Period Chinese Names
Feminine Names from Fiction

Rev. 0, © 2004 Valerie L. Putman (known in the SCA as Yin Mei Li)
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This table lists the names of human women from fictional stories written before 1600. In context, the names of servants from Ching P'ing Mei are probably ming, the names of others are probably tzŭ. This list includes the Chinese characters; Wade-Giles, Pinyin, and Yale Romanizations; and translations of which the author knows. However, in most cases, the secondary sources provide only a name's translation or one of its Romanizations. Due to the many homonyms, synonyms, and some partially synonymous homonyms, this author was not able to identify Chinese characters for most of these names.

This list is provided because names of humans in period fiction can help form a basis for constructing registerable, feminine Chinese names.

These fictional names are consistent with historical feminine names listed elswhere on this site. Most of the names refer to flowers, beautiful and/or precious objects (both animate and inanimate), and desirable feminine character traits. However, in a sense, these fictional names extend the range of historical feminine names. For example, the fictional names include names, such as Darling, that are very like modern pet names. As another example, the names listed here include additional flower names, such as Jasmine and Waterlily, and a few additional, apparently fanciful names, such as Moon Lady and Snowblossom.


Feminine Chinese Names from Period Fiction
name Wade-Giles Pinyin translation bearer as identified in source; Yale {notes} date ref.
      Apricot Blossom Apricot Blossom, maidservant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p168
      Autumn Aster or Chrysanthemum Autumn Aster or Chrysanthemum, maidservant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, pp111, 336; Gulik, p 162
      Bright Silkling Bright Silkling, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p370
      Cinnamon Bud Cinnamon Bud, Sunflower's niece in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p144
      Darling Darling, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p361
      Darling Fragrance Darling Fragrance, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p352
      Darling Perfume Darling Perfume, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p167
      Diamond Daughter Diamond Daughter, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p792
      Favorite Perfume Favorite Perfume, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p531
      Fragrant Orchid Fragrant Orchid, maidservant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p243
      Fragrant Waters Fragrant Waters, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p178
      Golden Jewel Golden Jewel, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p749
      Golden Willow Golden Willow, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p179
      Heart's Delight Heart's Delight {possibly same as Darling}, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Gulik, p167
      Jade Clasp Jade Clasp, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p352
      Jade Flute Jade Flute, maid servant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, pp9, 111
      Jasmine Flower Ying or Jasmine, maid and Wu Ta's daughter in Chin P'ing Mei {There is enough information to conclude the full given name is either 莉英 Li4 Ying¹ [Li4 Ying¹] with Yale Romanization Lei6 Ying¹ -or- 茉英 Mo4 Ying¹ [Mo4 Ying¹] with Yale Romanization Mut6 Ying¹.} late 16th C Miall, pp76, 96, 698; Gulik, p162
      Little Gold Little Gold, woman in Chin P'ing Mei {The given name is probably 小 金 Hsiao³ Chin¹ [Xiao³ Jin¹], with Yale Romanization Siu² Gam¹ based on historical names} late 16th C Miall, p424
      Little Jewel Little Jewel, maid servant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p111
      Little Moon Little Moon, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p531
      Little Phoenix Little Phoenix, maidservant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p275
      Little Silver Little Silver, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p352
      Lotus Petal Lotus Petal, manservant Lai Wang's wife in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p273
      Moon Maiden, Moon Lady Moon Maiden became Moon Lady when she became Hsi Men Ch'ing's First Wife after the death of his original first wife in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p5
      Mushroom Mushroom, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p545
      Orchid Bud Orchid Bud, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p786
      Pear Blossom Pear Blossom, maidservant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p171
