The relationship between the names, characters and titles of the ancients can be simply summarized as follows: the name is in the correct form, the character is to express virtue, the title is to express the ambition, and the room is to express feelings. The origin of the name in traditional Chinese is unknown, but it has a history of at least five thousand years. In ancient times, surnames and surnames were different, and had the function of "correcting surnames and distinguishing marriages". That is, men are called by surnames to identify their lineage; women are called by surnames to identify marriages. Later, the clans and tribes were disintegrated, the slave society was eliminated, and the society developed, the surnames were unified and gradually stabilized. After thousands of years of evolution, there are more than 8,000 surnames used by Chinese people from ancient times to the present. It contains more than 3,500 surnames. There are more than 400 common surnames today. The "Hundred Family Surnames" compiled in the Song Dynasty is only a rough summary. In ancient times, surnames were a symbol of status and status, and only the aristocratic class were eligible to obtain first names. Later, during social changes and progress, it spread to all strata of society and was collectively called a name. Naming was a solemn and solemn matter for the ancients. It was believed that names would not only accompany people throughout their lives, but were also related to destiny. Three months after the baby is born, the baby needs to be named. The father names the baby and holds a solemn ceremony. The name is usually the baby's nickname, which is also commonly known as the "nickname". When children enter primary school at the age of eight, they will be given a scientific name, also known as their "real name", commonly known as their "big name". When naming, careful consideration should be given to the meaning, meaning and even tone of the name, so that its shape, sound and meaning are all harmonious and beautiful. This is "the name should be in correct form and the word should express virtue" ("Yan's Family Instructions") ·Principles of "Feng Cao Chapter 6"). The specific standards include the so-called "five kinds of names: trust, righteousness, image, falsehood, and category" ("Zuo Zhuan·Huan Gong Sixth Year"). Xin is named according to the characteristics and circumstances of birth. For example, Li Mengyang, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, was born when his mother fell into her arms in a dream, so he was named "Mengyang"; Yi is named after the characters of auspiciousness and auspiciousness. In ancient poems, There is a saying that "Ganoderma lucidum is produced due to sleeping in the open, and it resembles the three virtues and auspicious signs". The Ming Dynasty calligrapher Zhang Ruitu took its meaning; The largest bird in the world, good at flying high; Fake, that is, named after mountains, rivers, flowers, trees and other things, such as the great poet and calligrapher Su Shi in the Song Dynasty, "Shi" is the crossbar on the front armrest of the carriage; Class, that is, using words related to family and parents For example, the son of the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynasty was named Wang Xianzhi. The names chosen by later generations are mostly influenced by social status, cultural accomplishment, beliefs and hobbies, and the customs of the times. They may be praiseworthy, laudatory, metaphorical, inspirational, blessing, or auspicious... Although Chinese names are very complicated. , but one can always get a glimpse of a person's ethnicity, location, family, life experience, culture, upbringing, hobbies, etc. in a person's name. It can be said that the name is the Chinese character symbol with the largest amount of information, so there has always been a lack of scholars who specialize in the study of names. Wu Cheng of the Yuan Dynasty distinguished the name of Cangjie and said: "The ancient prose of Cangjie can be read like folding." ("You Tong Zhongzi Shuo") Wang Yun of the Yuan Dynasty once said: "The ancients used to make names, all with meanings and examples, and there are those who are named after their kind, so Those who are serious about their talents, those who examine their strength and softness and restrain them, or those who observe their arrogance and take it, are not just exaggerating based on their beauty." ("The Name of Zhang Yu's History") The name changes are also the same. There is a reason for the incident, and it is quite solemn. It is mostly done by the elders. Wu Cheng's "Postscript on Zeng Han's Name Change" says: "Li Lu, a Jinshi of Yimao, and Li Yue, a Jinshi of Wuwu, visited me in the past years. They were sick of their indecent and tame names, so I decided to The name was changed to make the name more meaningful: "In the past, Sima Changqing admired Lin Xiangru, so he was named Xiangru, and Gu Yuantan admired Cai Yong, so he was named Yong." ("Yan Family Instructions: Feng Cao Chapter 6". ) is a character that expresses virtue. In ancient times, when men were twenty years old, they had a coming-of-age ceremony, where they tied their hair and wore a crown. "Book of Rites": "When a man is twenty, he will be given a new name." That is, when he becomes an adult, he will create another name based on the meaning of his real name. Generally, it is to clarify the meaning and correct the name to show virtue. "Ritual": "When you crown it with a word, you respect its name." Therefore, the word is also called "Biaozi". From this we can see that the word is the elaboration and extension of the meaning of the name. Qian Daxin, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said: "Names are related to characters. Some of them have the meaning of inheriting each other, which means the character of "Yu Zhi", and the character of "Open"; some have the meaning of "opposite", the character of "Duo" means "convergence", and the character "Hei" means "clear". "Yes." ("Qianyantang Collected Works") This means that there are two commonly used methods of establishing characters: complementary or opposite. Those who follow the example of righteousness are like the great calligrapher Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty, whose nickname is Qingchen, while those who are righteous on the contrary are like Zheng Xie, the famous calligrapher and painter of the Qing Dynasty, whose nickname is Kerou.
