| Sun Zhong-shan (Chinese) | |||||||||||||||||
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| Calligraphy signed by Sun Wen, using his big name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 孫中山 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Sun Yat-sen (Western) | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 孫逸仙 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese | Tôn Trung Sơn | ||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 中山樵 | ||||||||||||||||
| Lesser known names | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 1. Genealogy name: 德明 2. Big name: 文 3. Small name: 帝象 4. Courtesy: 載之 5. Baptised: 日新 6. Pseudonym: 逸仙 |
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| Honorary title | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國父 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Father of the Nation | ||||||||||
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Like many Chinese, Sun Yat-sen used different names at different points in his life and he is known in China under several of them. Names are not taken lightly in Chinese culture. This reverence goes as far back as Confucius and his insistence on "rectification of names."
In addition to the names and aliases listed below, Sun Yat-sen also used other aliases while he was a revolutionary in exile.
The "real" name of Sun Yat-sen, the name inscribed in the genealogical records of his family, is Sūn Démíng (孫德明).[1] This genealogical name" (譜名, pǔ míng) is what extended relatives of the Sun family would have known him by.[1] This is a name that was used in formal occasions. The first Chinese character of the given name, dé (德), is the generation character which he shared with his brother and his relatives on the same generation line. Traditionally, this name was not used in intercourse with people outside of the family, and inside China or Taiwan almost nobody knows that his real name was Sun Deming (although other historical figures such as Mao Zedong are known by their "register name"), and even many Chinese people wrongly assume that Deming was his courtesy name (字, zì).
Sun's original name (原名) was Sūn Wén (孫文).[2] This is also referred to as his big name (大名).[3] Colloquially, "big name" (大名) are also known as school name. Whereas the "milk name" is known as the "small name" (小名, xiǎo míng).
His name Sun Wen is very well known among Chinese. After attaining public office, Sun consistently used this name - Sun Wen - to sign official documents.
Traditionally, Chinese families would wait a certain number of years before officially naming their offspring. In the meantime, they used so-called "milk names" (traditional Chinese: 乳名; pinyin: rǔ míng) which were given to the infant shortly after his birth, and which were known only by the close family.[4]
Thus, his child name was Sun Dìxiàng (孫帝象).[2] So this name Sun Dìxiàng is also referred to as his small name (小名).[5] This name, however, was not the name that he received when he was born.
Sun's parents dedicated his name to the Heavenly Upper Emperor / Xuan Wu Shangdi, so the first character of his milk name (and of his brother too) was di, in reference to the god.[4]
In 1883, 17-year-old Sun Yat-sen was baptized as a Christian when he started his studies in Hong Kong. On that occasion, he chose himself the baptized name (教名) of Rìxīn (日新), meaning "renew oneself daily".[6]
This is the name he used while he was a student in Hong Kong around 1883.[7] Qu Feng-chi (區鳳墀 Qū Fèngchí) gave Sun the pseudonym name Yìxiān (逸仙), which in Cantonese is pronounced "Yat-sen"[6] (IPA: [(ɕyn˥) jɐt˨ ɕin˥]). As this was the name that he used in his frequent contacts with Westerners at the time, he became known under this name in the West. In the Chinese world, however, almost nobody uses the Mandarin version Sun Yixian, nor the Cantonese version Sun Yat-sen. When he signs his name in English, he uses this name variation Sun Yat-sen.[1]
A street in Macau, though has the name Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (孫逸仙大馬路 Sūn Yìxiān Dà Mǎ Lù). Many Chinese cities also have 逸仙路 Yìxiān Lù.[8]
Later, Sun Yat-sen chose a courtesy name (字) which was Zàizhī (載之, meaning "conveying it"). Based on the Chinese philosophical saying "literature as a vehicle to convey the Tao" (文以載道, wén yǐ zài dào).[9] Courtesy names in China often tried to bear a connection with the personal name of the person. His courtesy name, however, was apparently seldom used, and is rarely known in the Chinese world. He has been referred to with Chinese surname Chen Zaizhi (陈载之).[10]
In September 1895 young Japanese philosopher Miyazaki Touten was passionate about the revolutions in China.[2] As a friend he wanted to help Sun while he was in Japan. When they arrived at the (對鶴館) hotel in Miyazaki Prefecture, for Sun's safety, he used an alias name to register in the hotel.[2]
Previously on their travel they passed by a board that used the popular Japanese name Nakayama (中山, lit. middle mountain). So he signed into the hotel book and was referred to under that name.[2] He then added the Japanese last name Shō (樵, lit. woodsman).[2]
After the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912 he was no longer chased after by Qing authority.[2] Local people can refer to him as (孫文) again.[2] But the name Zhong-shan (中山) was the most commonly used later in his life (to present day).[7] Today, the overwhelming majority of Chinese references to Sun use traditional Chinese: 孫中山; simplified Chinese: 孙中山; pinyin: Sūn Zhōngshān; Wade–Giles: Sun Chung-shan, which is a variation of the name that started in Japan.[7]
Many cities in both mainland China and Taiwan feature streets and many other public facilities so named, for example Zhongshan Road, Zhongshan Park, Zhongshan warship. Xiangshan County was renamed to Zhongshan apparently as an honour.[11]
In 1940, well after the death of Sun Yat-sen, the Kuomintang government officially conferred on the late Sun the title Gúofù (國父), meaning "Father of the Nation".[1] This title is still frequently used in the Republic of China in Taiwan. In the People's Republic of China on mainland China, the title "Forerunner of the Revolution" (革命先行者 Gémìng Xiānxíngzhě) is sometimes used instead.[12] Hong Kong, however have long been referring to Sun Yat-sen as Father of the nation, despite the Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong back to the PRC in 1997.[12]
The suffix Xīanshēng (先生) has also been applied to his name.[1] In English and many other languages, the equivalent of "Dr. Sun" is often seen.