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Meaning & History
From a combination of the characters 相 (xiàng, meaning “visage” or “chancellor”) and 如 (rú, meaning “like, resemblance”). This is the name of Lin Xiangru (蔺相如), a famous statesman and diplomat during the Chinese Warring States period (475 - 221 BCE). He is most well known for his role in two famous stories from the period, “Returning the Jade to Zhao” (完璧归赵) as well as “Carrying Thorned Grass and Pleading Guilt” (负荆请罪). Another individual bearing this name is Sima Xiangru (司马相如), a prominent poet and writer during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 9 CE) who changed his name to Xiangru due to his admiration for the Warring States figure.