In the past, when people met each other or wrote to each other, they often addressed each other by names instead of calling them by their first names to show respect. That is, "when a person is twenty years old, he has to be a father. Friends and the like cannot call him by his first name, so he calls him by his first name." Therefore, there is a saying that "praise means the character of the book, and derogation means the title of the book" ("Spring and Autumn Period·The Twenty-Fiveth Year of Duke Xi"). Calling people by their first names is impolite and unfriendly. When signatures of ancient calligraphers and painters wanted to include both the first and last names, the first and last names were usually written, such as "Kerou Zheng Xie", or the title was first and last, such as "Banqiao Zheng Xie" and so on. Most of the people who started the calligraphy came from seniors or teachers with high virtues and high prestige: "Tan Shi was crowned, and his father gave him the title of Zheng Gong. He was a friend of the public and was the one who wrote the calligraphy and speech. Fan San, please ask me again." (Wu Wu) Cheng Cheng's "Tan Shi Zi Shu") It can be seen that Tan Shi's Zi was a tribute to his father, elders and celebrities. I also know that choosing words is a cautious and serious matter. As Wang Yun said: "The ancients used fake names and characters to praise Tao, advancing and retreating based on their talents, not seeking victory but beauty." ("Wen Zongguan Zi Shuo") Yuan Dynasty man Hu Zhi once explained his four The meaning of the name and character of the son: "The ancients did not use good names for their names. This can be seen from Shen Zhi's reference to Duke Huan of Lu. Later generations often praised the beauty of the son, which is slightly meaningless and hardly worthy of reference. Four people with beards have sons, each with their own reasons. Those who are weak in nature should be warned, and the concubine should encourage them to strengthen their deficiencies in order to reach the middle. The eldest son is gentle and has little persistence, so he is called Zhi. Therefore, the name is Yun, with the courtesy name Zhongyun. The third son is dull and withdrawn, so he is named Yang, with the courtesy name Shuyang. The third son is mediocre and weak, so he is named Hong, with the courtesy name Ji Hong. It's not a compliment. You four should know it." ("Name Theory") The characters also include the rankings of Bo, Zhong, Shu and Ji. The names of the ancients were more complicated than those of modern people, but since they are all products of thinking, they are still a manifestation of their moods and mentality. Maybe it’s related to that time, or it’s related to that place, or it’s related to my mood, or it’s related to what I encountered. Most of them can reflect their thoughts, interests, hobbies, tendencies, etc. For example, when Huang Tingjian, a great poet and calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, was in Qianshan, Anhui, he called himself Valley Taoist because he lingered in the scenery of Valley Temple. After he was demoted to Fuzhou, he was also called Fu Weng. Huang Daozhou, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, spent his childhood sleeping in a stone room reading and cultivating his temperament, hence the name Shizhai. The calligrapher and painter Chen Hongshou wandered around Buddhism after the fall of the Ming Dynasty. He looked coldly on the world and called himself regretful. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, the calligrapher Fu Shan wore Zhu Yi (the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was named Zhu) and lived in a cave to show his ambition to resist the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, so he was named Zhu Yi Taoist and others. Zhu Da's nickname was Bada Shanren, and when he wrote the calligraphy and painting, the two characters "Bada" and "Shanren" were combined together, similar to "crying" and "laughing", to express his intention to mourn the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Gao Fenghan, a calligrapher and painter of the Qing Dynasty, disabled his right arm due to illness at the age of fifty-four, so he used his left hand to do calligraphy and painting, so he was nicknamed Shang Zuosheng, Ding Si disabled person, etc. Or it is called "the name, which means respecting his name, which is a more beautiful name". For example, Ouyang Xiu, a famous writer and calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, claimed that he was an old man, plus 10,000 volumes of books, 1,000 volumes of epigraphic inscriptions, a piano, a game of chess, and a pot of wine. "; Lu You was concerned about the world, despised the powerful, and was nicknamed "Fang Weng". Deng Shiru, a great calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty, lived at the foot of Wan Gong Mountain. He analyzed the character "Wan" and named him "Wanbai Mountain Man"...Wang Yanwu, a native of the Yuan Dynasty, said: "There are names in ancient times and characters in the middle ages. In the last days, the names may be used." ("Dai Zheng") "Chuanzhai Hao Shuo") Therefore, it is not uncommon for some calligraphers and painters to have multiple or even dozens of names in their lifetime.