Name Generation Customs and Naming Customs of Han Chinese in Sichuan Region in the Past

The word generation, also called the word faction, refers to the name used to indicate the family generation of the word (mostly for the name of the word in the middle), commonly known as pie. Its meaning is to cultivate the family, the people and rule the country, good luck, well-being, prosperity and development. The character generation is an important form of naming that has been passed down in China for thousands of years, and it is also a special "ritual" system in ancient China, which has been carried over to modern times. Due to various reasons, since the 1970s and 1980s, the word family tree has become strange to the world, this phenomenon is more obvious in the younger generation.

Ancient people have said: " give your son a thousand gold, not as good as teaching your son a skill; teach your son a skill, not as good as giving your son a good name ." This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the name, the ancient parents in the child was not born when the child's name will be pondered. In the view of the ancients, the name is not only a person's label and symbols, but also carries a person's spirit and love will, to a certain extent, can improve the luck and prospects.

In this article, we will talk about the name of the Han people in the Sichuan region in the past and the custom of taking names.

The Han Chinese name generation custom originated in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Northern and Southern Dynasties. At that time, some of the children of large families have been popular to name the character generation. By the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the custom of naming characters has been popularized in many areas. Before the 1970s and 1980s, most people in Sichuan were also named according to the character generation, and after that, the character family tree gradually became unfamiliar to the Sichuan people.

First, the word generation, family name and font size

(a) the word generation that is usually said that the word school, lineage, faction order, used to show that the family lineage of the same family lineage order of naming sequence.

During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the composition of the names of Chuan people is generally three words. The first word for the family name, which is the ancestor of the transmission, can never be changed. The second character is usually the generation character (there are a few families that put the generation character in the third character). The third character is taken by the parents, usually the father.

The name taken by the character generation is called "family name", "genealogical name".

According to the Ming History, Volume 100, "Kings of the World Table I" records: Hongwu years, the Great Ancestor saw his children and grandchildren, for fear of repetition in the naming of the Donggong and the North Kings of the lineage of each of the proposed 20 words, a word for a generation, and the provisions of the descendants must be based on the generations of the generations to take the double name, the previous word taken according to the generations of the next word is according to the "five elements" of the side (in the order of gold, wood, water, fire and earth) to take the name.

Ming Shu Wangfu town Shu more than two hundred years, successive Shu King are named according to generation, which has a great impact on the naming practices in Sichuan. To the middle and late Ming Dynasty, Sichuan has been widely promoted according to the word generation name. Such as Sichuan Guang'an Pu, at the latest in the fifth generation after its entry into Sichuan, has been named according to the generation. General Li Jiayu's ancestors, the Hongya Li family in the Ming Dynasty was also named according to the generation. The Qing royal family is also strictly in accordance with the name of the character generation, local officials and the general public also scrambled to follow suit.

In the early Qing Dynasty, foreign immigrants into Sichuan, a considerable part of the people are "the first immigrants" identity to re-establish the "word generation spectrum", but also some people are still inherited the use of the previous word generation spectrum. There are a few immigrants in the first into Sichuan, the original did not take the name according to the character generation, or the original did not have the character generation, but after two or three generations, but also set the character generation, so that the descendants take the name according to the character generation. Such as 6 kilometers northeast of Dayi County, Guo Jia Ba, Guo Shan Gou, gathered Guo family. Its first ancestor Guo Fu, in the early Qing Dynasty into Sichuan, then did not take the name according to the word generation, three generations later began to take the name according to the school generation so far.

According to the generation to take the name that is the family name. The name of the family, the Sichuan people usually call it "Da Ming".

The words used in the genealogy of the word, alone does not seem to have much meaning, but together, often a meaningful rhyme. Generally have the education of future generations, respect for the elderly and love for the young, upright people, loyalty and filial piety, poetry and books, and other meanings. There are several important principles: the ancestors set a good, the descendants of even greater patience, can not be changed; the same family lineage, the same words should be avoided; generation of the last word on the spectrum began to use, the head of the family or parents have the responsibility of the descendants of the new generation of the spectrum of the word, the new spectrum and the number of words should be the same as the old spectrum.

