名 míng

名 simplified

名 traditional · same

míng

name · fame · reputation · (measure word for persons)

HSK 1 笔画 6 部首口 (mouth) 声调第二声 (rising)

笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

名 míng = 夕 xī (dusk, the crescent moon — evening has come) + 口 kǒu (mouth). The traditional analysis is as vivid as any in the script: darkness has fallen and you cannot see who approaches. So you call out their name — or they call out theirs. Identity must be asserted through speech when sight fails. The name is what stands in for the person when the person cannot be seen.

The oracle-bone form shows 夕 clearly: a crescent shape representing the moon low on the horizon, the same element used in 夜 (night) and 外 (outside, beyond the threshold). Above it, 口 kǒu opens to speak. Sound crosses the darkness; identity is secured. Name = voice in the dark.

From this image the character radiates outward: a name is what a person is called (personal name), what they are known for (reputation, fame), and — in philosophical usage — the linguistic label that should correspond to reality. All three senses inhabit the same six strokes.

名字 míngzi Name & Identity

名字体系 míngzi tǐxì · The Name System 名 míng = personal given name (used by intimates, teachers, parents) → 姓名 xìngmíng = full formal name (surname first + given name) → 名字 míngzi = name in general (the word you use in daily speech) → 名片 míngpiàn = business card (lit. "name slice")

名字 míngzi name (personal name, general term)

N 名词 míngcí

名 míng (name) + 字 zì (character; in classical usage, the courtesy name given at adulthood). In modern Mandarin, 名字 is the everyday word for a person's name — first name, full name, or nickname depending on context. Neutral register, universally usable.

你叫什么名字？

Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

What is your name?

这个地方有个很美的名字。

Zhège dìfang yǒu gè hěn měi de míngzi.

This place has a beautiful name.

辨析 biànxī · 名字 vs. 姓名名字 míngzi is conversational and general. 姓名 xìngmíng is formal — surname (姓 xìng) plus given name (名 míng) — used on forms, official documents, and introductions. When asked for 姓名, give surname first.

取名 qǔmíng to name; to give a name

V 动词 dòngcí

取 qǔ (to take; to select; to acquire) + 名 míng (name). The act of choosing a name — for a child, a product, a shop, a poem. In Chinese culture, naming a child is treated with care: classical allusions, tonal balance, auspicious characters, and avoidance of taboo names (especially those of ancestors and emperors) all factor in.

他们给孩子取名叫"明"。

Tāmen gěi háizi qǔmíng jiào "Míng".

They named their child "Míng."

这家店取名"书屋"，很有韵味。

Zhè jiā diàn qǔmíng "Shūwū", hěn yǒu yùnwèi.

The shop was named "Shūwū" — it has real character.

名片 míngpiàn business card

N 名词 míngcí

名 míng (name) + 片 piàn (flat slice; card). A "name slice" — the physical object that carries your name into another person's hand. Business card exchange in China carries ritual weight: present and receive with both hands, read the card before putting it away, never write on it.

请允许我递上我的名片。

Qǐng yǔnxǔ wǒ dì shàng wǒ de míngpiàn.

Please allow me to offer you my card.

量词 liàngcí · Measure Word 名 also functions as a measure word for people in formal or role-specific contexts: 三名学生 (three students), 一名医生 (a doctor), 两名警察 (two police officers). More formal and written than the general 个 gè. Use it when referring to a person in their professional or institutional capacity.

名声 míngshēng Fame & Reputation

声誉光谱 shēngyù guāngpǔ · The Reputation Spectrum 有名 yǒumíng (famous, known) → 出名 chūmíng (to become famous, to break through to renown) → 名气 míngqì (fame, star power — colloquial) → 名声 míngshēng (reputation — can be good or bad) → 名誉 míngyù (honor, moral reputation — always positive or at stake)

有名 yǒumíng famous; well-known

Adj 形容词 xíngróngcí

有 yǒu (to have; to possess) + 名 míng (name; fame). To have a name that people know — the most common adjective for "famous" in spoken Mandarin. Neutral in register, works for people, places, dishes, and brands alike.

北京烤鸭很有名。

Běijīng kǎoyā hěn yǒumíng.

Beijing roast duck is very famous.

她是一位有名的画家。

Tā shì yī wèi yǒumíng de huàjiā.

She is a renowned painter.

出名 chūmíng to become famous; to make a name for oneself

V 动词 dòngcí

出 chū (to go out; to emerge) + 名 míng (name). Your name goes out into the world — from unknown to known. The motion of reputation crossing the threshold of obscurity. Often captures the process of rising rather than the settled state of being famous.

他靠这部小说出名了。

Tā kào zhè bù xiǎoshuō chūmíng le.

He made his name with this novel.

