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ArchivesRe: Is there anyone who wants to discuss about Chinese names?
in reply to a message by Rose Yuen
Would names from Chinese mythology be unusual for an actual person to use? For instance, Caishen, who was the god of wealth, sounds like a neat name for a character, but would it seems out of place on a regular person?
The name Xifeng sounds cool to me, but are names from "Dream of the Red Chamber" in use or would it be considered old-fashioned or literary?
The name Xifeng sounds cool to me, but are names from "Dream of the Red Chamber" in use or would it be considered old-fashioned or literary?
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No literary or mythology names would be put in actual use, neither a real person nor a fictional character. In Chinese names, if you find any namesake for your name, it would be like a ban. So many parents would type their drafted name on Google and see is there any results that is about famous people. If yes, discard/change the name. If there is only records (eg: awards he/she got in elementary school) which is obviously a normal people, then you may use it.
Using your example Caishen, it is in fact consisted of two words in Chinese, Cai, which means wealth, and Shen, which means God. It sounds more like a title than a name to me, and it would be extremely strange to call a person "god". However, Cai was a popular word for names (it would be better to describe in this way) when it comes to older people (in Hong Kong) since people are a lot richer from 70s and hoping for wealth in children's names look old-fashioned and uncultured.
Off-topic: Athena was a popular name in Hong Kong in late 2000s, but it was seen more like a hippie name and "would be unacceptable for locals" because of the same reason Caishen is inappropriate.
Using your example Caishen, it is in fact consisted of two words in Chinese, Cai, which means wealth, and Shen, which means God. It sounds more like a title than a name to me, and it would be extremely strange to call a person "god". However, Cai was a popular word for names (it would be better to describe in this way) when it comes to older people (in Hong Kong) since people are a lot richer from 70s and hoping for wealth in children's names look old-fashioned and uncultured.
Off-topic: Athena was a popular name in Hong Kong in late 2000s, but it was seen more like a hippie name and "would be unacceptable for locals" because of the same reason Caishen is inappropriate.
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Thank for your response. The breakdown of Caishen explains why it would be considered over the top.
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