[外刊精读]经济学人 Day 20

Name order is an interesting part in our daily life. In the oriental culture, family name or surname or first name is placed in front of the given name while in the western culture, this order is reversed, namely given name first and surname second. It is well acknowledged that before imperialism and colonialism were rife, ancient China was the top one. As a result, each neighboring country was under the cultural exposure of ancient China. Such cultural imprint seen from many eastern and southern Asian are the witness of China’s sway and power.

Back to our topic, surname, armed with family traditions and historical heritages, is used to distinguish whether you belong to the same clan or not. Such tradition comes with specific historical context. In the prehistoric era, people were clustered as a group due to the place or area they lived in. As time passes, people lived in the same area were specified with a label to identify themselves. This is how the clan culture takes shape. Family name and given name are inseparable from the name identity of one person. Family name is vested while given name varies. Given name is the demonstration of parents’ wishes toward the new-born babies. They, innocent and naive, are the carriers of the most pretty blessings and hopes.

Nowadays, as English becomes the global language, for the convenience of communication and exchanges, people outside the English -spoken countries may decide to adopt the western practices. Name order is a typical example. Where names are needed to clarify whose identity they are labeled, troubles in choosing which name order may emerge. Take Li Hua as an example. We put Li first and Hua second in our cultural contexts while in English, our family name and given name should be reversed, like Hua Li. One thing to mention is that since China is on the way to give out its influences, it is both ok for you to use Li Hua or Hua Li if you are faced with language exchanges.