<p>I moved my comments here and put it into an answer.</p>
<p>The names are generally good and wouldn't be much of a problem in a fiction. Yet you can still improve those.</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>SIBLINGS' AND TWINS' NAMES</strong>: If those are twin sisters and brought up together, it’s weird to have unrelated names, especially one with 1 and the other with 2 characters. I agree with @EEQ that twin names are usually even more related. Just two points to add. Besides similar meanings or the same category, the same radical is often used, especially for 1-character names (like 安 and 宁). For 2-character names this is less common. Usually the same 1-character suggests their kinship, or less common but still often seen the same 2-character (this rule can be relaxed for female names).</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>ERA</strong>: I also agree with @EEQ that 诗涵 is younger than 敏霞. 诗涵 becomes a popular female name after the 2000s (so does 奕辰 as a male name), but 敏霞 is around the 1980s. 伟丽 is a female name, though a bit neutral (I agree on what @Tang Ho said), that sounds younger than 敏霞 but older than 诗涵, probably still popular in the 1990s. 敏学 sounds even older than 敏霞. There's even a Qing-Dynasty royalty called 敏学. These comments on era are only for Chinese mainlanders.  I've never lived in other Chinese speaking areas to comment on those, though I believe 曹宁 is era-neutral and gender-neutral for any region.</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>AVOID FAMOUS NAMES</strong> There are two very famous diving queens 吴敏霞 and 伏敏霞. Since 曹 is a different family name, it wouldn't be a complete problem. But if you don't have a particular reason to keep 敏霞 and have an alternative, I'd suggest you change it.</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>CASUAL NAMES</strong> In reality, especially for the younger generation, casual names are often heard. But in literary works, I'd suggest avoid them, especially for males, like the example given by @Tang Ho, 仲軒. It's perfectly ok for the eldest son in reality, but if seen in a novel, it'd cause me to wonder what happened before he was born.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T22:06:02.350Z
2022-10-14T22:46:10.650Z
2022-10-14T22:46:10.650Z
lilysirius
<p>曹 诗涵: Generally, 诗 is a feminine word, A male name containing a feminine word is not uncommon, it makes the name sound more sensual, reflecting a gentle male image</p>
<p>江 伟丽: Generally, 伟(grand) is a masculine word, and 丽(beauty) is a feminine word. A female name containing a masculine word is not uncommon, it makes the name sound more stoic, reflecting a strong female image</p>
<p>All other names are fine, nothing offensive or strange sounding</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T19:54:55.993Z
2022-10-14T19:54:55.993Z
Tang Ho
<p>I am in the midst of trying to learn mandarin but haven't learned enough to feel confident in my naming for some short fiction I'm writing. I'd love suggestions or changes!</p>
<p>Cáo Shīhán, a protagonist &amp; scholar. Easily irritated and stuffy. 曹 诗涵 (poetic &amp; mellow)</p>
<p>Cáo Mǐnxiá, protagonist's small daughter, I had an intention for the name Mǐnxiá but now I can't remember the translation. She's chaotic and improper, but very young. 曹 敏霞</p>
<p>Cáo Níng, above characters twin sister, Wanted her name to be a bit neutral as she looks masculine and is often mistaken for a young boy. Quiet and well-mannered. 曹 宁 (pacify)</p>
<p>Jiāng Wěilì, Secondary character, a nomadic immortal who has lost her region/sect to natural disaster. No funny business but secretly a softie. 江 伟丽 (imposing and beautiful)</p>
<p>Jiāng Yìchén, above character's irritating but lovable son, the other main protagonist. Indulges a bit too much, very passionate. 江 奕辰 (outstanding, sun)</p>
<p>hi!! updating from my phone now but thank you all so much for the responses! i'm definitely getting a better feel for the names that will fit my writing :) does anyone have any suggestions for other names than 奕辰 &amp; 诗涵? i know some said they seem very modern, as well as 伟丽 may seem a bit tacky? i'd love to hear suggestions for more era appropriate names that still suit similar meanings! i'm really learning a lot so thank you very much!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T20:03:16.153Z
敏霞 and 宁: it’s unusual for twins to not have paired names, let alone names with different numbers of characters. To me 诗涵 also sounds more modern than 敏霞, so it’s a little weird that the former is the latter’s parent. People may find 伟丽 a bit tacky as well. Overall not bad names, perhaps a little plain for fictional characters but maybe that’s what you’re going for.
EEQ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T20:54:09.233Z
If those are twin sisters and brought up together, it’s weird to have unrelated names, especially one with 2 and the other with 3 characters.
lilysirius
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T21:37:13.053Z
@lilysirius would 敏学 work better for 敏霞 twin sister?
user34959
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T21:47:34.433Z
敏学  and 敏霞 sound unrelated. 敏学 is more a male name and 敏霞 is a female name. to pair with 敏霞, either 敏雲,  惠霞, or 惠雲 would do
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T21:49:34.510Z
@user34959 Twin names are usually even more related. Often twin names can form a single word together (e.g., 曹安 and 曹宁), or are references to one adage or poem (e.g., 曹敏行 and 曹讷言，reference to 敏于行而讷于言). At the very least, it’d be better if the characters are from the same category (e.g., 敏云 and 敏霞, as 云 and 霞 are both weather phenonmena)
EEQ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T21:52:41.377Z
Even native Chinese sometimes name their children casually. My niece named her elder son 仲軒 for example, Older people who hear this name might presume he is the second son and has an older brother named 伯軒
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-14T22:11:48.273Z
@EEQ I like the 曹安 and 曹宁 example.  They are so simple and beautiful. The pair is elegant, not only do they have similar meanings, but also the same radical.
lilysirius
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-15T02:46:26.127Z
@Tang Ho -- maybe your niece was thinking, (in the contemporary way of thinking), that her husband is her "First 軒", (First Shelter), & her eldest son is her "Second 軒", (Second Shelter), as 仲 denotes the next in the line of position or seniority?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-15T02:49:58.657Z
@Wayne Cheah her husband is not named 伯軒,  even if he did, 伯X and 仲X  are like 太郎 and 次郎 in Japan
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-15T03:20:59.093Z
@TangHo It's also possible to rank across all branches of the family, so if the kid has an older cousin named 伯X that can be it. But I agree, people don't really care about 行辈 that much nowadays.
EEQ
<characters><writing><names>
Naming characters in a xianxia short fiction!
# Naming characters in a xianxia short fiction!

