What's behind the name?

[Paul Todd]

AI    ?, ?   f  From Chinese character ? "love, affection" or ? "friendly".

BAI   ?, ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "white, pure", ? "one hundred, many" or ? "cypress" (which is usually only masculine).

BAO (1)   ?, ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "treasure, precious", ? "praise" or ? "bud" (which is usually only feminine).

BO (2)   ?   m & f  Means "wave" in Chinese.

CHANG   ?, ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "flourishing, prosperous" (which is usually only masculine), ? "smooth, fluent" or ? "long".

CHAO   ?   m  Means "surpass" in Chinese.

CHEN   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? or ? which both mean "morning".

CHENG   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "accomplish, succeed" or ? "sincere".

CHIN   m & f Variant of JIN (1) (using Wade-Giles transcription).

CHUN   ?   f & m  Means "spring" in Chinese.

DA   ?   m  Means "attain, achieve" in Chinese.

DONG   ?, ?   m From Chinese ? "east" or ? "pillar, beam"

FEN   ?   f  Means "fragrance" in Chinese.

FU   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "wealthy" or ? "lotus".

GANG   ?   m  Means "strong" in Chinese.

GUO   ?   m & f  Means "country" in Chinese.

HAI   ?   m & f  Means "sea" in Chinese.

HE   ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "river" or ? "lotus" (which is usually only feminine).

HENG   ?   m & f  Means "permanent, constant" in Chinese.

HONG   ?, ?   m  From Chinese ? or ? which both mean "great, vast".

HUA   ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "magnificent, Chinese" or ? "flower" (which is usually only feminine).

HUAN   ?   f & m Means "happy, joyous" in Chinese.

HUANG   ?   m  Means "bright" in Chinese.

HUI   ?   f  Means "intelligent, wise" in Chinese.

JIA   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "good, fine" or ? "home, family".

JIAN   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "build" or ? "strong, healthy".

JIANG   ?   m & f  Means "river" in Chinese.

JIN (1)   ?, ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "gold, metal, money", ? "embroidered, bright" or ? "ferry".

JING   ?, ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "essence, perfect", ? "clear, crystal" or ? "capital city".

JU   ?   f  Means "chrysanthemum" in Chinese.

JUN   ?, ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "ruler, supreme", ? "talented" (which is usually only masculine) or ? "army" (also usually only masculine).

KUN   ?   m & f  Means "earth" in Chinese.

LAN   ?   f  From Chinese ? "orchid"

LI   ?, ?, ?, ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "reason, logic", ? "stand", ? "dawn, black", ? "strength, power" (which is usually only masculine) or ? "beautiful" (usually only feminine).

LIM   m & f  Hokkien Chinese form of LIN

LIN   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "forest" or ? "fine jade, gem".


LING   ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "alert, quick" or ? "bell, chime".
 
MEI (1)   ?, ?   f  From Chinese ? "beautiful" or ? "plum".

 MIN   ?   f & m Means "clever, sharp" in Chinese.

MING   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "shining, bright, clear" or ? "engrave".

MU   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "admire" or ? "wood".

NING   ?   f & m Means "peaceful, tranquil" in Chinese.

NUAN   ?   f  Means "warm, genial" in Chinese.

NUO   ?   f  Means "graceful" in Chinese.

PING   ?   m & f    Means "peaceful, level" in Chinese.

QING   ?   f & m Means "greenish blue" in Chinese.

QIU   ?   m & f  Means "autumn" in Chinese.

RONG   ?, ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "flourish", ? "harmonious" or ? "to hold, to tolerate" (which is usually only feminine).

RU   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "scholar" or ? "like, as, if".

SHI   ?, ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "time", ? "real, honest" or ? "history".

SHU   ?   f  Means "kind, gentle" in Chinese.

SHUI   ?   m & f  Means "water" in Chinese.

SHUN (1)   ?   f & m  Means "smooth, agreeable" in Chinese.

