Generation Name
From Chinese Poetry
Chinese Names From A Poem
That's right. The Chinese have generation name from a Chinese poetry or poem.
(Oh, by the way... I just can't resist telling you this. The picture above shows my grandfather and his family. He was seated second from right in the front row. There were a few generations of family members there that I can see.)
This can usually be seen in 3 characters or more Chinese names. After the surname or family name, the second character is usually a generation name. Sometimes it can be the last character in the name.
Originally people live in a small community. Imagine during those times, Confucian teachings of respecting the elders were strongly inculcated in society. And perhaps to differentiate and respect seniority, they created generation names.
The male siblings in the same generation will use the same character in their names. That means my father and my uncles have the same middle name. And in my generation, my brothers, my other male cousins and I have the same middle name.
The females traditionally do not have generation names. Although the females in the same generation may share the same character in their names, it might not be what you think it is. It's probably to make it appear more orderly like the male siblings' names.
The poem or Chinese poetry were composed by the family elders in the clan. And when a new lineage was established through geographical emigration or social elevation, they will come together and compose a poem.
The generation poem lasts for a few generations depending on how long it is. Once it all the characters in the poem are used, the elders may compose a new one. Or recycle the old one.
My Ding family has a few poems too based on geographical location. Mine was supposedly following this:
The above generation poem is 16 characters long. It was composed for the 35th to the 50th generation. I am the 39th generation in the lineage. My son is the 40th.
Supposedly, my brothers and I have to use the 39th generation character - 才 cai. Well, somehow along the way, even my father and his siblings of the 38th generation did not use the generation Chinese character. It stopped at my grandfather's generation (37th generation). His name was 同術 Tóngshù.
Do you know your generation poem? Share it with us below.
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Have A Story About Your Name?
What's the history behind your family name or surname? How did your parents choose your given name? Or, if you are a parent, what inspired you to select that name for your child?
How long did your parents or you take to come up with the name? Was there a method that you use. Every name has a story behind it. Please share your story.
Your story will definitely help other parents in naming their babies. What's the name? What did your friends say about the name? Share the full details with us. I love history and long stories.
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