The Origin of Taboo
The Chinese tradition of naming taboos goes back to Shen Xu's "Six Prohibitions" in the Zuo Zhuan
(706 BCE). The core concept is bihui (避讳, "taboo avoidance"): the Zhou people believed that
after death, a person's name must be avoided in speech and writing. A child's name should therefore not
duplicate the name of an existing state, office, mountain, or ritual object — because when the child died,
that important thing would have to be renamed.
"The Zhou people serve the spirits through taboo. A name, in the end, must be avoided."
— Zuo Zhuan, Year 6 of Duke Huan (706 BCE)
Over the following two millennia, the taboo system grew increasingly strict, evolving into
a complex web of rules governing names in every domain of Chinese life.
The Four Major Taboos
I
Avoid Elders' Names
A child must not share a name character with parents, grandparents, or ancestors. This "family taboo" (家讳, jiāhuì) is the most fundamental rule.
- Father's name, grandfather's name — all are off-limits for descendants.
- Maternal ancestors' names were also traditionally avoided.
- The Tang dynasty poet Li He (李贺) was famously barred from taking the imperial jinshi (进士) examination because his father's name was 晋肃 (Jìn Sù) — 晋 sounds like 进, making it a taboo conflict. The great Han Yu wrote a furious essay, Hui Bian (讳辩, "Defense of Taboo"), to protest this absurdity — but Li He was still denied.
II
Avoid Imperial Names
The emperor's name was a "state taboo" (国讳, guóhuì) — the entire empire had to avoid it. Violation could mean punishment. Historical examples:
- Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), personal name 政 (zhèng): the first month, 正月, was renamed 端月; the character 政 was substituted with 正 throughout the empire.
- Han Gaozu (汉高祖), name 邦 (bāng): the character 邦 ("state") was replaced with 国 in all texts, including the Shangshu and Analects.
- Han Guangwu (汉光武帝), name 秀 (xiù): the title 秀才 ("cultivated talent") was changed to 茂才.
- Tang Taizong (唐太宗), name 世民 (Shìmín): 世 became 代 or 卅; 民 became 人. The bodhisattva 观世音 (Guānshìyīn) lost her middle character and became 观音 (Guānyīn) — a name still used today.
- Kangxi Emperor (康熙), name 玄烨 (Xuányè): 玄 had to be written as 元 (e.g., 玄孙 "great-great-grandson" became 元孙).
Note: Imperial taboo was abolished after the Xinhai Revolution (1912). Today no emperor's name needs avoiding — but the elder-name taboo remains widely observed.
III
Avoid Inauspicious Characters
A name carries hopes and blessings. Characters that suggest misfortune, decay, or illness are traditionally forbidden:
- Death and disaster characters: 死 (die), 亡 (perish), 丧 (mourning), 凶 (ominous), 灾 (disaster), 祸 (calamity).
- Disease characters: 病 (sick), 疾 (illness), 疟 (malaria), 疯 (insane), 残 (crippled).
- Misfortune characters: 贫 (poverty), 穷 (destitute), 苦 (bitter), 弱 (weak), 孤 (orphaned).
- Folk tradition also warns against "extreme" characters like 霸 (tyrant), 极 (extreme), or 尽 (exhausted) — the ancient belief being that things reverse at their peak (物极必反), and a name suggesting ultimate greatness invites downfall.
IV
Avoid Unfortunate Homophones
Chinese has many homophones. A name must be read surname-first, aloud, and tested for unintended meanings. Famous (unfortunate) examples:
- 杜 (Dù) + 子腾 (Zǐténg) → sounds like 肚子疼 (dùzi téng), "stomach ache."
- 魏 (Wèi) + 生津 (Shēngjīn) → sounds like 卫生巾 (wèishēngjīn), "sanitary pad."
- 史 (Shǐ) + 珍香 (Zhēnxiāng) → sounds like 屎真香 (shǐ zhēn xiāng), "the poop smells really good."
- 傅 (Fù) + 祥 (Xiáng) → sounds like 父亡 (fù wáng), "father has died."
This is why Chinese naming requires reading the full name — surname + given name — aloud before finalizing. Dialect pronunciations must also be checked.
Other Common Considerations
- Don't reuse sage names: In some regions, it is considered disrespectful to name a child after Confucius (孔), Mencius (孟), or Guan Yu (关).
- Generation character order: Traditional clans use a shared "generation character" (字辈) for each generation; individuals must not deviate from the prescribed character.
- Gender distinction (weakening): Traditionally, male names favor "masculine" characters (刚 strong, 伟 great, 强 powerful) and female names favor "feminine" ones (芳 fragrant, 丽 beautiful, 娟 graceful). This distinction is fading in modern times.
- Avoid extremely rare characters: Overly obscure characters cause difficulty in reading, writing, and official registration.
In Conclusion
Chinese naming taboos reflect deep cultural values: respect (敬), caution (慎), harmony (和), and auspiciousness (吉).
Avoiding elders' names shows reverence; checking homophones shows prudence; choosing auspicious characters
shows hope. Imperial taboos are history now, but the principles of avoiding elders' names, unfortunate
homophones, and obscure or inauspicious characters remain wise practice. A good name is one that
sounds harmonious, carries beautiful meaning, and avoids what should be avoided.
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