Talking about taking "nicknames"
Text/Wang Minguan
In rural Shanxi, in order to raise children well, most adults give them a nickname in addition to a formal name. There is also this nickname, some of which are pleasant to listen to, easy to remember, loud and catchy, memorable and memorable. But there are also a few people who have a strange nickname, which makes the caller uncomfortable and the called person more embarrassed. And some nicknames even surpass the big names. Nicknames follow people all their lives, and those who are famous are hard to hear, and those who are not famous are also very uncomfortable.
However, what name you want to give your child is purely the parents' personal wishes. It's natural if it's smooth, and it's the only way if it's not smooth. Of course, in a positive sense, most of these nicknames are called by human gender, zodiac, animals, astronomy, geography and natural plants. Although most of them feel very rustic, for example, many places in Shanxi call children "pro-ball", they are also very individual and reveal a strong emotional atmosphere. Out of Shanxi, some places are not clear about what this "pro-ball" means. If we put aside the literal meaning of literature, simply from the people's and individuals' preferences, what is not called is an unconscious behavior completely influenced by parents' personal preferences and regional culture. More often, it is parents' sustenance and yearning for their children's better life in the future. Even if the name is unpleasant or even weird, it can still be understood and recognized.
From what the author has contacted and learned, it is also a "peek at a leopard in a tube", which is only a small part of the world, but it will still make people laugh when they think about it, and they will feel more cordial when they listen to familiar nicknames.
The first is to name it from gender. For example, there are many "balls", including big balls, two balls, three balls, four balls, five balls, small balls and hairballs. As long as they have a boy, they will keep screaming until the old ball; There are also "eggs", big eggs, two eggs, three eggs, four eggs and five eggs, also called "balls" or "pro-balls", as well as hairy eggs, dog eggs and leftover eggs; Jenny also calls more, such as Minnie, Ni Jun, Ginny Cat, Ginny Tiger, Ginny Ugly, Ginny Silly and so on. In fact, people named Minnie and Ni Jun are not necessarily beautiful, and people named ugly and stupid are not necessarily ugly and stupid. There are also girls, big girls, two girls and three girls; Even fart. I remember when I was a child, there were two farts and three farts in the village. There are also people named GREAT GHOST, Ergui, Lazy and Laigui. They sound scared. Maybe they are still a little girl.
Secondly, it is named after the zodiac. Let's talk about mice first. I haven't heard much about them being named after the word mouse. Occasionally, I heard that there are golden rats, silver rats, white rats, rat treasures, altar rats and new rats. Children born in the Year of the Ox are named Niu Niu, and Daniel, Niuer and calf are also called everywhere. There are also Taurus, Silver Cattle, Iron Cattle, Jade Cattle, Shi Niu, Black Cattle and Yellow Cattle, which are also a beautiful sustenance; The tiger is called posthumous title, and borrowing animals is also a kind of power of tigers, such as tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger; There are many rabbits born this year, such as Tutu, Rourou, Baibai and Mao Mao. People born in the Year of the Loong have better nicknames, such as Longlong, Erlong, Xiaolong, Jinlong, Yinlong, Yulong and Hailong. Year of the snake, most of them are not called snakes, but mostly called Xiaolong and Erlong; There are also many children born in the Year of the Horse named Golden Horse, Silver Horse and Jade Horse. It is also common for sheep to be called sheep, big sheep and little sheep. Year-old monkeys are named after animals, such as hairy monkeys, big hairy monkeys, small hairy monkeys, two hairy monkeys, three hairy monkeys and four hairy monkeys. Born in the year of the rooster, there are fewer names that are homophonic with chickens. Most people change their names, such as Tian Tian, Liangliang, Mingming, Qiqi, Benben, Lele, Jiajia and Beibei. The name of the year of the dog is also very distinctive. Some are called dogs, dogs and puppies, and some are called black dogs because of their dark skin when they were young. There are many dogs left, and the eggs are ignored. In the Year of the Pig, being fat is beauty. People who call pigs, chubby, fleshy, chubby and doodle have all heard of it. Besides the zodiac, there are Jinfeng, Yufeng, Yinfeng, Fengfeng and Huang Huang related to the phoenix, and Gigi and Xiangxiang, which are homophonic with elephants.
