Professor Chen Zhengui has published 100 books, including 10 university textbooks and two national planning textbooks.
1. Code of Ethics Naming Act
Chinese name is only a short word or two, but the meaning is very rich, therefore, the name needs to have a high literary level; moreover, people want to send meanings in the name from astronomy to geography, ancient and modern, all-encompassing, so the name must have a more comprehensive knowledge.
To sum up, the name is a reflection of human society, a condensed psalm, and an all-encompassing encyclopedia.
However, since the name reflects the concept of the times, does it mean that our current name has nothing to do with the past? Absolutely not!
Although there are many differences in the understanding of people throughout the ages, one thing is common, that is, to pin good intentions on names. Because there are many ideas that have been passed down from ancient to modern times, we Chinese the vast majority of names today have the same or similar meanings as those expressed in previous names.
As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, Shen Ru put forward the methods and regulations for naming names according to the social trends and people's ideological concepts at that time.
In the "Sixth Year of the Duke of Huan", it is recorded that in September, the son of Duke Huan was born, so Duke Huan discussed the origin of the name with the doctor Shen Ru, who said: "There are five names, there are letters, there are righteousness, there are elephants, there are false, and there are classes. And further explained: "Take the birth of the name as faith, take the virtue of life as righteousness, take the life of the class as the image, take the thing as a false, take the father as the class." ”
Shen Ru's "Five Laws of Naming" is interpreted in today's vernacular as follows: To name names according to the time of birth, that is, to "believe in being born by name"; to name names according to the expectations of children, that is, to "take virtue as righteousness"; to name names according to their appearance and disposition at the time of birth, that is, to "take the image of life"; based on natural phenomena, mountains and rivers, names of animals and plants, swords and swords, pens, and other objects, it is "to take things as false"; to name themselves after their fathers' names, looks, and interests (such as Huan Gong and his son were born on the same day, so they are named "tong"),that is, " Take from the parent as a class".
Then, Shen Ru put forward six taboos about naming names: "Not to the state, not to the officials, not to the mountains and rivers, not to conceal diseases, not to livestock, and not to use utensils." In addition, the Book of Rites and Qu also mentions the stipulation that "those whose names are not based on the country, not with the sun and the moon, not with hidden diseases, not with mountains and rivers", and further elaborated: "Disease, with hidden diseases, is abolished; if it is not with livestock, it is abolished with livestock; if it is not with utensils, it is abolished with utensils."
If Shen Ru's naming of the "Five Laws" tells the method of naming the Zhou Dynasty, its "Six Secrets" are typical of the authoritarian patriarchal law.
Fortunately, the law is bound to the week, and other countries do not need to avoid it. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the name of the Duke of Lu was "Shen", and the name of the Duke of Zhengzhuang was "Jia Wu", which contradicted "Not with the Sun and the Moon"; the name of the Duke of Jincheng was "Black Buttocks", (born with dark buttocks), and the name of the Chu Gongzi was "Black Humerus" (dark skin on the buttocks), which contradicted "not to hide diseases"; the Taoist Zhuangzi name "Zhou" in the Warring States period also contradicted "not to the country". It can be seen that the so-called "six secrets" are so perverse that they are so absurd.
The "White Tiger Pass Name" says: "People must be famous, so those who spit affection, make memories, and honor people are also." It can be seen that the meaning expressed by the name of the person, the word used, should not have any restrictions, as long as the meaning is good, the rhyme is good, and it is in line with the custom.
Of course, the meaning of the name can not contradict the well-known concept, throughout the ages, people think that a good female surname should be "quiet and elegant", if you have to do the opposite, the name "violent", "Lu", then the world really dare not compliment.
