Generation name, variously
zibei or
banci, is one of the characters in a traditional
Chinese namePersonal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul". For...
, and is so called because each member of a generation (i.e.
siblingA sibling is a brother or a sister; that is, any person who shares at least one of the same parents.In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood with each other. This genetic and physical closeness may be marked by the...
s and cousins of the same generation) share that character, unlike
surnameA surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases a surname is a family name; the family-name meaning first appeared in 1375. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name". It is also known as a "last name". In some cultures, the surname may...
s or
given nameA given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s. Western names do not have an equivalent custom.
This table illustrates an example.
Where used, generation names were usually given only to males, although this does vary from lineage to lineage and has changed over time.
The generation name is a single character and is typically prescribed by a generation poem (
banci lian or
paizi ge in Chinese) specific to each lineage.
Generation name, variously
zibei or
banci, is one of the characters in a traditional
Chinese namePersonal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul". For...
, and is so called because each member of a generation (i.e.
siblingA sibling is a brother or a sister; that is, any person who shares at least one of the same parents.In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood with each other. This genetic and physical closeness may be marked by the...
s and cousins of the same generation) share that character, unlike
surnameA surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases a surname is a family name; the family-name meaning first appeared in 1375. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name". It is also known as a "last name". In some cultures, the surname may...
s or
given nameA given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s. Western names do not have an equivalent custom.
This table illustrates an example.
| Unit |
Chinese form |
Western form |
| Family name |
Generation name |
Given name |
| Father |
Xia |
Zhou |
Jin |
Zhoujin Xia |
| Father's sibling |
Xia |
Zhou |
Sui |
Zhousui Xia |
| Mother |
Shang |
Qin |
Tang |
Qintang Shang |
| Mother's sibling |
Shang |
Qin |
Song |
Qinsong Shang |
| First child |
Xia |
Han |
Zheng |
Hanzheng Xia |
| Second child |
Xia |
Han |
Li |
Hanli Xia |
| Third child |
Xia |
Han |
Yong |
Hanyong Xia |
Where used, generation names were usually given only to males, although this does vary from lineage to lineage and has changed over time.
The generation name is a single character and is typically prescribed by a generation poem (
banci lian or
paizi ge in Chinese) specific to each lineage. These poems can vary in length from around a dozen characters to hundreds of characters. Each successive character becomes the generation name for successive generations. After the last character of the poem is reached, the poem is usually recycled though occasionally it may be extended.
Generation poems were usually composed by a committee of family elders whenever a new lineage was established through geographical emigration or social elevation. Thus families sharing a common generation poem are considered to also share a common ancestor and have originated from a common geographical location.
Generation names may be the first or second name to follow the clan name. Normally its position is consistent for the associated lineage. However some lineages alternate its position from generation to generation. This is quite common for Korean names. Sometimes lineages will also share the same radical in the non-generation name.
Important examples are the generation poems of the
KongKong may refer to:* The fictional giant ape known as King Kong* Kong, Côte d'Ivoire, a town in West Africa* The Kong Empire , a former African state covering north-eastern Cote d'Ivoire and much of Burkina Faso* Kong...
and
MengMENG can refer to the following:* Master of Engineering , an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering* ɱ, the symbol used for the labiodental nasal consonantal sound...
family. During the
Ming DynastyThe Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history," was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, emperor Zhu Yuanzhang respected
ConfuciusConfucius , lit. "Master Kong," was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese thought and life....
and
MenciusMencius , most accepted dates: 372 – 289 BCE; other possible dates: 385 – 303/302 BCE) was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself.-Life:...
so much that he honored their families with generation poems. These generation poems were extended with the permission of the
Chongzhen EmperorThe Chongzhen Emperor was the 16th and last emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China. He reigned from 1627 to 1644, under an era name that means "honorable and auspicious".- Early years :Born Zhu Youjian , Chongzhen was the fifth son of the Taichang Emperor...
of the Ming Dynasty, the
Tongzhi EmperorThe Tongzhi Emperor , born Zaichun, was the ninth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. His reign, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother, the Empress Dowager Cixi...
of the
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
, and the Ministry of Interior of the
Beiyang GovernmentThe Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai. It was internationally recognized as the legitimate Government of the Republic of China...
.
A related, but uncommon, custom is the practice of giving two children single-character given names from a double-character word. In Chinese, most words are composed of two or more characters. For example, the word 健康 (jiàn kāng) means "healthy". A family might name one 王健 (wáng jiàn) and the other 王康 (wáng kāng). Another example would be 美丽 (měi lì) which means "beautiful". Daughters might be names 周美 (zhōu měi) and 周丽 (zhōu lì).
See also
- Chinese name
Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul". For...
- Chinese given name
Chinese given names are generally made up of one or two characters, and are written after the family name, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul". Chinese names can consist of any character and contain almost any meaning...
- Chinese surname
Hundreds or thousands of Chinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names , existed.The colloquial expressions...
- Korean name
A Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea. In the Korean language, 'ireum' or 'seong-myeong' usually refers to the family name and given name together. A long history of the use of family names has caused...
- Vietnamese name
Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. Like their Chinese, Korean, and other counterparts, this is in accordance to the East Asian system of personal names...
External links
- Ten untranslated poems: the Cantonese Lee
-Names:*Lee *Lee *Lee , in English-speaking countries, a common family name with several diverse origins*Lee , a Korean family name...
family
- Poem of the Nguyen of Vietnam
Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
- Generation Poem of the descendants of Huang Qiaoshan (871–953) of the Chinese Huang
Huang is a Chinese surname that means "golden yellow," or literally "yellow." While Huáng is the pinyin romanisation of the word, it may also be romanised as Houang, Hoang, Wong, Vong, Hung, Hong, Bong, Eng, Ng, Uy, Wee, Oi, Oei or Ooi, Ong, Hwang, or Ung due to pronunciations of the word in...
Clan.