October 3, 2023

Chinese naming practices have been dwindling over the years, according to experts. Specifically, the practice of generational naming, or bei ming, has become more seldom in young Chinese Singaporeans. In ‘“Now everyone is uncle or auntie”: Chinese naming tradition showing generational ties fading’ (The Straits Times, September 2023), faculty from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences commented on this phenomenon, illustrated by examples from their undergraduate students.

Associate Professor Lee Cher Leng (NUS Chinese Studies), who teaches an undergraduate course on bridges between the East and West, surveys each cohort of students about generational naming practices. She discusses not only how a small handful of students in her course have been named according to their family’s genealogy books (jia pu or zu pu), but also that most students are thoroughly unfamiliar with such practices.

A/P Lee also mentions that while the practice helps embody one’s sense of identity, it has been displaced in Singapore’s increasingly Westernised society. Instead, Chinese Singaporeans have turned to new naming conventions, naming their children based on the values they want them to have; for example, girls may be named zhi hui (Chinese for ‘wisdom’).

Dr Peter Tan (NUS English, Literature, and Theatre Studies) explained that in a project on generation names, the majority of the students surveyed didn’t have one, noting that modern young parents in Singapore primarily speak English and might view long-term traditions such as generation names as outdated. Instead, Dr Tan suggests that young parents may adapt the tradition within their immediate families, through choosing common characters or initials for their children’s names.

The article discusses the varied benefits of generational naming practices. They help families stay connected as family members disperse globally, keep track of important family history, and improve respectful and personal relations between family members. Experts believe that Chinese Singaporeans should make an effort to renew these traditions and continue the jia pu or zu pu.

Read the article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/now-everyone-is-uncle-or-auntie-fading-of-chinese-naming-tradition-that-shows-generational-ties