      Porphyry Porphyry {a beautiful stone for building}, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Gulik, p289
      Rival Rival, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p424
      Silver Bird Silver Bird, courtesan in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p144
      Silver Bud Silver Bud, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p253
      Snowblossom; Snowbud Sun Hsueh O, Snowblossom; Snowbud, Hsi Men Ch'ing's maidservant then Fourth Wife in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, pp94, 187, 276
      Spring Plum Spring Plum, maidservant in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p111
      Summer Blossom Summer Blossom, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p342
      Sweetheart Sweetheart {possibly same as Darling}, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p403
  Ch'a Tan Cha Dan   Ch'a-tan, a daughter in, "Rain on the Hsiao-Hsiang," translation of a play by Yang Hsien-chih c 1246 Crump, p246
  Chang Tseng Zhang Zeng   I Chang Tsing, servant Lai Chao's wife in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p310
芡 Ch'ien4 Qian4 Waterlily Waterlily, woman in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Him³ late 16th C Miall, p542
金 蓮 Chin¹ Lien² Jin¹ Lian² Gold Lotus Pan Chin Lien & Gold Lotus, Hsi Men Ch'ing's Fifth Wife in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Gam¹ Lin4 late 16th C Miall, pp19, 111
  Ch'ing Nü:³ Qing Nü:³ Fortunate Maid Qingnu, femme fatale {The 2nd character is 女, for which the Yale Romanization is neui5. The 1st syllable, with an appropriate definition, is not in author's readily available dictionaries.} early Ming (1368-1450) McLaren, pp17-36
  Cho Tiu Zhuo Diu   Cho Tiu, Hsi Men Ch'ing's original Third Wife in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, pp5, 94
  Chun Hua Zhun Hua   Chun Hua, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p529
  Hui Yuen Hui Yuan   Hui Yuen, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p610
如 意 Ju² I4 Ru² Yi4 As you wish/like-it Ju I - “As you like it” {the Chinese name of a particular plant}, woman in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Yu4 Yi³ late 16th C Miall, p351
葵 K'uei² Kui² Sunflower Li Kiao, Lady Sunflower, Hsi Men Ch'ing's Second Wife in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Kwai4 late 16th C Miall, pp112, 138
妹 瓶 Mei4 P'ing² Mei4 Ping² Sister Vase Sister Ping & Sister Vase & Li Mei Ping, Hsi Men Ch'ing's Sixth Wife in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Mui6 Ping4 late 16th C Miall, pp131, 133, 242
妙 鳳 Miao4 Feng4 Miao4 Feng4 Glorious Phoenix Miao Fong, woman in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Miu6 Fung6 late 16th C Miall, p421
妙 趣 Miao4 Kue4 Miao4 Qu4 Glorious Pleasure Miao Kue, woman in Chin P'ing Mei; Yale Romanization: Miu6 Cheui³ late 16th C Miall, p421
  Shen Shen   Shen, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p577
  Shu Chen Shu Zhen   Jiang Shuzhen, femme fatale mid-Ming (c1400-c1575) McLaren, pp37-57
  Ta Erh Da Er   Ai Da'er, femme fatale late Ming (1550-1627) McLaren, pp97-101
  T'ang Ch'iao Tang Qiao   Man T'ang-ch'iao, a daughter in, "Li K'uei Carries Thorns," translation of a play by K'ang Chin-chih c 1279 Crump, p200
  Tiao Kei Diao Gei   Tiao Ki, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p386
  Ts'ui Luan Cui Luan   Ts'ui-luan, a daughter in, "Rain on the Hsiao-Hsiang," translation of a play by Yang Hsien-chih c 1246 Crump, p246
  Ts'ui Ping Cui Bing   Tsui Ping, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p
子 夜 Tzu³ Yeh4 Zi³ Ye4 Midnight ZiYe, girl in a famous song and poem, ZiYeGe; Yale Romanization: Ji² Ye6 7th - 8th C Sung
娃 Wa² Wa² Pretty Girl,
Doll		 李娃傳 (The Courtesan Li Wa) ; Yale Romanization: Wa¹ T'ang Dynasty (618-907) CLW
  Wu Niang Wu Niang   Chao Wu-niang, woman in a Yuan Dynasty play, set in the Han Dynasty Yüan Dynasty (1276-1368) Gulik, p251
鶯 鶯 Ying¹ Ying¹ Ying¹ Ying¹ Oriole 鶯鶯傳 (The Story of Ying Ying); Yale Romanization: Ang¹ Ang¹ T'ang Dynasty (618-907) SYY
  Yu Lian Yu Lien   Pai Yu Lien, 16-year-old girl in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p19
  Yü4 Lo Yu4 Luo Jade Fountain Mong Yu Loh, Jade Fountain, Hsi Men Ch'ing's Third Wife after the death of Cho Tiu, his original Third Wife in Chin P'ing Mei. {The 1st character is 玉 Yü4 [Yu4] with Yale Romanization Yuk6. The 2nd syllable, with an appropriate definition, is not in author's readily available dictionaries.} late 16th C Miall, pp 94, 112
  Yu Niang Yu Niang   Yu-niang, a woman in, "The Mo-Ho-Lo Doll," translation of a play c 1279 Crump, p310
  Yuan Hsiao Yuan Xiao   Yuen Hsiao, woman in Chin P'ing Mei late 16th C Miall, p646

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This page last updated September 22, 2004.

Prepared by Yin Mei Li, who is also Octofoil Herald, and signed with her chop