Generation name
Encyclopedia
Generation name, variously zibei or banci, is one of the characters in a traditional Chinese name
, and is so called because each member of a generation (i.e. sibling
s and cousin
s of the same generation) share that character, unlike surname
s or given name
s. Western names do not have an equivalent custom.
Where used, generation names were usually given only to males, although this does vary from lineage to lineage and has changed over time.
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.
Important examples are the generation poems of the Kong
and Meng
family. During the Ming Dynasty
, Emperor Jianwen
respected Confucius
and Mencius
so much that he honored their families with generation poems. These generation poems were extended with the permission of the Chongzhen Emperor
of the Ming Dynasty, the Tongzhi Emperor
of the Qing Dynasty
, and the Ministry of Interior of the Beiyang Government
. Another notable generation poem is the Nguyễn dynasty's Đế hệ thi (帝係詩 ‘Poem of the Generations of the Imperial Family’), created by Minh Mạng
emperor.
A related, but uncommon, custom is the practice of giving two children characters from a multiple-syllabic word. In Chinese, most words are composed of two or more syllables. For example, by taking apart the word jiàn-kāng 健康 (‘healthy’), the Wang family might name one son Wáng Jiàn (王健) and the other Wáng Kāng (王康). Another example would be měi-lì 美丽 (‘beautiful’). Daughters of the Zhous might be names Zhōu Měi (周美) and Zhōu Lì (周丽).
Besides the Han
majority, the Muslim Hui
also widely employed generation names, which they call lunzi paibie . For instance, in the Na family, the most recent five generations were used the characters Wan, Yu, Zhang, Dian, and Hong; however, it is slowly phasing out of practice since the government began keeping public records of genealogy. And for the Han majority
for whom the one-child policy
was implemented until 2007, the generation name was rendered irrelevant in a nuclear family.
’), Zhì (智 ‘wisdom’), Yuán (圆 ‘Complete/All-embracing’), Pǔ (普 ‘universal’), Jué (觉 ‘Enlightenment
’), Shàn (善 ‘Skilful/Virtuous’). The characters demonstrated belonging to a devotionalist group with a social status close to the family one. The affiliation character Miào (妙 ‘Profound/Marvellous’) usually was used by women, relating them to Guanyin, as Miàoshàn (妙善) was her name at birth.
In a same way, taking the monastic vows meant the break with the family lineage, which was shown by application of the surname Shì (释, Thích in Vietnam) in one's Dharma name
, the first character of the Shakyamuni Buddha's name in Chinese, Shìjiāmóuní (释迦牟尼).
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"...
, and is so called because each member of a generation (i.e. sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s and cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
s of the same generation) share that character, unlike surname
Surname
A 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. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s or given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first 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.
Where used, generation names were usually given only to males, although this does vary from lineage to lineage and has changed over time.
Generation poem
The sequence of generation is typically prescribed and kept in record by a generation poem (banci lian or paizi ge in Chinese) specific to each lineage. While it may have a mnemonic function, 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.
Important examples are the generation poems of the Kong
Kong
Kong may refer to:* King Kong, a fictional giant ape appearing in several films and other works* Kōng, a concept in Chinese Zen Buddhism* Kong * KONG , a television station in Washington, United States...
and Meng
Meng
Meng can refer to the following:* Master of Engineering , an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering, the symbol used for the labiodental nasal consonantal sound...
family. During the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also 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 Jianwen
Emperor Jianwen
Emperor Jianwen may refer to:* Emperor Jianwen of Jin * Emperor Jianwen of Liang * Jianwen Emperor , Ming Emperor who reigned during the Jianwen era...
respected Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Mencius
Mencius
Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself.-Life:Mencius, also known by his birth name Meng Ke or Ko, was born in the State of Zou, now forming the territory of the county-level city of Zoucheng , Shandong province, only thirty kilometres ...
so much that he honored their families with generation poems. These generation poems were extended with the permission of the Chongzhen Emperor
Chongzhen Emperor
The 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 :...
of the Ming Dynasty, the Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor
The Tongzhi Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro Dzai Šun, was the tenth 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...
of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, and the Ministry of Interior of the Beiyang Government
Beiyang Government
The 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. The name comes from the Beiyang Army which dominated...
