The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-09
HOW THE CHINESE ARE NAMED.
High Claims Made as to the Logic
and Naturslness of Their system.

Cinnamon in New York city, in speaking
OF chinese nomenclature to a Sun re-
porter, said
Ine majority of the names that YOU
see on signs of laundries or tea stores
Kept by Cinnamon are simply fancy names
adopted for their suspicious Significance:
Tor instance. Hop Sing means deserving
OF prosperity 'Woh Loong' means sue
cess through concord, Nee wah' means
integrity and harmony They are sim
ply notices, having no reference to the
proprietor or the members of firm what
soever To call the proprietor of iaun-
dry Nee Wah' is as absurd as calling the
members of Sixth avenue dry goods firm
memo me impune lacessit'
Every properly constituted Chnaman
mas 1--WE names besides his surname or cog
nomen. The last is fixed and handed
down from one generation to another
Ihere are more than 300 patronymics
known I'm China, not counting those OF
naturalized subjects who originated from
Tartary. Their derivation is various and
instructive. and they embody in their Gu
rious hieroglyphic shapes many an his
toric truth and reference to dynastic
changes The family names of the first
Chinese ambassador to this country Chin
ana jun, were at one time. about 500 b.
G., the names of two principalities under
the CHOW kings. The descendants of the
great Shun. the ideal ruler in the golden
age OF China, were lords OF Chin The
descendants of one of the younger BROTH
ers Of WI. founder of the Chow dynasty
were the petty sovereigns of Jum II is
from this family that the present minister
to the United States Is descended,
THE family of WI comes from the feu-
dal system of China, which existed for
1900 years. 1t was abolished by the first
emperor of Tsin dynasty. He 1t was who
built the great wall.
10
personal peculiarities of those who first
bore them. Others were adopted on GER
tain occasions, as some grand events in
the lives of those who assumed them.
Patronymcs were known at the dawn of
the Chinese authentic history but were
not extensively used In company with the
praenomen in designation until Confucius'
time Confucius' family name OF Kung
was only In existence three generations
before he did II the honor of bearing II.
Kung means an aperture. Some men.
born near certain rivers and certain
places, took their names from them. A
few patronymics are double that is. con-
sistlng of two characters, and the history
of some of them is curious.
1.-THE name of Ou-yang. borne by n
former consul general In this city, was
derived in this way: An aged man named
on had no descendants except grand
son. who had married but who was un-
nleSSfu with n male Cnilu 10 ptdl the
honored name. The young man. being
sickly. died. leaving his aged grandsire
and young widow to mourn his death.
The widow. contrary to the custom OF the
country, and needless OF the entreaties
of the lonely old man, married again
young man named Yang. and soon after
her marriage gave birth TO a posthumous
son by her first husband. In the mean
time she had lost track OF Gu, whom she
supposed 10 be dead Time passed on and
the posthumous descendant of the Gus
became q famous man, having attained
10 the highest literary rank in the en-
pire. He took the name of his stepfather.
and had always been known by the name
Of Yang. But the old gentleman Gu was
not dead, as II was supposed, but was
living I'm retirement One day a fortune
teller told the old man what had befallen
his family and himself The old gentle
man was thunderstruck Abatement and
toy struggled IN his bosom for the mas
terry. He could not believe Il until he
had ascertained the truth of Il In person
He sought hts quondam granddaughter
in-law's house. II happened that his
great grandson was riding that day in
the direction OF the ancestral temple OF
the YanEs 70 pay his respects, attended
hy gay rctinue. and chance contrived
a meeting between them on the street
On. having learned who was In the Sc
dan. got close 10 its side and with a
cane IA his hand. began 10 bclabor him
the famous nteratus 81 the day. The at
tendants seized on. but on account of his
age refrained from injurinK him An ex-
PLANTATION followed After much wranE-
ling between GU ard the Yangs, a com
promise was made The Young man Dala
his respects 20 both the Gus and YanxS
by adopting the name OF ou-Yang.
The name Lee. which YOU think has
been assumed by me. IS merely my CHI
neso surname spelled with English let
tiers Ice IN Chinese meana a pit,yn
and IS Identical with Il. the surname nf
II Huns Chang But prefer tho long
sound IN double 70 she short: TO which
some may by mistake give the long
sound and make the name sound ike lie.
I have not the honor % being the rrea,
ministers relation I haven't the claim
Z % being even a toriy-hfth cousin. For
I Lee or II. IS as common IN China as
smith is here, and IS borne by a larger
I number % persons than any other name
Every male child born IN China Is arst
/ called by his milk name when he crows
l old enough 20 attend school he takes a
book name When he has learned the
mysteries ~ composition he completes Tor
I literary honors under an assumed name.
which Is finally adopted. when ne sue
I cessfuily passes his examinations ard OH
tains his degree his equals address hin,
BY another. either coined hy them or
adopted hN hiua- At his marriage he
adopts stili another called 'stvle
"In addition 20 those enumerated nick-
names are also common. They are an
tanciful We do not have any conven-
uoual Thomas Richard or Henry An
our names are words which mean some
thing and are taken from the dictionary
For example, Yam means by imperial "a
J Nor.' ana Phou or Foo, signifies wealth
that Is wealth by the emperor's favor
I Girls generally have only the milk name
I and oftentimes, especially when they
have grown 10 be women. they are sim
| ply designated by numbers according 10
the order OF their birth