Bing
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese, Zhuang
Other Scripts: 丙, 冰, 兵(Chinese, Sawndip)
Personal remark: Written as 冰.
Derived from the Chinese characters 丙 (
bǐng) meaning "third" or 冰 (
bīng) meaning "ice" or 兵 (
bīng) meaning "army, soldier".
Other characters are also possible.
Chen 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 晨, 辰, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHUN
Personal remark: Written as 宸.
From Chinese
晨 (chén) or
辰 (chén), both meaning "morning". The character
辰 also refers to the fifth Earthly Branch (7 AM to 9 AM), which is itself associated with the dragon of the Chinese zodiac. This name can be formed from other characters as well.
Hui
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 慧, 辉, etc.(Chinese) 慧, 輝, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: KHWAY
Personal remark: Written as 卉.
From Chinese
慧 (huì) meaning "intelligent, wise" (which is usually only feminine),
辉 (huī) meaning "brightness", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Jiang
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 江, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHYANG
Personal remark: Written as 绛.
From Chinese
江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Jianxi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 简兮(Chinese)
Personal remark: Written as 简兮.
This name comes from the song “Jianxi” (简兮) featured in the Classic of Poetry (诗经), a collection of poetic folk songs and hymns from the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 - 256 BCE). The song portrays a handsome male dancer performing before a noble court, as well as the female narrator’s admiration towards him. “Jianxi” is the phrase repeated in the opening verses of the song, and can either represent the drumbeat accompanying the performance or the dancer’s martial manner.
The female protagonist of the 2017 Chinese TV drama Above the Clouds bears this name.
Jing
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 静, 精, 晶, 京, etc.(Chinese) 靜, 精, 晶, 京, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: CHEENG
Personal remark: Written as 静.
From Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle",
精 (jīng) meaning "essence, spirit",
晶 (jīng) meaning "clear, crystal" or
京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". Other characters can also form this name.
Jiu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 鸠(Chinese)
Personal remark: Written as 鸠.
From 鸠 (jiu) meaning "pigeon, dove".
Li 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 理, 立, 黎, 力, 丽, etc.(Chinese) 理, 立, 黎, 力, 麗, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: LEE
Personal remark: Written as 狸.
From Chinese
理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic",
立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish",
黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn",
力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or
丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Min 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese, Korean
Other Scripts: 敏, 民, etc.(Chinese) 민(Korean Hangul) 敏, 旼, 民, 旻, 珉, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: MEEN
Personal remark: Written as 敏.
From
敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp",
民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.
Qian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 倩(Chinese)
Personal remark: Written as 倩.
Derived from the Chinese character 倩 (
qiàn) originally meaning "smiling; handsome; beautiful; fast".
A famous bearer is Yang Qian (2000-) a Chinese sport shooter. She represented China at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2021, where she won the gold medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle.
Other character combinations are also possible.
Rong
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 荣, 融, 容, etc.(Chinese) 榮, 融, 容, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: RUWNG
Personal remark: Written as 蓉.
From Chinese
荣 (róng) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper",
融 (róng) meaning "fuse, harmonize" or
容 (róng) meaning "appearance, form" (which is usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.
Shu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 淑, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: SHOO
Personal remark: Written as 舒.
From Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Wei
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 威, 巍, 伟, 微, 薇, etc.(Chinese) 威, 巍, 偉, 微, 薇, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: WAY
Personal remark: Written as 薇.
From Chinese
威 (wēi) meaning "power, pomp",
巍 (wēi) meaning "high, lofty, towering" or
伟 (wěi) meaning "great, robust, extraordinary". As a feminine name it can come from
微 (wēi) meaning "small" or
薇 (wēi) meaning "fern". This name can be formed by other Chinese characters besides those shown here.
Wuyan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 无艳(Chinese)
Personal remark: Written as 无艳.
A combination of the characters 无 (wú, meaning "no, without") and 艳 (yàn, meaning "color, vibrancy, beauty"). This was one of the names attributed to Zhongli Chun (钟离春), a woman who lived in the state of Qi during the Chinese Warring States period (475 - 221 BCE). According to legend, she was extremely ugly yet also clever and wise. She successfully convinced King Xuan of Qi to solve four latent risks present in his kingdom, after which she was made his queen and advisor.
Xi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 曦(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHEE
Personal remark: Written as 夕.
Meaning "careful" or "happiness."
Xuan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 璇, 选, 轩, 玄, 萱, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: SHWEHN
Personal remark: Written as 璇 or 萱.
From Chinese 璇 (xuán) meaning "beautiful jade", 选 (xuǎn) meaning "choose, pick, select", 轩 (xuān) meaning "tall, high, lofty, pavilion", 玄 (xuán) meaning "deep, profound, mysterious, dark, black" or 萱 (xuān) meaning "day lily". Other character combinations can form this name as well.
Yan 2
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 艳, 岩, etc.(Chinese) 艷, 岩, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: YEHN
Personal remark: Written as 燕.
From Chinese
艳 (yàn) meaning "beautiful, gorgeous" (which is usually only feminine) or
岩 (yán) meaning "cliff, rocks", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced in a similar fashion.
Yin
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 银, 音, 荫, etc.(Chinese) 銀, 音, 蔭, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: EEN
Personal remark: Written as 阴.
From Chinese
银 (yín) meaning "silver, money",
音 (yīn) meaning "sound, tone" or
荫 (yīn) meaning "shade, shelter, protect", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
Yue
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 月, 粤, 越, 跃, 悦, 岳, 玥, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: WEH
Personal remark: Written as 月.
From Chinese 月
(yuè) meaning "moon", 粤
(yuè) referring to Guandong province and the Cantonese people, 越
(yuè) referring to the Yue people, 跃
(yuè) meaning "jump, leap", 悦
(yuè) meaning "joy, pleased", 岳
(yuè) meaning "tall mountain" or 玥
(yuè) meaning "pearl", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zao
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 造, 早(Chinese)
Pronounced: TSOW
Personal remark: Written as 枣.
This name is used as either 造 (zào, cào, cāo) for males meaning "construct, build, begin, prepare" or 早 (zǎo) for females meaning "early, soon, morning."
These characters are used as both part of a longer name or as a standalone name.
Zhao
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Pronounced: ZOW
Personal remark: Written as 昭.
The name of a Chinese area in the Zhou dynasty. This was the name of several Chinese emperors, including Empress Wu Zetian.
Zhen
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 珍, 真, 贞, 震, etc.(Chinese) 珍, 真, 貞, 震, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: CHUN
Personal remark: Written as 珍.
From Chinese
珍 (zhēn) meaning "precious, rare",
真 (zhēn) meaning "real, genuine",
贞 (zhēn) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zhou
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 舟, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHO
Personal remark: Written as 周.
From Chinese
舟 (zhōu) meaning "boat, ship", in addition to other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zhu
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 朱(Chinese)
Personal remark: Written as 竹.
From Chinese 朱 "vermillion, red".
Zi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 紫, 姿(Chinese)
Personal remark: Written as 紫.
Derived from the Chinese character 紫 (
zĭ) meaning "purple" or 姿 (
zī) meaning "appearence, gesture, presence, posture".
Other characters can form this name as well.