At one time in ancient China, the girls born there were not even close to being equal to men. They did not even have the right to be given a Chinese girls name. Confucius, the famous philosopher, said that females were not valued enough to deserve a name. Instead, they were daughter number one or daughter number two. A female was not allowed to be formally educated and lived as a servant, first in the home of her father and then in the home of her husband. The female who became Empress Wu, the female ruler of all of China was educated at home by her father. She later became a concubine of Emperor Gaozong. In those days that was not a dishonorable position for a woman to be in. Through a series of convoluted events, Empress Wu came to be ruler in China after the death of her husband, Emperor Gaozong in 683. The Chinese name Wu was given to males and females. The name Wu currently is listed only as a boy's name. Empress Wu personally, against all precedents, became Empress and ruled China for over fifty years. She founded the Zhou dynasty and ruled under the name Sacred and Divine Empress. Needless to say, she furthered the rights of women. Thus, we have a list of female names and it is interesting to find the beautiful meanings they hold. The name Jie means good, fine, auspicious. There is a Chinese Olympian who won the bronze medal for volleyball in 2005, named Tian Jie. The feminine name Liqiu means beautiful autumn, elegant, graceful and beautiful. The name Liu, given to both women and men, means willow. Liu Jingyan was Empress in the Chen dynasty. The name Li means plums and is given to women and men also. One famous Li Ha was a professional tennis player. Lihua means graceful and elegant flowers and also beautiful. Yin Lihua was an empress of the Han dynasty. She was the wife of Emperor Guangwu. Wen is a unisex name and means warm, genial and mild. Lianxing Wen is a Chinese scientist who made discoveries relating to the interior of the planet Earth. Xiaoli is another unisex name and it means to understand and intellectual or light. Red or vermilion are the meanings attached to Zhu. Yang Zhu lived during the warring states period. He was a philosopher. China has advanced a great deal since the days when women were not allowed to have an education, or even a name of their own. Women now hold high positions in government, earn doctorate degrees and are generally treated better. However, equality between the sexes is not firmly entrenched. It seems to be a good sign that a Chinese girls name is also used as a name for a boy. This does indicate that some level of equality now exists in the People's Republic of China.
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During ancient times, women in China were not cherished enough to be named. Confucius, who was a famous philosopher, stated that females were unworthy and should be referred to as daughter number 1 and daughter number 2. They were not given a beautiful Chinese girls name as they are now.
James Tien is a Chinese culture writer. He recommends Absolutely Feng Shui for more information on Chinese Baby Calendar and Chinese Astrology Compatibility.
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