Traditional Chinese Naming: Ancient Customs, Bazi, Five Elements and Name Meaning

The Analects of Confucius, in the chapter “Zilu”, states: “When names are not correct, speech will not be in order.” In traditional Chinese culture, a name has never been merely a form of address. It has also been regarded as an important symbol closely connected with personal identity, family heritage and the hopes placed upon an individual.

There is an old saying: “Giving a child a thousand pieces of gold is not as valuable as teaching the child a skill; teaching the child a skill is not as valuable as giving the child a good name.” This shows the important position that naming held in ancient Chinese society. Whether based on the time of birth, family generation, moral aspirations, or the Bazi and Five Elements, ancient naming followed a number of careful principles.

1. Ancient Naming Customs

Ancient Chinese naming traditions were highly developed. Different periods, social classes and families followed their own naming practices. The following are some of the most representative traditional customs:

1. The Timing and Authority of Naming

   Under certain ancient rites, a child was formally named some time after birth. The name was usually chosen by the father or an elder within the family. Naming was not merely a personal decision; it also represented the family’s recognition of the child as a new member.

2. The Difference Between a Given Name and a Courtesy Name

   In addition to an official given name, an ancient person might receive a courtesy name after reaching adulthood. Men traditionally received a courtesy name after performing the capping ceremony at the age of twenty, marking their transition into adulthood. The given name was commonly used by elders or when referring to oneself, while the courtesy name was often used among peers and in formal social interactions.

3. Five Ancient Zhou Dynasty Naming Methods

   Shen Xu, a senior official from the State of Lu during the Zhou Dynasty, summarised five methods of naming: Xin, Yi, Xiang, Jia and Lei.

   • Xin: Naming a child according to the circumstances or characteristics surrounding the birth.
   • Yi: Expressing hopes for the child’s moral character or future conduct.
   • Xiang: Using an image or symbol related to the circumstances of the birth.
   • Jia: Borrowing the name of something from nature or another object.
   • Lei: Referring to characteristics associated with the father or family line.
4. Six Taboos in Ancient Naming

   Traditional naming also included certain taboos. Names were generally not taken from countries, official titles, mountains and rivers, hidden illnesses, livestock, or ritual and monetary objects, in order to avoid complications in administration, religious ceremonies or daily etiquette.

5. Naming Based on Birth Characteristics and Virtues

   Ancient people sometimes chose names according to a child’s physical characteristics at birth, the time of birth, auspicious signs, or the parents’ moral expectations. For example, Confucius was named “Qiu” because the top of his head was slightly sunken in the middle. Characters associated with virtues such as “benevolence”, “righteousness”, “propriety”, “wisdom” and “trustworthiness” were also commonly used to express hopes for a child’s character and moral development.

2. Family Connections: Generation Names and Clan Traditions

In traditional Chinese society, names were also an important symbol of family heritage. In addition to the surname, one character in a person’s given name often indicated their generation within the family or clan.

• Generation poems: Many families, particularly Hakka families and clans that place strong importance on lineage, use a traditional “generation poem” passed down from one generation to the next. Each generation uses one character from the poem to indicate its position within the family line.
• Example of a generation name: One family generation poem, for example, includes the phrase: “... descendants prosper, the family flourishes for ten thousand years; may future generations plan far ahead ...”. If a father belongs to the “Nian” generation, his child may use the character “Yan” as part of their name.
• Birth order: Ancient people also used “Bo, Zhong, Shu and Ji” to indicate birth order among siblings. “Bo” generally referred to the eldest son, “Zhong” to the second son, “Shu” to a younger sibling, and “Ji” to the youngest child.
• Changes in modern society: As family structures have changed, population mobility has increased and modern families have placed greater importance on individual choice, many younger people no longer follow traditional generation-naming systems strictly.

3. The Relationship Between Names and Metaphysics: Innate Destiny and Acquired Fortune

According to traditional Chinese metaphysical and destiny-analysis concepts, a person’s life is generally understood through the interaction of “destiny” and “fortune”. The Bazi, calculated from the year, month, day and hour of birth, is regarded as an innate condition. A person’s name, living environment, lifestyle choices and actions are considered acquired factors.

• Innate destiny: The Bazi consists of the year, month, day and hour of a person’s birth. It is considered an innate condition and cannot be changed through human intervention.
• Acquired fortune: Some schools of metaphysics regard a name as a factor that can be selected and adjusted after birth. For this reason, some people choose to change their name, adopt a stage name or select a particular company name in the hope of improving their personal image and future direction.
• The Five Elements in Bazi: Traditional Bazi analysis examines the distribution and strength of the Five Elements — Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth — before considering whether a name should incorporate particular elemental associations.

For example, based on a Bazi analysis, some metaphysics practitioners may select characters associated with Water or characters containing the Water radical. If the Wood element needs to be strengthened, characters such as “Forest” or “Woods” may be considered. However, naming should not focus only on whether an individual character belongs to a particular element. The overall Bazi, character meaning, pronunciation, written form and practical everyday use should also be considered.

4. Myths About Modern Name Studies: Auspiciousness Based on Stroke Counts

The “Five Grids” system, also known as stroke-count name numerology, is commonly found in modern naming practices. It calculates the Heaven, Personality, Earth, Outer and Total Grids according to the number of strokes in a name, and then uses different numerical interpretations to determine whether the name is auspicious or inauspicious.

However, this system is not the only standard used in traditional Chinese naming. It should also not be treated as interchangeable with Bazi analysis, traditional Chinese name culture or the study of Chinese characters and their origins.

• Stroke-count numerology was not the core of ancient naming: Ancient Chinese naming placed greater importance on character meaning, virtue, family heritage, birth characteristics, cultural background and social etiquette.
• Different writing systems may produce different stroke counts: Traditional Chinese characters, Simplified Chinese characters, Kangxi Dictionary stroke counts and modern dictionary stroke counts may produce different results. This can lead to inconsistencies among different schools of name analysis.
• There is no need to become overly attached to numerical auspiciousness: The most important qualities of a name are a positive meaning, pleasant pronunciation, ease of writing, memorability and suitability for the individual’s cultural and family background.

5. Examples of Good Names

A good name can create positive cultural associations and serve as a reminder or source of encouragement throughout a person’s life. The following are several representative examples:

• Liu Dehua: The character “De” represents virtue and moral cultivation. The name as a whole conveys positive and upright qualities, as well as the idea of possessing both virtue and ability.
• Yang Lan: The character “Lan” refers to waves and carries associations of momentum, breadth and ambition. The name evokes an open-minded and enterprising spirit.
• Qiu Fengjia: His father once gave him the name “Qiu Niantai”, expressing concern for Taiwan and the fate of the nation. This demonstrates how a name can carry the ideals of parents and the emotions of a particular historical period.
• Zhang Pinghan: He gave his children the names Rensheng, Yisheng, Zhongsheng and Housheng, together expressing the Confucian virtues of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and generosity.

These examples show that the quality of a name is not determined solely by whether it is unusual or whether its stroke count is considered auspicious. More importantly, a good name should express a clear and positive meaning and correspond with a person’s direction in life and the hopes of their family.