For example: Luo Jiang Li (Tiao Yuan) clan class generation sequence: "Chao Duan Chong Dao Yi, Tingji on the green side. Filial piety and friends of the family sound far, ancestral merit and virtue long."

The second generation sequence of the Pu clan in Guang'an is "Golden Palace Yaozu, Hua Ting Xianzong, Xinfeng Qingmei, Junfa Changlong, Jianxing Jiashou, generations of Maogong, Tianxi Yude, Yeguang Shanchong."

Suining Zhanjiang Luobu ditch Luo generation: "Shao Yuan Zhengguo, Si Deng court; Hong Kai Jingyun, Daqi Wenren; Vishay Guangxian, Chide Changming; Zhongxiao Chengji, plus the long new."

Shuangliu Liu family according to the "Zhou Yi" trigrams order generation, that is, Xian, Heng, Jin, Tai, Qian, Yi, Cui, Feng, with, rise, Fuxing, Ben, Xun, than, Shi, Meng and other sixteen hexagrams, and the provisions of the naming of each generation shall be in accordance with the order of the five elements of the phases of the order of the name, that is, water, wood, fire, earth, gold, as the name of the name of the side. Such as salty generation, the name must be fire as a side; Heng generation must be used as a side of the earth.

The generation of the Pujiang Li family is: "Hong Han Dynasty is boarding, the country as the family Kxing, Tian Xin Ren Ben in, Zu Ze generations of survival."

Dayi Anren Liu's lineage is: "Ying Chao Fang Han Ji, Shi Zong Gong Wen Yuan. The family's virtues have been honorable, and they have kept the Taoist principles and expressed their good words. The goodness of the work has a surplus of blessings, this fixed branch of the family. The world's most important and most important thing is that the world's most important thing is the world's most important thing.

Very few characters have two identical words, to avoid confusion, there are some specific ways to deal with it. For example, Danyi irrigation mouth Mou's character generation is "Bing Wen family is great, good learning into the industry. Cultivate one's body to respect morality and righteousness, and keep peace with good karma." There are two characters of Yip in it. The genealogy of the family clearly states that, when taking names, the generation of the first word of industry, must be placed in the double name of the next word, that is, the third word in the name; the second word of industry, placed in the double name of the last word, that is, the second word in the name.

(2) clan name Chuanzhong old custom, only the father or grandfather, or paternal elders have the right to take the child's clan name.

Its specific time to take the name, the various ethnic groups around the world is not entirely consistent. Some are within a few days of the child's birth, some are after the full moon, and some have to wait until they are three years old.

Many famous people in modern Sichuan, almost all of them are named according to generation.

Such as: Zhang Daqian, formerly known as Zhang Zhengquan, according to the Zhang family, "Zhengxin first sincerity" of the generation taken; Ba Jin, formerly known as Li Yaotang, according to the Li family, "Dao Yao Guozhi, the family celebrated Zecho long, diligently cultivate the virtue of the industry, the world of the book," of the generation taken. His ancestors moved from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, the newly established generation, Ba Jin for the second generation after entering the Shu.

Li Jieren's ancestors entered Sichuan after the fifth generation, began to take the name according to the generation. Li Jieren's father named him Li Jiaxiang according to the generation sequence of "Zhengdajie, poetry and books.

Customs in the Qing Dynasty, women generally do not take the family name, but also not formally take the name. Such as the original surname Zhang, married to the Li family, will be called Li Zhang's, the husband's name on the front, the father's name in the middle, which is expressed in the family name of the "married chicken with the chicken, married dog with the dog," "married out of the female, splash out of the water," the concept of society. Such as Li Jieren (1891 1962) great-grandmother Li Zhou, grandmother Li Peng, mother Li Yang, in many occasions can be shortened to Zhou, Peng, Yang.

The main function of the name of the family has three: reflecting my blood relations, so that the family descendants can be orderly, symbols clear inheritance, clearly reflecting the position of each person in the chain of blood; it is in the family name on the basis of the family name, but also to further strengthen the branding of the clan, in order to avoid future generations of children and grandchildren with the same clan marriage (it is more than the ancient period, "the same family name does not marry" and further), the family name is the name of the family.