SU (2)   ?, ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "plain", or else ? or ? which both mean "respectful".

TAI   ?   m & f  Means "great, extreme" in Chinese.

TU (1)   ?   m & f  Means "chart, map" in Chinese.

WEI   ?, ?, ?   m From Chinese ? "power, strength", ? "towering, lofty" or ? "great, mighty".

WEN   ?   m & f  Means "culture, literacy" in Chinese.

WU   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "military, martial" (which is generally only masculine) or ? "affairs, business"

XIANG   ?, ?, ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "to soar", ? "auspicious, lucky" or ? "fragrant" (which is usually only feminine)

XIU   ?   f  Means "beautiful, elegant" in Chinese.

XUE   ?, ?   f & mFrom Chinese ? "snow" or ? "study, learning".

XUN   ?   m & f Means "fast, sudden" in Chinese.

YA   ?   f Means "elegant" in Chinese.

YI   ?, ?, ?, ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "suitable", ? "justice", ? "profit", ? "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or ? "ceremony" (also usually only feminine).

YIN   ?, ?, ?   f  From Chinese ? "silver", ? "sound" or ? "shade".

YONG   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "brave" or ? "perpetual"... [more]

YU   ?, ?, ?   f & m From Chinese ? "jade", ? "happy, pleased" or ? "rain".

YUN   ?   f &  f Means "cloud" in Chinese.

ZAN   ?   f & m Means "support, favour" in Chinese.

ZHEN   ?, ?, ?   f  From Chinese ? "precious, rare", ? "real, true" or ? "chaste, pure". [I think Brian already knew this :icon_cheesygrin:]

ZHENG   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "just, proper" or ? "government".

ZHI   ?, ?   m & f  From Chinese ? "will, purpose" or ? "wisdom, knowledge".

ZHONG   ?, ?   m & f From Chinese ? "loyal" or ? "middle".

ZHOU   ?   m & f  Means "boat" in Chinese

[ttwjr32]

interesting reading  do you have anything on the different foods and
  what the beliefs are for them as to what they are good for in the body
  as my wife tells me many of these in the chinese beliefs as to what
  it is good for if you eat this or that. i think that is interesting also. and
  they also have some medicine here that you buy over the counter that
  works very well and very quickly to cure what ails you
  Ted

[Paul Todd]

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."
(Confucius)

Ted,
Everything I eat over here is explained to me in terms of what its good for and it sounds like your the same. I can't keep track of it all. I do know that certain foods are thought to have yin or cooling properties, while others have warm, yang properties.  The challenge as it's been explaned to me is to consume a diet that contains a healthy balance between the two. Ming Zhi tells me when treating illnesses, an Chinese physician will frequently advise dietary changes in order to restore a healthy balance between the yin and yang in the body. For example, let's say you're suffering from heartburn, caused by consuming too many spicy (yang) foods.  Instead of antacids, you're likely to take home a prescription for herbal teas to restore the yin forces. Similarly, coughs or flu are more likely to be treated with dietary changes than antibiotics or cough medicines. I think over the counter medicines are the same, I agree they do work well.

She says almost no foodstuff is purely yin or yang, it's more that one characteristic tends to dominate.  This is why there is not complete agreement among experts as to which foods exhibit yin or yang forces.  Even if you understand the propeties of each food , cooking methods also have more of a yin or yang property, so what chance have we got to understand it all. Thats what our good wives do for us everyday! Just to point out the extent of our ingnorance Ming Zhi put a small list together:
Yin Qualities: Boiling, Poaching, Steaming
Yin Foods: Bean Sprouts ,Cabbage,Carrots,Crab,Cucumber,Duck,Tofu,Watercress,Water.
Yang Qualities: Deep-frying, Roasting ,Stir-frying
Yang Foods: Beef,Bamboo,Chicken,Eggs,Ginger,Glutinous Rice,Mushrooms,Sesame Oil  Wine

I would love to get a copy of "Culpepper's Herbal" translated into chinese and see what they made of it!