In ancient China, men were mostly named after concepts such as "five virtues", "four dimensions", "five blessings", and "three more". Yu Cheng wrote in "The Story of the Fluorescent Snow": "Now that I have a son, I take the name of the four characters of wenwu and wealth. The characteristics of the name at that time were explained:
(1) Named after the concept of "five virtues". Successive dynasties have taken the Confucian "five virtues" as the criterion for upright gentlemen, so there are many people who name names according to the concept of "five virtues". The Five Virtues are also known as the "Five Elements" and "Five Constants", which are divided into three categories:
(1) The five virtues of Confucianism: benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and faith;
(2) The five virtues of the general: wisdom, faith, benevolence, courage, and strictness; there are also softness, rigidity, benevolence, faith, and courage;
(3) The five virtues of filial piety: Zhuang, zhong, respectful, du and courageous.
The Five Virtues of Confucianism and Shang are often used in conjunction with the "Three Principles" and are called the "Three Principles and Five Constants". Xunzi Xi'er (荀子· 12子) notes: "The five elements, the five constants, benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and faith are also." The "Three Principles" refer to "the king is the subject, the father is the son, and the husband is the wife." Confucianism believes that the "five virtues" are the five moral standards that remain unchangeable. Therefore, people throughout the ages have mostly named themselves with the characters of "five virtues", such as Renhui, Renjie, Shuli, Shouyi, Chongyi and so on.
The general "five virtues" came from the grandson. The Art of War of Sun Tzu says: "The generals, wisdom, faith, benevolence, courage, and yanye." In addition, in the "Huainanzi Bing Strategy Training", with "soft and not rolled, rigid and not folded, benevolent and not criminal, believing and not deceiving, courage and not being able to override", the "five virtues" of the general are summarized into five types of "softness, rigidity, benevolence, faith, and courage". Most of the warlords of the past were named after this "five virtues", such as han xin, the great generals of the Han Dynasty; Ma Wu and Ban Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty; Huang Zhong, Yu Ban, Pang De, and Sun Jian of the Three Kingdoms period; Liu Yi, the general of the Western Jin Dynasty; Wang Zhenxi, the general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty; Yang Jian, the emperor of Sui Wen; Xue Yexiong, the general of Sui; Wei Chigong, Su Dingfang, and Li Xilie of the Tang Dynasty; and Shi Shouxin, the general of the Song Dynasty.
The "five virtues" of filial piety began in the Spring and Autumn Period. The "Lü Shi Chunqiu Filial Piety" takes "Zhuang, Loyalty, Respect, Du, and Courage" as the "Five Virtues" of filial piety and explains: "The residence is not solemn and not filial piety, the matter is not loyal and filial piety, the officials are disrespectful and non-filial piety, and the battle front is not courageous and not filial piety." Even the filial piety "five virtues" named after them, there is no shortage of people in history, such as Shou Jing, Shi Zhong, and so on.
(2) Named from the concept of "four dimensions". The concept of "four dimensions", namely "courtesy, righteousness, honesty and shame", began in the Spring and Autumn Period. In the "Guan Zi Herdsman", it is said that "the four dimensions of Zhang, then the king orders the line". "What is four dimensions?" One is etiquette, two is righteousness, three is honesty, and four is shame."
The "four dimensions" were originally the four guidelines formulated by Guan Zhong to assist Qi Huan in promoting the executive order, and posterity took it as a moral basis and mostly named it after the concept of "four dimensions". For example: Wang Shouli, Chen Qinlian, etc.
Chen Zhengui has published the "Eighty-Eight Laws of Naming" more than ten times, has a large number of readers, and published the "Practical Encyclopedia of Naming" in Guangzhou Publishing House in June 21.
(3) Named after Taoist concepts such as "Three Treasures", "Three Treasures", "Three Virtues", and "Five Virtues". Lao Tzu Li And Zhuang Zi Zhuang Zhou are representative figures of Taoism, both of which are based on "Taoist nature", advocating "Qi things and me, Qi right and wrong, Qi size, Qi life and death, Qi Gui and lowly, security and obedience, and leisure and self-sufficiency", which is "fatalism" according to today's saying.
