Naming taboo

A naming taboo is a cultural rule that prohibits saying or writing the personal names of highly respected individuals, especially in China and regions influenced by Chinese culture. Imperial China had laws enforcing this practice, though its cultural and possibly religious roots go back further than the Qin dynasty. Violating these taboos was seen as a sign of poor education and disrespect, bringing shame to both the person who broke the rule and the one whose name was used.

There were several types of these taboos. The state naming taboo banned using the emperor’s personal name and the names of his ancestors. For instance, during the Qin dynasty, the emperor Qin Shi Huang’s given name, Zheng (政), was avoided. The first month of the year, originally called Zheng yue (the upright month), was renamed to Duan yue (the proper month) to avoid using the character Zheng. Breaking this taboo could lead to severe legal punishment. In 1777, Wang Xihou wrote a dictionary that criticized the Kangxi dictionary and included the Qianlong Emperor’s name without omitting a stroke as required. This led to his execution and the confiscation of his family’s property, though all his relatives were later pardoned.

The clan naming taboo discouraged using the names of one’s own ancestors, usually going back seven generations. In diplomatic letters and exchanges between clans, each group’s taboos were respected. The holiness naming taboo banned using the names of revered figures, such as Confucius during the Jin dynasty.

To avoid offending, people used three main methods: replacing the forbidden character with a synonym or a similar-sounding one, leaving the character blank, or omitting the final stroke of the character. For example, the Black Warrior Gate in the Forbidden City was renamed the Gate of Divine Might to avoid using a character from the Kangxi Emperor’s name, Xuanye.

Some emperors tried to ease the burden on their subjects. Emperor Xuan of Han, whose given name Bingyi contained two common characters, changed his name to Xun, a much rarer character, to make avoidance easier. Emperor Taizong of Tang, whose name Shimin also had common characters, ordered that only the direct sequence of Shi and Min needed to be avoided, not each character alone. However, after his death, his son Emperor Gaozong required full avoidance of both characters, forcing the chancel