A few days ago Steven told me that his younger brother went to the courthouse to change his name. As it turns out his brother has had bad luck when it comes to personal relationships, finances, education and jobs. His father suggested that he change his name.
The name he was born with is 諱 (pronounced hway) and this means taboo. It turns out that "taboo" is an unlucky name! His new name is 諱 (pronounced how) and this means heroic. Maybe grand things are ahead for him now.
My question is this, does a name really make a difference? In the US most pepole change their name if they become famous and they want a show name, or if they would like to start over after going to prison. As much as someone might hate their name, will changing it change the luck they encounter in life? Is this common for Chinese families? Did you change your name? I would love to see some feedback on this.
2 responses so far ↓
James // 2005/08/02 at 14:14
I asked my Chinese teacher today about this, and he said it is somewhat common, that you can change your name 2x in your life. This is still very strange to me.
dan // 2005/08/04 at 13:48
Yes, Jim, this is true in Chinese cultures. Take me, for instance. My original name is pussyface but after being made fun of on the playground for having the face of a pussy, I changed it.