. Another notable generation poem is the Nguyễn dynasty's Đế hệ thi (帝係詩 ‘Poem of the Generations of the Imperial Family’), created by Minh Mạng
Minh Mang
Minh Mạng was the second emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 14 February 1820 until 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Canh, had died in 1801...
emperor.
Practice
Generation names may be the first or second character in a given name. Normally this 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.A related, but uncommon, custom is the practice of giving two children characters from a multiple-syllabic word. In Chinese, most words are composed of two or more syllables. For example, by taking apart the word jiàn-kāng 健康 (‘healthy’), the Wang family might name one son Wáng Jiàn (王健) and the other Wáng Kāng (王康). Another example would be měi-lì 美丽 (‘beautiful’). Daughters of the Zhous might be names Zhōu Měi (周美) and Zhōu Lì (周丽).
Besides the Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
majority, the Muslim Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
also widely employed generation names, which they call lunzi paibie . For instance, in the Na family, the most recent five generations were used the characters Wan, Yu, Zhang, Dian, and Hong; however, it is slowly phasing out of practice since the government began keeping public records of genealogy. And for the Han majority
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
for whom the one-child policy
One-child policy
The one-child policy refers to the one-child limitation applying to a minority of families in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China . The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy...
was implemented until 2007, the generation name was rendered irrelevant in a nuclear family.
Table with example family
This table illustrates an example.| Unit | Chinese form | Full name | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family name | Generation name | Given name | ||
| Father | Xia | Zhou | Jin | Xia Zhoujin |
| Father's sibling | Xia | Zhou | Sui | Xia Zhousui |
| Mother | Shang | Qin | Tang | Shang Qintang |
| Mother's sibling | Shang | Qin | Song | Shang Qinsong |
| First child | Xia | Han | Zheng | Xia Hanzheng |
| Second child | Xia | Han | Li | Xia Hanli |
| Third child | Xia | Han | Yong | Xia Hanyong |
Affiliation character
In place of a biological generation, the character could be used as an indicator of seniority and peer groups in religious lineages. Thus, in the lay Buddhist circles of Song and Yuan times, it could be Dào (道 ‘DharmaDharma (Buddhism)
Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism can have the following meanings:* The state of Nature as it is * The Laws of Nature considered collectively....
’), Zhì (智 ‘wisdom’), Yuán (圆 ‘Complete/All-embracing’), Pǔ (普 ‘universal’), Jué (觉 ‘Enlightenment
Bodhi
Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
’), Shàn (善 ‘Skilful/Virtuous’). The characters demonstrated belonging to a devotionalist group with a social status close to the family one. The affiliation character Miào (妙 ‘Profound/Marvellous’) usually was used by women, relating them to Guanyin, as Miàoshàn (妙善) was her name at birth.
In a same way, taking the monastic vows meant the break with the family lineage, which was shown by application of the surname Shì (释, Thích in Vietnam) in one's Dharma name
Dharma name
A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism. The name is traditionally given by a Buddhist monastic, but is also given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity....
, the first character of the Shakyamuni Buddha's name in Chinese, Shìjiāmóuní (释迦牟尼).
See also
- Chinese nameChinese 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"...
- Chinese given nameChinese given nameChinese 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 read "Smith John-Paul". Chinese names can consist of any character and contain almost any meaning...
- Chinese surnameChinese surnameChinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names , existed.The colloquial expressions laobaixing...
- Chinese given name
- Korean nameKorean nameA 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...
- Vietnamese nameVietnamese nameVietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the Sinosphere , but is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in having a...
External links
Examples of generation poems:- Ten untranslated poems: the Cantonese Lee family
- Generation Poem of the descendants of Huang Qiaoshan (871–953) of the Chinese HuangHuangHuang 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 Huong, Houang, Hoang, Wong, Hwong, Vong, Hung, Hong, Bong, Eng, Ng, Uy, Wee, Oi, Oei, Oey, or Ooi, Ong, Hwang, or Ung due to pronunciations...
Clan. - Shaolin lineage poem: used by monks at the Shaolin Temple. The poem represents the continuity of Dharma transmissionDharma transmissionDharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...