这个村子因为茶叶出名。

Zhège cūnzi yīnwèi cháyè chūmíng.

This village is known for its tea.

名人 míngrén famous person; celebrity; notable

N 名词 míngcí

名 míng (name; fame) + 人 rén (person). A person whose name is widely known. Covers historical greats, contemporary celebrities, and anyone of notable standing. Context determines whether the register is elevated (historical figures) or casual (entertainers).

孔子是中国历史上最有影响的名人之一。

Kǒngzǐ shì Zhōngguó lìshǐ shàng zuì yǒu yǐngxiǎng de míngrén zhī yī.

Confucius is one of the most influential figures in Chinese history.

名声 míngshēng reputation; standing (can be good or bad)

N 名词 míngcí

名 míng (name) + 声 shēng (sound; voice; what is heard). What others say and hear about you — your name as it sounds in the world. Crucially neutral: 好名声 (good reputation) vs 坏名声 (bad reputation). The modifier does the moral work; 名声 itself simply denotes the fact of being talked about.

他的名声大了，责任也重了。

Tā de míngshēng dà le, zérèn yě zhòng le.

His reputation has grown, and so has his responsibility.

这件事损害了她的名声。

Zhè jiàn shì sǔnhài le tā de míngshēng.

This matter damaged her reputation.

辨析 biànxī · 名声 vs. 名誉名声 míngshēng is descriptive — the reputation you happen to have. 名誉 míngyù carries moral weight — honor that can be defended, protected, or lost. 名誉权 míngyùquán (right to reputation) is a legal term; you sue for damage to 名誉, not damage to 名声.

正名 zhèngmíng The Rectification of Names

哲学洞见 zhéxué dòngjiàn · Philosophical Insight

Analects 13.3: a disciple asks Confucius what he would do first if given charge of a state. The answer is 正名 zhèngmíng — rectify names. The disciple laughs at the impracticality. Confucius does not relent.

His argument, compressed: 名不正则言不顺，言不顺则事不成，事不成则礼乐不兴，礼乐不兴则刑罚不中，刑罚不中则民无所措手足。 If names are not correct, speech will not follow; if speech does not follow, affairs will not be accomplished; if affairs are not accomplished, rites and music will not flourish; if rites and music do not flourish, punishments will miss the mark; if punishments miss the mark, the people will not know where to put hand and foot.

This is a chain of social causation anchored in language. For Confucius, names are not labels we attach to things already understood. Names constitute the roles and relationships that hold society together. When a ruler rules badly but is still called "ruler," when a minister betrays but is still called "minister," the name has decoupled from the reality — and the whole structure softens. Zhèngmíng is the political act of re-coupling them.

The debate passed into the 名家 Míngjiā (School of Names), the Chinese philosophers closest to ancient Greek logic. Gongsun Long's paradox 白马非马 bái mǎ fēi mǎ ("a white horse is not a horse") forces the question: does "horse" name a species, or a concept? Does the name cover all instances, or only the abstract type? The School of Names produced no political system, but it planted questions about predication and universals that Chinese philosophy would wrestle with for centuries.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases

名副其实 míng fù qí shí the name matches the reality — living up to one's reputation Lit: name-correspond-its-reality. The Confucian ideal in four characters: what you are called is what you are. The opposite is 名不副实 míng bù fù shí — a name that does not match reality, a reputation that exceeds or misrepresents the substance.

名不虚传 míng bù xū chuán the reputation is well-deserved — fame not transmitted in vain Lit: name-not-empty-transmitted. Said when you finally meet someone or visit somewhere you've heard praised, and find it lives up to the hype. 果然名不虚传 "as expected, the reputation is well-deserved."

无名英雄 wúmíng yīngxióng unsung hero — a hero without a name Lit: without-name hero. Someone who performs heroic deeds without receiving fame or recognition. The tension between 名 (name, recognition) and 实 (substance, actual contribution) compressed into a phrase.

名正言顺 míng zhèng yán shùn the name is right and the speech follows smoothly — acting with proper authority and justification Lit: name-correct speech-flows. Directly from the Analects 13.3 argument: when the name is rectified, speech follows naturally, and what follows from speech can be accomplished. Used today when someone has the proper credentials or title to do something — "now that you have the title, you can act."

记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Retention Image

It is dusk. 夕 — the crescent moon is rising, light is going, shapes dissolving into silhouette. You hear footsteps on the path but cannot make out the face. So you call out: who's there? A voice returns from the dark: a name. This is the original act — identity made audible because it cannot be seen.

Every use of 名 carries a trace of that darkness. The business card (名片) is a name pressed into your hand in a room full of strangers. The famous person (名人) is someone whose name arrives before they do. And Confucius's 正名 is the demand that when you say a word, the reality it points to had better be standing in the dark on the other side — not a shadow wearing the wrong name.