Expert: John J - 9/6/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi... I'm so confuse about the meaning of a chinese name. Because it seems difficult to have a good chinese name. some one said my chinese name was bad,not good for my health. Then I changed it. lately my chinese friend told me, if I am using that name, I will have a terrible life.How can I know the right meaning of a chinese name which is can effects my life? Thank you very much.

ANSWER: Hi Imelda,

I feel sorry for your trouble. Coming up with a good name is def a tricky thing, even for the new Chinese parents, who often ask for help online. There are only general guidelines when it comes to name a baby, such as that the name must sound pleasant, mean something fortunate and contain the missing element of the Five Elements (which element is missing is decided by the time the baby was born. it is a superstitious and complicated thing.). I don't think the guidelines help much your situation. Really, naming is a case-by-case thing. It'd be safe to check your name with your friends before you make your final decision, and I am always here for ya.

Sincerely,

John

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi John, Thank's a lot for your answer. Your answer is really help me much. And makes me want to ask you more. About a chinese name generally contains the missing element. If I was born in 木 element, so I should have 木 character in my chinese name, example:木頭? Is that what you mean? How about the stroke's numbers? Is it has an influence also? Do you think the meaning of a chinese name is only superstitious thing? Actually I was safe already because my chinese name was given by an old chinese man who understand a lot of chinese names until my chinese friend says my name name is not good for me. That's why I'm confuse now. How come 1person says my chinese name will bring me a good luck and the other one says it will bring terrible to my life. It's funny...


ANSWER: oh Imelda, you got me! Naming is an extremely complicated process, which I know nothing of. I am really sorry, but what I can tell you is, that which element is missing is decided by the hour, day, month and year(in lunar calendar) in which you were born. Say if 木 is missing, sure you can simply put a 木 in your name, like 木头, or you can use 木 as a radical in your name, say 林, 沐, 霂 etc. I also heard that number of strokes does matter. some number represents 木, some other may represent 水. also the number of characters matter. given name of two characters is better than that of single character. Certainly, there are taboos of naming, for instance, a name shouldn't contain words that are horrible, such as "death" or "dark".

In modern times, a lot of tradition and superstition have gradually been lost. nowadays, those who still know such things are often fortune-tellers and scholars who study Chinese tradition and custom. And the rules of naming are not universal and can vary from places to places, since China is a vast land. I think this is why diff people may have diff opinions about the same name.

I am not an expert on this. Now I am very curious what your Chinese name is. Maybe you could tell me and then I'll tell you how I think of it?

Regards,

John

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well, my mom named me 笑妹. She got this name from a chinese girl's name in a movie. She saw this chinese girl was beautiful and attractive. One day I came to see an old chinese man who understood chinese names (I've told you already about him). He read in books of life that my chinese name was not good for me. Ha named me 右妹 which means very good fortune and health for me. He counted strokes, element, date, time when I was born. Lately my chinese friend told me that my element is 木 so it's better for me to have 林 to be my name. She also said I should not put water and fire in my chinese name. According to your answer I should put the missing element in my chinese name which I don't know. So it's better to put the element and avoid the element's apposite or put the missing element, or just abandon them all and keep 右妹 as my name. My other chinese friend told me it's better to change 妹 to 洁, because it seems funny if my dad call me 妹. Hahaha...So what do you think?

Answer
haha, I can't believe I haven't followed up this. Even months later reading your post still makes me laugh. You and your family are lovely! I dunno if you have made a final decision on your Chinese name, but I tell you this 妹 can be a very good name. There's one Taiwan singer called 惠妹, who is very famous and popular in both Taiwan and Mainland, so i guess there's nothing wrong to be called 右妹 or 笑妹, as long as you like how they look and how they are pronounced. Should you have any question, please feel free to contact me. Happy Chinese New Year (the year of Tiger coming on Feb 14 this year)

John