Good Characters, Inc. Blog

Chinese names are not always chosen for the meanings of the words themselves. Sometimes they are selected because of the association with an already existing name. Such was the case with the well known Chinese Communist-era writer Ba Jin. Originally Li Yao-tang, the author changed his name to Ba Jin to reflect his political views. Ba is the first syllable in the surname of Mikhail Bakunin and Jin is the last syllable in the name Kropotkin; both these men were famous Russian anarchists. In taking this new name, Ba Jin, who wrote of the evils of life before Communism, identified himself with the Marxist philosophy he espoused.

Before he became Ba Jin, Li Yao-tang had another name also. Chinese men are traditionally given a courtesy name, or zi, when they reach the age of 20. Ba Jin’s zi was Fei Gan. This name was taken from a phrase in Shi Jing, the oldest collection of Chinese poetry and songs. The phrase, Bi Fei Gan Tang, means “shady, sweet pear-tree.”

So the renowned author’s names reflect his political evolution. In his youth the influence was ancient Chinese literature; in later years the influence was foreign Communist writing.