"May 4" after the New Culture Movement, some media and progressives advocate "a system", opposed to the distinction between the human name for the family name and the name of two. However, the impact was very small, and only a small number of people in the cities responded, while the vast majority of people still practiced the two-name system. After the New Culture Movement, the government began to require that women should also have names in the relevant registries, and girls began to be given both clan names and number names. Many women who did not have names in the past were given names during this period. Unmarried women were usually given names by their fathers, while married women were given names by their husbands.

(C) font size

In the past, the Chuan people's name in addition to the clan name, there is a word, also known as font size, or number name. Font size and clan name, generally in the literal sense of some kind of connection. For example, Luo Ting said, the word Bozhang, in the court can speak, write the best article and, of course, this is the name taker hope that the heart of the son is too cut.

Li Jiabao people for his daughter to take the family name Li Yuanshan, according to the "distant mountains, such as Dai", Dai, eyebrow, but also for its name Li Mei, the standard saying: Li Yuanshan, the word eyebrow.

Take the name of a certain amount of cultural knowledge, the past Shuzhong rural areas are generally to be children "enlightenment" reading when the teacher, or fortune-teller on behalf of the take. 30 years later, the local government in the handling of household registration, conscription, taxation, school enrollment, recruitment and other registrations, the beginning of the implementation of the "system of one", that is, only recognize a system of "one".

At that time, most of the Sichuan people believe that the clan name is more dignified than the number of names, generally only for the clan to call, it is not appropriate to give outsiders casually called, generally choose the number of names to register the household. Therefore, the folk to implement the clan name, the number of names parallel system. At the time of the press and other media, also commonly used in the name of the family, the name and use of the approach.

After the 1950s, the people's government adopted the one-name system. Not only in the household registration, recruitment, recruitment, enrollment and other aspects of the use of a system, in the press and radio and other news media is also the use of a system. From then on, when families in general named their children, they also took only one name, and most of them took only the family name, i.e., they named their children according to their generation, and no longer took the number name. During this period, some families only take the clan name for boys, and girls take other names.

After the 50s, the traditional clan customs are recognized as "remnants of feudalism" and outlawed, the style of the Sichuan people's names also changed.

First of all, some people believe that the name is just a symbol without actual content, can be changed arbitrarily, and even think that the name according to the character generation is a factor of "feudal culture", to the total rejection. As a result, many people no longer take their names according to their characters. Many names related to political movements began to appear. For example, the war against the United States and North Korea related to the "anti-American", "aid to North Korea" and so on. "Cultural Revolution", the people had a big change in the old name, a "Weidong", "Weihong", "Yongge", The name "Xiangdong" and other names with fashionable characteristics appeared in large numbers.

80 90's, the folk and the custom of taking a single name. The vast majority of babies born in this period of single name, renamed, with a high proportion of the name, from the name has been indistinguishable from the generation of blood, easy to appear in the adverse consequences of inbreeding.

(I) the characteristics of the era

The Sichuan people take names, in addition to the above-mentioned names according to the word generation, there are some interesting features. From the urban-rural distinction, rural people take names more rustic, city people take names more elegant. From the industry point of view, the businessman to take the name of money, the military to take the name of heavy military, teachers to take the name of Confucian flavor heavier.

From the point of view of the characteristics of the era, each era has a variety of times the name of the word characteristics. For example: the Qing Dynasty Republican period, the Sichuan name commonly used and traditional culture, traditional thinking, traditional moral standards related to the word: loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, integrity, Huizhou, Ting, Xi and so on. Secondly, there is often the custom of taking names according to the ranking sequence. Commonly:

1, to the order of the uncle, Chung, quarter, the third word according to the generation with the word;

2, to the gold, wood, water, fire, earth "five elements" for the order of the specific method of taking a lot of: (1) the use of its side words: such as the oldest name, the use of gold next to the iron, copper, beryllium, shine, etc., the oldest name, the use of wood next to the phase, fern, beryllium, shine, etc., the oldest name, the use of (2) Use words with the same attributes and similar meanings, such as: gold and copper, wood and tree, water and snow, fire and thunder, fire, sun, earth and mountain. (3) Straight use of this word. 3, the number of columns in order, according to the big, two, three, four, five called down.

