名字
míngzi · HSK 1
name
📛 名 (name) + 字 (character) = the characters that form your name
名 originally meant a personal name called out in the dark (夕 evening + 口 mouth). 字 means written character. Together: the written characters of one's given name.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.
字 — roof 宀 + child 子
Originally depicted a child 子 under a roof 宀, suggesting birth or rearing a child in the home. The meaning later extended to 'to give birth, nurture' and then to 'written character', since characters were seen as offspring derived from earlier pictographs.
míng zi · HSK 1
name
📛 名 (name) + 字 (character) = the characters that name you
名 means given name; 字 means written character or courtesy name. Together 名字 literally stacks 'name' + 'character' to mean the full label a person goes by.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.
字 — roof 宀 + child 子
Originally depicted a child 子 under a roof 宀, suggesting birth or rearing a child in the home. The meaning later extended to 'to give birth, nurture' and then to 'written character', since characters were seen as offspring derived from earlier pictographs.