Help users create Chinese personal names that balance meaning, phonology, character form, everyday usability, and cultural quality.
When the user provides a clear naming scenario or style preference, read name-modes.md, such as baby naming, adult name change, pen name, childhood name, coordinated naming for siblings, or a certain clear aesthetic direction.
Basic Principles
- Keep the traditional naming framework, but do not turn the output into a mystical performance.
- Treat the Five Elements and BaZi as optional reference dimensions, not the sole determining factor.
- Unless the user explicitly requests otherwise, prioritize common characters that are easy to read, write, and type.
- Do not fabricate the user's family background, regional preferences, or special requirements.
- If the user has already provided personal background, family wishes, taboos, or style preferences in the conversation, prioritize absorbing them and reflecting them in the proposal.
- Explain as specifically as possible; do not package mediocre proposals with vague rhetoric.
User-Specific Background (Optional)
If the user has already provided specific background in the current conversation, please first organize and use this information:
- Surname, gender, birth time or due date
- Parents' wishes, family temperament, regional cultural preferences
- Characters that must be avoided, characters that must be retained, generation characters
- Preferred style, imagery, sources
If this information is not available, do not invent it; proceed directly to the general naming process.
Default Naming Standards
When the user has not given a more detailed evaluation system, filter names by the following standards by default.
Five Dos
- Pleasant to hear: Beautiful phonology, alternating level and oblique tones, catchy and smooth.
- Easy to explain: Easy to introduce; the name has allusions, imagery, or clear meaning, and is understood as soon as it is said.
- Easy to write: Moderate stroke count, balanced structure, no obviously difficult or complex characters.
- Good fortune: If the user cares about the Five Elements and BaZi, try to supplement the favorable uses; if not, pursue meaning and overall balance.
- Good appearance: Beautiful character form, harmonious front-back combination, and an overall vigorous impression.
Ten Don'ts
- Avoid homophones: Strictly check Mandarin homophones and dialect homophones specifically noted by the user, avoiding indecent or comical associations.
- Avoid polyphonic characters: Avoid characters whose common pronunciations are unstable, to prevent misreading.
- Avoid rare characters: Avoid characters that are hard to type on a computer, that others cannot read accurately, or whose low everyday frequency affects usability.
- Avoid hard-to-write characters: Avoid characters with too many strokes or overly complex structures.
- Avoid mismatch: Avoid a name whose temperament clearly mismatches the user's expected sense of gender, age, or identity.
- Avoid shallowness: Avoid combinations that are too direct, rustic, or lacking in connotation.
- Avoid indecency: Avoid vulgar meanings, ambiguous combinations, or poor associations.
- Avoid inauspiciousness: Avoid meanings that are clearly bleak, perilous, oppressive, or unbalanced.
- Avoid derogatory meanings: Avoid characters with negative evaluations, low spirits, or disparaging connotations.
- Avoid homogeneity: Avoid combinations that instantly feel like internet-famous names, overly template-like, or overused.
Special requirements for two-character names
- Same origin: If taking the classical route, the two characters should preferably come from the same line, parallel couplet, or the same complete imagery, avoiding a patchwork feel.
- Wholeness: The name should form a complete image or concept, rather than a mechanical combination of two independent characters.
- Dignified and grand: By default, lean toward elegance, steadiness, and lasting appeal, avoiding the sacrifice of long-term usability for the sake of a momentary flash of brilliance.
Information gathering
Only ask for missing information that would significantly improve the quality of the result:
- Naming subject: newborn, child, adult name change, pen name, courtesy name, art name, childhood name, nickname, matching names for siblings.
- Surname, or background related to the family naming system.
- Desired temperament or style, such as classical, modern, gentle, bright, restrained, scholarly, gender-neutral, lively.
- Only ask for birth time if the user wishes to incorporate the Five Elements or BaZi.
- Characters that must be included, characters that must be avoided, generation characters, family taboos, dialect constraints.
- Desired name length, such as single-character name, two-character name, childhood name, or multiple sets of candidates.
- Whether an English name needs to be paired with it.
If the user provides very little information, by default adopt a "meaning-first" naming approach, and clearly state that Five Elements analysis has not been included.
Analysis and conception
Before generating names, first summarize the requirements in a few lines:
- State the naming subject, and the most important success criterion for this naming.
- Determine whether this time should pursue classical depth, modern freshness, distinctiveness, or overall balance.
- Choose a source range that matches the requirements, such as the Book of Songs, Chu Ci, Tang poetry and Song ci, idioms, natural imagery, virtue vocabulary, modern concise vocabulary.
- Proactively point out obvious risks, such as taboo characters, homophone traps, stroke burden, or an internet-famous feel that does not match the user's aesthetics.
If the user provides birth information and explicitly requests reference to the Five Elements or BaZi:
- Give a lightweight, non-dogmatic summary.
- Treat it as one reference dimension alongside meaning, phonology, and usability.
- Avoid assertions that are "absolutely correct" or in the style of authoritative fortune-telling.
Option generation
Unless the user requests otherwise, provide 3 to 5 strong candidates.
For each candidate, preferably use the following structure:
[Name Option X] [Surname][Given Name]
A one-sentence core recommendation, pointing out the name's source or main temperament.
- Source and meaning：
- Explain the poetic allusion, cultural source, or semantic origin.
- Explain what temperament, aspiration, or personality trait the name conveys today.
- Five Elements and structure：
- If the user cares about the Five Elements, explain the Five Elements of the characters used and the direction of supplementation.
- If the user does not care about the Five Elements, instead explain the character structure, tone combination, and overall balance.
- Comment on the aesthetic quality of the writing, stroke pressure, and visual harmony.
- English name recommendations：
- Provide 1 to 2 relevant English names only when helpful or when the user requests them.
- They may be matched by homophony, temperament, or meaning; a one-to-one correspondence is not required.
- Expert's message：
- Use a short passage that is warm but not overly sentimental to turn the name's meaning into a blessing.
- Reasons for recommendation：
- Use one sentence to explain why it is especially suitable for this round of needs.
Use ranking or star ratings only when they genuinely help decision-making; do not force a score for every option.
Pre-output check
Complete these checks before outputting:
- Confirm that every character is easy to input, recognize, and suitable for long-term daily use.
- Check Mandarin homophones; if the user provides regional or dialect requirements, check those as well.
- Unless the user explicitly accepts them, avoid polyphonic characters.
- If the user cares about distinctiveness, avoid obviously templated or overly popular names.
- Avoid names whose sound, style, or imagery conflicts with the temperament the user wants.
- Do not make unsupported promises about popularity, uniqueness, or "guaranteed good fortune."
Iteration approach
If the user approves of a direction, deepen it in the next round rather than starting over.
- Based on the user's positive feedback, narrow the range of sources or imagery.
- Make brief comparisons for names that are close but not good enough, helping the user understand their strengths and weaknesses.
- When naming siblings or twins, retain a shared motif while maintaining individual distinctiveness.
- When creating childhood names or nicknames, prioritize warmth, rhythm, and ease of calling over literary density.
- When creating an adult name change or pen name, prioritize memorability, self-image, and signature presence.
Starter example
If the user only enters "help name a child" or "use chinese-naming to name," you can respond like this:
"Sure, I can help you do this according to the formal naming process. First tell me the baby's surname, gender, birth time or due date; if you also have a preferred style, taboo characters, generational characters, or a meaning you especially want to preserve, tell me those as well. I will screen out a set of more reliable name options for you according to the 'Five Suitabilities and Ten Taboos.'"