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-14)

I am in the midst of trying to learn mandarin but haven't learned enough to feel confident in my naming for some short fiction I'm writing. I'd love suggestions or changes!

Cáo Shīhán, a protagonist & scholar. Easily irritated and stuffy. 曹 诗涵 (poetic & mellow)

Cáo Mǐnxiá, protagonist's small daughter, I had an intention for the name Mǐnxiá but now I can't remember the translation. She's chaotic and improper, but very young. 曹 敏霞

Cáo Níng, above characters twin sister, Wanted her name to be a bit neutral as she looks masculine and is often mistaken for a young boy. Quiet and well-mannered. 曹 宁 (pacify)

Jiāng Wěilì, Secondary character, a nomadic immortal who has lost her region/sect to natural disaster. No funny business but secretly a softie. 江 伟丽 (imposing and beautiful)

Jiāng Yìchén, above character's irritating but lovable son, the other main protagonist. Indulges a bit too much, very passionate. 江 奕辰 (outstanding, sun)

hi!! updating from my phone now but thank you all so much for the responses! i'm definitely getting a better feel for the names that will fit my writing :) does anyone have any suggestions for other names than 奕辰 & 诗涵? i know some said they seem very modern, as well as 伟丽 may seem a bit tacky? i'd love to hear suggestions for more era appropriate names that still suit similar meanings! i'm really learning a lot so thank you very much!

