名
name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous
Closest English meanings
name·fame·reputation
The Calligrapher — Lǐ Lóngjī 李隆基
Tang Emperor Xuanzong who wrote the Shitai Xiaojing in eight-division clerical script (bafen).
Tang calligrapher (), master of 八分/regular script — known for 唐玄宗,《石台孝经》. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
名 was the name and the fame. Laozi opened the Daodejing with "the name that can be named is not the constant name" -- 名可名,非常名. Confucius held that "when the name is right, the words follow" -- 名正言顺. The word carried the label and the renown, the tag on a thing and the light around a person who had earned one.
Common words & phrases
- 名字 name
- 著名 famous · renowned
- 名声 reputation · fame
- 名气 fame · reputation
- 姓名 full name
- 名人 celebrity · famous person
Read the story behind the character
A 名字 prints on the ID; a 著名 scientist gives the talk. The 名声 travels ahead of the restaurant; a 名人 fills the interview. The 姓名 goes on the form. The word does the day's labeling -- the given name, the reputation, the celebrity, the full title. It names what a person is called and what they are known for, from the register to the headline.
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