Once again, it is named after everything in nature. It is homophonic with the sun, moon, stars, natural scenery, beautiful mountains and rivers, terrestrial plants and so on. And there are many nicknames such as red, moon, star, mountain, Sichuan, water, army, apricot, peach, jujube, pear, cherry and fruit. Some have many gold, silver and jade articles; Some people weigh several kilograms at birth, so they are called several kilograms, such as three kilograms, four kilograms, five kilograms, six kilograms, seven kilograms, eight kilograms, nine kilograms and ten kilograms. In order to continue the birth of a child, some people name the newborn brother or sister, hoping that the latter can have a younger brother or sister; Taiyuan, Wenshui and Fenyang also have children named after their elders (at least grandchildren), such as those in their sixties, sixtysevenths, seventies and eighties; Others are intimate and easy to read. Some parents give their children nicknames because they feel that calling their children by their first names is too formal to express their deep affection for their children, so they have nicknames for internal use. Some directly use the overlap of the last word, such as Xiaoxiao, MengMeng, Xinxin, Shishi, Dongdong, Guagua, Doudou, Tao Tao, Shuai Shuai, Shuishui, Haihai, Tao Tao and MengMeng; Some simply call children powder, baby, little darling and so on. Anyway, it is an unruly nickname, which is intimate and smooth, and the carriage is empty and not subject to any constraints; For example, some are called Mao Dan, Wowotou, sweet pumpkin, stinky tofu, blind fart, miser, few fans, poking goods, one track-minded, two-faced, three bald, four-sided, five goods, six strokes, seven faces, eight faces, nine faces and ten faces. Some keep pace with the times and conform to the trend of the times, such as liberation, National Day, army, navy, air force, Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. It is also very fashionable; There are also names given by birthplace, such as Jinsheng, Jisheng, Jingsheng, Jinsheng, Hu Sheng, Jisheng, Qisheng, Lusheng, Qian Sheng, Yun Sheng, Chuansheng, Chusheng, Huansheng, Yusheng, Hesheng, Jiangsheng, Haisheng, etc., all of which are branded with regions; Some nicknames are associated with historical or contemporary figures, and they must have a certain level, otherwise, it will be tacky to call them; What's more, it is far-fetched and neither fish nor fowl to follow the trend when naming names and take a word from the names of historical celebrities.
Of course, when choosing nicknames, we should also pay attention to the grasp of some homophonic words. Like Shi Xiangzhen, ghosts, hungry ghosts, beggars, black dogs, assholes, wolf hearts, dog lungs, owls, rotten eggs, being ignored, bad fetuses, some swearing, and some suspected nicknames. There is a place in Henan where people's surnames are "swearing", which is not suitable for anything, but it is good for others to scold themselves, because this "swearing" surname is immediately remembered by others. There is a saying in the countryside that the harder it is to raise, the better. In fact, these are superstitious statements, and there is no reason for pediatrics.
Anyway, it is not only a good wish for adults to give their children nicknames when they were young, but also a catchy nickname. Some may be ugly, for example, the nickname "smelly" was very close when I was young, and I grew up to seventeen or eighteen years old. If they still call it, they will think it is not a smell. If people still call it that in middle age, it is even more inappropriate. In a family, as children grow up, if they feel bad, they don't have to scream. As children, they shouldn't be too demanding.
Of course, the most basic principles of nicknames should be grasped: first, they should be smooth, pleasant to hear, easy to remember and easy to shout; Second, when nicknames are given, there is generally no surname in front, and a small word should be added in front, or a word should be added behind, or overlap; Third, nicknames should be able to express some meaning and entrust some beautiful meanings; Fourth, when choosing nicknames, we should try our best to avoid indecent homophony and ambiguity, and never make nicknames or nicknames; Fifth, when choosing nicknames, it is also a good thing to know a little about birthdays and give children a nice, memorable, loud and satisfactory nickname. What's more, I got a nickname when I was a child. Grow up, be sensible, have a job and step into the society. Slowly, no one will know, let alone scream. But in formal situations, it's best to call them by their first names.
If there is a nickname that can follow you all your life, even beyond your name, it is also a great blessing in life. Just like the current screen names, some of them are really nice, catchy and easy to remember, which is also a good thing. Why not?
Therefore, when giving a nickname to a person, it is better to be cautious and safe, which is both concise and catchy; This is a manifestation of cultural self-restraint, which not only expresses feelings but also avoids rudeness and vulgarity. Everyone likes a nice name. It takes some wisdom and culture to choose a nickname that everyone likes and likes, but it must not be too casual.
(Taiyuan Road 2021-03-1017: 00)