In early 1950, the liberation of Sichuan, some people will use the "liberation", "newborn" to name the child. 1958 set off the "Great Leap Forward", "Three Red Flags", "People's Commune" climax, many people will be "Leap", "Leap Forward", "Red Flag", "Gong", "She", "Commune". After the Great Leap Forward, it was once fashionable to give children single names in towns and cities, such as Zhang Wei, Li Wei, Wang Jun, this type of single name, almost everywhere.

In the 60s and 70s, the love of "red", "east", "soldiers", "guards" to the child's name. From the traditional concept. Until the 70s, the Sichuan people generally want to have more children, which is also reflected in the name. Many people to the first child named "get (de) group", is the hope that a group of people; such as the first child is a daughter, some will be named "recruit (Chao, call) brother", "Sheng Di", "hope to attract a younger brother. I hope to attract a younger brother.

After the 80s, some people gave their children "foreign names"; in the 90s, computers, the Internet has become fashionable, some people love to use computers, the Internet in the terminology of the child's name, such as: Mo-ton, Int. The custom of taking more than a single name, resulting in primary and secondary schools, students with the same surname and name of the common phenomenon, causing many unnecessary misunderstandings.

(ii) the little name

The little name is also called milk name, young name, milk name. Generally on the day of the child's birth or a few days after the child's name, not elegant. Both parents have the right to give their children nicknames, and even other elders, neighbors, and older brothers can give their children nicknames. The Chuan people believe that it is easier for a child to grow up if he or she is given a cheaper name. Therefore, the "dog wazi", "Li wazi" category is common.

There is also a class of birth order, called "big baby", "two baby", "three baby", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister", "big sister". ", "youngest sister" and so on. Guo Moruo once wrote: "My mother said that when I was conceived, I was dreaming of a baby leopard biting the tiger's mouth on her left hand, and then woke up with a start. Therefore, my breast name was Wen Pao." Li Jieren was born just after the Duanyang Festival, his parents named him "DuanDuan", commonly known as "DuanWaZi".

(C) nicknames, nicknames, gags

Sichuan folk also for people with nicknames, nicknames, gags custom. Generally taken by outsiders, the parties do not necessarily know, agree. Some of the parties are also very offensive to these nicknames.

There are several ways to take the following:

According to the physical appearance of the take. Face with pockmarks, often according to their surnames as "hemp"; short stature, often called "short"; tall men, it is called "big man"; foot disability, often according to their surnames, called their "big man". Often, according to their surnames, they are called "among #", etc.; hand disability, they are called "claw hand"; long fat, they are called "fat"; wearing glasses, they are called "glasses" or "glasses" or "glasses". For those who wear glasses, they are called "glasses" or "four-eyed dogs". After entering the 80s, outsiders do not recognize the young men wearing glasses, often referred to as "eye brother".

According to the occupation taken.

According to the occupation. For example, Wang surnamed the pot maker, acquaintances will call it "Wang Mending Pot". 80s, the male cab drivers, often referred to as "brother", the female driver is called "sister".

According to its deeds taken: the late Qing Dynasty Chuan Governor Zhao Erfeng, killing a lot of people, folk called it "Zhao Butcher". Li Jieren is older in the class, and very appealing, students called him "Li Da" and "Jing Gong".

According to the high degree taken: such as Dr. Sun's surname, often called Dr. Sun.

(d) pen names

Most popular among the intellectual class. The reasons for the use of pen names are extremely complex. In the old days to avoid the "word prison", many intellectuals in the publication of articles, all with a pen name. Such as the famous Sichuan scholar Guo Moruo used more than 30 pen names. The famous Sichuan writer Li Jiacai people when he was young, often used "old lazy" as a pen name to write novels. Li Yaotang pen name Ba Jin. This custom to the "Cultural Revolution" period still exists. 80's, the number of published works and its impact on the size and so on, and assessment of technical titles linked to a substantial reduction in the use of pen names. Today, only in the literary world.