字辈

字輩

zìbèi

noun

Meanings

1 generation name
2 generation character

Characters

character (in a name)

Examples

HSK 4

按照家里的字辈，他的名字中间要用“德”字。

Ànzhào jiālǐ de zìbèi, tā de míngzi zhōngjiān yào yòng " dé " zì.

Following the family's generation names, the middle character of his name had to be de, 'virtue'.

HSK 7-9

很多家族把字辈写成一首诗，每一代用其中的一个字。

Hěnduō jiāzú bǎ zìbèi xiěchéng yì shǒu shī, měi yí dài yòng qízhōng de yí ge zì.

Many clans write their generation names as a poem and give each generation one of its characters.

Tips

culture

A clan fixes its generation characters in advance, often as a poem recorded in the 家谱 (family genealogy), and everyone of one generation puts the same character in their given name. A name therefore shows a person's place in the family tree, their 行辈: two cousins decades apart in age can still share a 字辈.

Stroke Order

字 zì

辈 bèi