Chinese Baby Name Selection
Aside from taking an astrological or metaphysics approach to selecting Chinese baby names, other methods include naming according to the parent’s expectation of the child, naming according to the seniority among siblings and naming after historical events. There are yet other methods but I will not cover them in this article.
A parent’s expectation of their child may include:-
- Moral Accomplishment e.g. ‘de’ 德 meaning ‘virtue’
- Good Health and Looks e.g. ‘ying’ 英 meaning ‘handsome’
- Wealth and Position e.g. ‘fu’ 富 meaning ‘rich’
- Scholarly Achievement e.g. ‘xue’ 学 meaning ‘learning’
- Safe and Smooth Life e.g. ‘ping’ 平 meaning ‘peace’
It can also include particular characteristics such as determination, capabilities and so on.
Naming can also be based on a specific naming method that is handed down by the ancestors. In this method, all its parents have to do is look up the family records and find the name already chosen according to what generation or branch of the family that the new born belongs to.
Naming after a historical event is also common. For example a child that is born during the year of independence of the country may be carry the name ‘guo’ 国 or country. In addition to directly referring to an event, the name can also be after a thing or a scene that symbolizes the event. For example the word Oak can be used to symbolize independence and freedom.
There is another method that is somewhat similar to the astrological or metaphysics approach but much simpler. The child is given a name that matches the time, day, month, year or season of birth.
For example those born in the year of the rat are expected to display intelligence and creativity but they may also lack a sense of security. Therefore a suitable Chinese baby for the Rat can be is ‘An’ 安 (meaning peace) or ‘Bao’ 保 (meaning protect).
Similarly a child may be name based on the season of birth. For example a baby girl born in spring may be called 春美 or ‘Spring Beauty’.
Finally whatever method that you use to select a suitable Chinese baby name for your child, here are some tips that you should consider.
First the name should have a good meaning. Second watch the number of strokes. Too many strokes and your child will have a tough time remembering his name and become disadvantaged when to come to filling forms! And third, avoid using names that have similar consonants and vowels or sound like tongue twisters! They are difficult to pronounce and to remember!
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