style name; courtesy name
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
courtesy name; style name; secondary name
archaicA traditional practice in historical China, used among peers and in formal contexts upon reaching adulthood. The style name often had a semantic connection to one's given name (本名). This term is primarily found in classical texts and historical fiction.
Zhū诸
gě葛
Liàng亮
，
zì字
Kǒng孔
míng明
，
“
Kǒng孔
míng明
”
jiù就
shì是
tā他
de的
biǎo表
zì字
。
Zhuge Liang's courtesy name was Kongming; 'Kongming' was his style name.
Zài在
gǔ古
dài代
，
péng朋
you友
zhī之
jiān间
tōng通
cháng常
hù互
chēng称
biǎo表
zì字
yǐ以
shì示
zūn尊
zhòng重
。
In ancient times, friends often addressed each other by their courtesy names to show respect.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Tā他
de的
běn本
míng名
shì是
Yuè岳
Fēi飞
，
biǎo表
zì字
Péng鹏
jǔ举
。
His given name was Yue Fei, and his courtesy name was Pengju.