**Tags:** characters, writing, names
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 敏霞 and 宁: it’s unusual for twins to not have paired names, let alone names with different numbers of characters. To me 诗涵 also sounds more modern than 敏霞, so it’s a little weird that the former is the latter’s parent. People may find 伟丽 a bit tacky as well. Overall not bad names, perhaps a little plain for fictional characters but maybe that’s what you’re going for.  
> **username_2**: If those are twin sisters and brought up together, it’s weird to have unrelated names, especially one with 2 and the other with 3 characters.  
> **username_0**: @lilysirius would 敏学 work better for 敏霞 twin sister?  
> **username_3**: 敏学  and 敏霞 sound unrelated. 敏学 is more a male name and 敏霞 is a female name. to pair with 敏霞, either 敏雲,  惠霞, or 惠雲 would do  
> **username_1**: @user34959 Twin names are usually even more related. Often twin names can form a single word together (e.g., 曹安 and 曹宁), or are references to one adage or poem (e.g., 曹敏行 and 曹讷言，reference to 敏于行而讷于言). At the very least, it’d be better if the characters are from the same category (e.g., 敏云 and 敏霞, as 云 and 霞 are both weather phenonmena)  
> **username_3**: Even native Chinese sometimes name their children casually. My niece named her elder son 仲軒 for example, Older people who hear this name might presume he is the second son and has an older brother named 伯軒  
> **username_2**: @EEQ I like the 曹安 and 曹宁 example.  They are so simple and beautiful. The pair is elegant, not only do they have similar meanings, but also the same radical.  
> **username_4**: @Tang Ho -- maybe your niece was thinking, (in the contemporary way of thinking), that her husband is her "First 軒", (First Shelter), & her eldest son is her "Second 軒", (Second Shelter), as 仲 denotes the next in the line of position or seniority?  
> **username_3**: @Wayne Cheah her husband is not named 伯軒,  even if he did, 伯X and 仲X  are like 太郎 and 次郎 in Japan  
> **username_1**: @TangHo It's also possible to rank across all branches of the family, so if the kid has an older cousin named 伯X that can be it. But I agree, people don't really care about 行辈 that much nowadays.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-10-14. Score: 1

I moved my comments here and put it into an answer.

The names are generally good and wouldn't be much of a problem in a fiction. Yet you can still improve those.

1. **SIBLINGS' AND TWINS' NAMES**: If those are twin sisters and brought up together, it’s weird to have unrelated names, especially one with 1 and the other with 2 characters. I agree with @EEQ that twin names are usually even more related. Just two points to add. Besides similar meanings or the same category, the same radical is often used, especially for 1-character names (like 安 and 宁). For 2-character names this is less common. Usually the same 1-character suggests their kinship, or less common but still often seen the same 2-character (this rule can be relaxed for female names).
2. **ERA**: I also agree with @EEQ that 诗涵 is younger than 敏霞. 诗涵 becomes a popular female name after the 2000s (so does 奕辰 as a male name), but 敏霞 is around the 1980s. 伟丽 is a female name, though a bit neutral (I agree on what @Tang Ho said), that sounds younger than 敏霞 but older than 诗涵, probably still popular in the 1990s. 敏学 sounds even older than 敏霞. There's even a Qing-Dynasty royalty called 敏学. These comments on era are only for Chinese mainlanders. I've never lived in other Chinese speaking areas to comment on those, though I believe 曹宁 is era-neutral and gender-neutral for any region.
3. **AVOID FAMOUS NAMES** There are two very famous diving queens 吴敏霞 and 伏敏霞. Since 曹 is a different family name, it wouldn't be a complete problem. But if you don't have a particular reason to keep 敏霞 and have an alternative, I'd suggest you change it.
4. **CASUAL NAMES** In reality, especially for the younger generation, casual names are often heard. But in literary works, I'd suggest avoid them, especially for males, like the example given by @Tang Ho, 仲軒. It's perfectly ok for the eldest son in reality, but if seen in a novel, it'd cause me to wonder what happened before he was born.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2022-10-14. Score: 0

曹 诗涵: Generally, 诗 is a feminine word, A male name containing a feminine word is not uncommon, it makes the name sound more sensual, reflecting a gentle male image

江 伟丽: Generally, 伟(grand) is a masculine word, and 丽(beauty) is a feminine word. A female name containing a masculine word is not uncommon, it makes the name sound more stoic, reflecting a strong female image

All other names are fine, nothing offensive or strange sounding


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