There is a record of the "Three Treasures" in Lao Tzu: "I have three treasures, and I hold the treasures, one is kindness, the other is thrifty, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world." ”
Zhuangzi Tiandi on the "Three More" (Many Blessings, Many Lives, Many Men) said: "Yao Guan Hu Hua, Hua Feng people know, 'Yi, sage! Please bless the saints and make the holy life'. Yao Yue, 'Words, make the saints rich'. Yao Yue, 'Words, make the saints more men'. Posterity often uses this as a word of congratulations. For example, in the Ming Dynasty, Li Yu had the phrase "Long banner embroidered Buddha blessing three more" in the "Shen Luan Jiao".
The record of the "Five Blessings" can be found in the Book of Hongfan, "Five Blessings: One Is Shou, Two is Rich, Three is Kangning, Four is Good Virtue, and Five is The Ultimate Destiny". Virtue is the meaning of virtue of the good; the examination of the end of life, that is, the meaning of good and not to die.
Taoism is one of the three major religions (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism) in China, which has been widely spread for a long time and has a great influence on ancient Chinese culture and thought. Naming with Taoist ideas is a very popular method of naming. Most of the "Runaway Factions" represented by Tao Yuanming have a very strong concept of transcendence. Names such as: Mao Yanshou, Yan Keats, Wang Kejian and so on.
(4) Named after mojia thought. The Mo family and Confucianism are two schools of tit-for-tat, and the two schools are called "Xianxue". Mozi, the founder of the Mo family, vigorously advocates "both love and mutual benefit". In "Mozi", there is a discussion that "those who rely on their strength are born, and those who do not rely on their strength are not born", believing that "officials are impermanent and noble, and the people are not ultimately lowly".
Although after the Warring States period, many dynasties and dynasties have advocated Confucianism, Mojia thought is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there are not a few people who are named after Mojia thought, such as "Shangxian", "Shangtong" and so on.
Chinese thought and culture are mostly influenced by Confucianism, and the names are mostly based on it, so the changes in more than a thousand years have not been great. It was not until after the founding of New China in 1949 that people's thinking was renewed, and the names also reflected this characteristic, and many names called "Xinhua" appeared; in 1958, the Great Leap Forward, named after "Leap" and "Leap Forward"; in 1966, the "Cultural Revolution" began, and there were many names such as "Xiangdong", "Weidong", "Weiqi", "Xiaobing", and "Lixin". Regardless of the quality of this "new trend name", it is finally a bit "new".
In addition, Chinese has been dominated by Confucianism for thousands of years, and the concept of clan is very heavy, which is often reflected in the name, such as Shaozu, Xiaoxian, Yansi, Jiye, Nianzu, Xianzu, Shaoji, Yuezong and so on. The grandson of Yuan Ming of the Qing Dynasty was named "Zuzhi", which is named after him. Zhang Changzong, duke of Tang Dynasty, Tian Chengsi, a general of the An Lushan Department, Yang Jiye, a famous general of the Northern Song Dynasty, Yang Sichang of the Shangshu of the Late Ming Dynasty, and Yin Jishan, minister of the Qing Dynasty Wenhuadian University and minister of military aircraft, all named themselves with religious concepts. Other names, such as Hong Chengzuo and Xu Detian, are not so much called "clan concepts" as "small peasant consciousness".
Finally, it is worth mentioning the woman's name. Confucianism believes that "only women and villains are the most difficult to raise.". Influenced by this idea of belittling women, the social status of Chinese women has been low for thousands of years, and their names are often based on "three from four virtues" and "three virgins and nine spirits". The Zhou Li Tianguan says that the "four virtues" are "good morality, good speech, good appearance, and good deeds." The names of women in the past generations were "Zhen", "Shu", "Xian", and "Shun", and to this day, some people still give their daughters such names. Such as: Chen Rongzhen, Li Shuxian and so on.
October 24, 2021
Dear readers: From July 2, I will continue to publish the criteria for a good name, the idea of naming, and the method of naming, but how can I get a good name? For details, you can read the "Practical Encyclopedia of Naming".