名
name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous
Closest English meanings
name·fame·reputation
The Calligrapher — Xiānyú Shū 鲜于枢
Yuan master of fluent running and cursive script.
Yuan calligrapher (1246–1302), master of running script/cursive script — known for 《石鼓歌》. Yuan 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.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Xiānyú Shū 鲜于枢, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.