Good Son Is Sad If He Hears the Name of His Father: The Tabooing of Names in China as a Way of Implementing Social Values By Piotr Adamek

When in 1775 the scholar Wang Xihou compiled a dictionary called Ziguan he wrote for illustrative purposes the personal names of Confucius and the three emperors Kangxi Yongzheng and Qianlong in the introduction In oversight he recorded their complete names This accidental writing of a few names was condemned by Emperor Qianlong as an unprecedented crime rebellion and high treason Wang Xihou was executed his property confiscated and his books were burnt His family was arrested and his sons and grandsons were killed or sent as slaves to Heilongjiang It is surprising what an enormous impact the tabooing of names bihui had on Chinese culture The names of sovereigns ancestors officials teachers and even friends were all considered taboo in other words it was prohibited to pronounce them or to record them in writing In numerous cases characters identical or similar in writing or pronunciation were often avoided as well The tabooing of names was observed in the family and on the street in the office and in the emperor s palace The practice of bihui had serious consequences for the daily lives of the Chinese and for Chinese historiography People even avoided certain places and things and refused to accept offices They were punished and sometimes even killed in connection with the tabooing of names The bihui custom existed as an important element of Chinese culture and was perceived as significant by Chinese and foreigners alike It was crucial for implementing social values and demonstrating the political hierarchy The present work A Good Son Is Sad if He Hears the Name of His Father is a systematic study of Chinese name tabooing customs which until now have been relatively little explored in Western language Sinological studies It attempts to provide a long term perspective on the changing dynamics of tabooing and elucidates various aspects related to the fascinating topic of tabooing of names Good Son Is Sad If He Hears the Name of His Father The Tabooing of Names in China as a Way of Implementing Social Values

Good Son Is Sad If He Hears the Name of His Father: The Tabooing of Names in China as a Way of Implementing Social Values By Piotr Adamek
1351565214
9781351565219
English
392
ebook
Good Son Is Sad If He Hears the Name of His Father: The Tabooing of Names in China as a Way of Implementing Social Values.