or lady), 夫人 (Fu Ren, meaning Mrs.) and 先生 (Xian Sheng, meaning Mr. or Sir.) are often used on formal occasions.

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