Does the
zodiac-based system of Chinese name selection works?
生肖姓名学真的可以用吗？
I was asked recently that while
naming a baby born in the year of the Pig (Chinese zodiac), should we avoid the
use of certain Chinese characters, which are deemed inauspicious. This principle
is actually based on the zodiac-based system, and whether a Chinese character
is suitable for a specific zodiac animal is already predetermined and one just needs
to refer to the list to derive one’s supposed auspicious name. I personally do
not use this system because the concepts behind it seem too simplistic and
generic to be of any value. I have tested the system with the names of a fair
number of famous people but the results were rather inconsistent. However,
instead of boring you to death with the theoretical portion, I decided to share
some examples instead to illustrate my point.
Example 1 - Li Ka-Shing (李嘉誠)
Mr Li was born on 13 June 1928,
which makes him a Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.
After checking the two characters that
made up his name, this is what I have found:
Both characters are categorized as inauspicious
and should be avoided. Nevertheless, we all know Mr Li has achieved almost everything
in life, be it wealth, children, career success and even a long life.
Example 2 – Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀)
Our late founding father of Singapore
was born on 16 September 1923, which is the year of the Pig.
So does his name depict the intelligence,
determination and powerful aura he exudes? Nope, since both also falls under
the category of inauspicious characters
Example 3 – Zoe Tay (鄭惠玉)
For a change, maybe we look at a
celebrity instead of political figures. Ms Zoe Tay is a Singaporean actress who
has been in the industry for a few decades, and was named as "Queen of
Caldecott Hill". She was born in the year of the Goat on 10 January 1968.
Since the date falls before the day of Li Chun 立春 (first day of
spring, which is considered the actual start of a new year), we would consider
her to be the zodiac sign of the previous year, which is the Goat. There is no
doubt that she has been very successful in both her professional life as well
as her personal life. However, her Chinese name does not reflect such a good
life based on this system.
Interesting Note: The creator of the zodiac-based naming method was a old Taiwanese master. For his own grandchildren, he did not use the system he created but instead outsource it to another master in Taiwan. The latter asked him:"You are the creator of the zodiac-based method. Why don't you do it yourself but come to me?" The old man remained silent but responded only with a smile.
Regards
Alvin Chua
