Ancient name taboos: what were the taboos on names in ancient times?

However, the tradition of emphasizing names does not seem to have existed since ancient times. From the Yin dynasty oracle bones, the name of the emperor can be found, but also just randomly named by the stem, such as Wuding, Taijia, Pan Geng, and so on. Casually open the history to see, those extraordinary characters who have become prime ministers, their names will be coarse to the point of "vulgar and powerful". Like Sima Xiangru's nickname is called the dog, Fan Ye called brick, Huan Xi called stone, etc., these big people's nickname is not so bad.

Of course, this is actually the same naming custom that is still prevalent in folklore, and it's better to call a child's name cheap. In addition to the name is not inevitably cheesy, the ancients of the name of the male and female differences are not very careful. Today, as long as we see Wu Xiong, root Wang and other big names, we know that it must be a seven-foot bearded men; and hear Shuzhen, Limei and other names, will certainly imagine that it is a graceful and lovely fair lady. But this kind of association in ancient times is not necessarily fulfilled. For example, Mencius? The heart of the chapter" mentioned that the empty-handed tiger warrior, his name is called "Feng women"; and "Zuo Zhuan" in the first king Lu Yindong, his name is called "Xigu". If you only rely on these two brothers "name" to imagine, will only think it is a woman disguised as a man, and can recognize him as a male and female it?

I don't know when to start, people began to pay attention to their own names, always hope that they are developed, not because of the name and was looked down upon by others. Especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties, all the townspeople, whether it is a fortune of the rich, or sitting on the land of the landlord, all attached to the elegance of the small name, some elegant or official name, trying to make people look at it differently. So at that time, the popular ditty was sung like this: "black rice call Ziliang, selling meat call Zhongfu, open selling rice call Junbao, grinding face Denro called Dewu."

It is also because of the popularity of this kind of "name" is not amazing death of the name, so the really rich and powerful people, naturally do not want those who should be called a cat or a dog of the common people to fish eyes to pearls, and even more forbidden to the ordinary people in the speech or the line of writing to mention his own name, and even the similar sound is not allowed. One of the most famous examples is the idiom of "Only the state officials are allowed to set fire, not the people are allowed to light lamps", which has been widely spread in later generations.

In the history of the most famous for the text against avoiding taboo, probably the Tang dynasty Han Yu's piece of "taboo defense". That is to say, the Tang Dynasty Zheng Wang descendant Li He, word Chang Ji, 7 years old, poetry, literary fame, Han Yu advised him to go to the entrance examination. However, after Li He won the entrance examination, other people slandered him, saying that Li He's father's name was "Jin Su", because of the taboo of "enter the scholar", Li He should not go to the entrance examination, so Han Yu defended him with the article "Defend the Taboo". In fact, as early as in the Ritual Prostrate Qu Li, there is "two names do not bias taboo", meaning that taboo as long as the two words do not exactly the same can be, not to mention that "Jinsu" and "Jinshi" only The first is that it is not the same as the first word.

In the feudal society in the past, in addition to avoiding the name to pay attention to the sound of the word, but also to guard against the meaning of the word caused by the "offense" or "conspiracy" and other inappropriate associations. Even in modern times, there are still some stories of disaster due to "name" from time to time. For example, during the Cultural Revolution, there was an incident in which a person was convicted because of his name; in 1949, when the new China was first established, a farmer surnamed Li named his son Li Aiguo (李爱国), and when his second son was born, he thought that his name was Li Aiguo (李爱国). Later, when his second son was born, he thought that the new China emphasized that the people were the masters of their own house, and thus named him Li Aimin. So he named him Li Aimin. When he named his third son, he thought it was all the Party's fault that the people were able to be the masters of their own house, so he named him Li Aipang. These three names at first glance seems to be good, but the "Cultural Revolution" began, the family was in bad luck. Some people reported his three sons named Li Aiguo, Li Aimin and Li Aipang, which is clear that he is still in love with " *** ", so they will be criticized, and let him explain the inner dirty thoughts. Until the "Gang of Four" collapsed after the end of the Cultural Revolution, this farmer only reversed the case back to freedom. But his own life and the life of his three sons, but because of the three political flavor is too strong name, leaving a scar that will never heal.