名字

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 名字 (míngzi) for "name" is composed of two characters: 名 (míng) and 字 (zì). The character 名 originally meant "to call" or "to name," and it is often used in the sense of a person's given name or first name. The character 字, on the other hand, originally meant "a written character" or "a word," and it is often used in the sense of a person's courtesy name or style name. In ancient China, people often had both a given name and a courtesy name, and the courtesy name was typically used in formal or respectful contexts. Over time, the distinction between given names and courtesy names became less clear, and the character 名字 came to be used more generally to refer to a person's name.The word 名字 is also sometimes used in a more abstract sense to refer to a person's reputation or fame. For example, the phrase 名垂青史 (míngchuíqīngshǐ) means "to have one's name go down in history," and the phrase 名扬四海 (míngyángsìhǎi) means "to be famous throughout the world." In these cases, the word 名字 is not simply referring to a person's given name or courtesy name, but rather to their overall reputation or legacy.