Generation name, variously zibei or banci, is one of the characters in a traditional Chinese name, and is so called because each member of a generation (i.e. siblings and cousins of the same generation) share that character, unlike surnames or given names.
Where used, generation names were usually given only to males, although this does vary from lineage to lineage and has changed over time.
Read more about Generation Name: Generation Poem, Practice, Table With Example Family, Affiliation Character
Famous quotes containing the word generation:
“Our Indian said that he was a doctor, and could tell me some medicinal use for every plant I could show him ... proving himself as good as his word. According to his account, he had acquired such knowledge in his youth from a wise old Indian with whom he associated, and he lamented that the present generation of Indians “had lost a great deal.””
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)