Why does the last name in Chinese culture comes first?

Question

It has to do with something more then respect right?

Answer 1

the family name was considered the most important indication of social status, so the family name comes first.

Answer 2

I don't really know the reason but I am Chinese and I kind of get why Chinese people do this. In the old times, they needed to recognize the last name of the family kind of like a government and sometimes because they want t keep their name hidden because the last name seems more political I think. It's kind of like you call George W. Bush "Bush"

Answer 3

it type of feels to have cropped up on an as-necessary foundation in distinct locales at distinct cases. you'll note that the family members call is the first in a lot of eastern cultures, and that seems older than maximum western call platforms. some look to have began in a unmarried route and then lengthy gone in yet another. for instance, there are generations of human beings with names like Anderson, yet in Iceland the older custom persists, and the purely appropriate call is the patronymic so-and-so's-son or so-and-so's-dottir and ameliorations with each and each era.

Answer 4

Partly to due with respect but more to individual recognition of who you are and of your family. For example, there are TONS of marys' and michaels' but if you say mary (ie.) brown, then you know who you're talking about and not trying to figure out from the zillion of other marys. So many other people can have your first name, but not everyone has your last name.

Answer 5

Actually, putting the family name first makes much more sense. That's why often in this country you see names listed last name first.

Answer 6

Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name (surname or last name) first and the given name next. For instance, the basketball player who is commonly called Yao Ming would be addressed as "Mr. Yao", not "Mr. Ming".

Note, however, that some Chinese people who emigrate to, or do business with, Western countries sometimes adopt a Westernized name by simply reversing the "surname–given-name" order to "given-name–surname" ("Ming Yao", to follow the previous example), or with a Western first name together with their surname, which is then written in the usual Western order with the surname last ("Fred Yao"). Other Chinese people sometimes take a combined name, consisting of Western first name, surname, and Chinese given name, in that order ("Fred Yao Ming"), mostly in Hong Kong, or in the order of Western first name, Chinese given name, and surname ("Fred Ming Yao").

Traditional naming schemes often followed a pattern of using generation names as part of a two-character given name; however, this is less used today, especially in Mainland China, where many given names use only one character. However, it is still the norm among the Chinese populations of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

When generation names are used as part of a two-characters given name, it is generally inappropriate and can be confusing to refer to someone by the first part of their given name only which will generally be their generation name. Instead, the entire given name should be used. This should be the case regardless of whether the surname is used. For instance, referring to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as Hsien or Hsien Lee would be confusing as this could just as easily refer to his brother. However, this does commonly occur in Western societies where the first part of the given name is frequently mistakenly used as the first name when the given name is not hypenated or adjoined.

Answer 7

It is also a custom in China that when you describe something you go from bigger scope to smaller scope(or from more general to more specific). For example, the street address in the US is number, street name then city and state. But in China you put province first, folllowed by city, district, street and number.

Another example, you say "Tom from Portland Oregon", but in China you would say (literally) "from Oregon Portland Tom".

Answer 8

I never knew that. Probably putting the family before the individual. Nothing wrong with that. Interesting.

Answer 9

People could recognize them easily... I'm Chinese.

Answer 10

The Emperor did it that way once and every one else figured they better do the same way? Could be.