A Guide to Chinese Names & Nicknames for your Fandom Needs (Part 1)
I made this guide with my different CMedia fandoms in mind, but it should apply to any other Chinese media.
Something that has been irking me a lot since To Be Hero X penetrated the mainstream English fandom spaces is how many people keep referring to the characters by just their surnames 😭. It sounds weird and demonstrates a lack of knowledge on Chinese culture in general. I don’t blame these people, though. A lot of the TBHX fans are new to donghua, and we’re also past the era of fansubs with detailed translation notes.
However, it’s no excuse to stay ignorant. To help you avoid making the same mistake again, here’s a Chinese names guide for your fanfic and meta needs.
Disclaimer: I am not Chinese, but I have been studying the language for years and also engage in a lot of CMedia. So, I do know some stuff. Regardless, if you find any errors in this post, feel free to tell me so I can correct it.
Note: Fandom-specific examples are written in small text like this.
Post last updated: Apr. 24, 2026
Essentials
1. Chinese name order is Surname first, followed by Given Name.
Chinese surnames are usually only one syllable, making it easy to figure out which character in the full name is the surname. Just look at the first one.
However, there are a few two-syllable surnames, like Sima, Ouyang, Zhuge, etc. You may refer to this list for other two-syllable surnames.
2. Calling someone by both their surname and given name is the neutral, normal way to call anyone.
To those calling Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi as just Lu and Cheng, and Lin Ling and Yang Cheng as just Lin and Yang… Please don’t. Who tf are those 😭
2.2. But in some stories, characters may not have surnames.
In the danmei (Chinese BL) novel Bestial Blade, the setting is a prehistoric-ish tribal society where nobody has surnames. Although some characters may have two-character names, the first character is actually part of the given name and not a surname. In the case of characters with only one-chara given names, affixes/honorifics are added when addressing them. This will be explained later.
2.3. Nobody calls anyone by only one syllable, unless there’s a special reason behind it.
Example 1: In To Be Hero X episode 8, every child in the orphanage has no surname and go by only a one-character given name. But nobody really calls Qing/Cyan as just “Qing.” It’s not always in the English subtitles, but children and adults alike actually call Qing as Xiao Qing (Little Qing). The “xiao” is a term of endearment, and it’s explained later on in this post. At one point, the orphanage director also calls her by the nickname “Qing Qing.”
The one time Xiao Qing was called with only “Qing” in this episode was at the end, when the orphanage director got mad at her. Not using xiao or her nickname at that moment was really chilling.
Example 2: In the danmei novel Your Distance, there were instances where the male lead Bai Changyi addressed the protagonist Ting Shuang by just “Ting.” This sounds weird, but it’s fine ’cause it was on purpose. In the context of the story (two Chinese men living in Germany) and the relationship between the characters at that time (not that close), it sounded as if Bai Changyi was trying to keep his distance from Ting Shuang by refusing to associate with him like how one would with a fellow Chinese.
2.4 If the character’s surname has two syllables, calling them by only surname may be acceptable.
In Link Click, Liu Siwen’s partner is named Ouyang, and in some subs it’s written as Ou Yang. However, Ouyang is actually just her surname, since her father is named Ouyang Bubai. We don’t know daughter!Ouyang’s given name.
When I first posted this, I didn’t know why Siwen would call his partner by only her surname. Now, I do, so I’m updating this post.
From what I’ve observed in the recent cnovels I’ve read, calling someone by only their two-syllable surname is appropriate when...
The surname belongs to a rich, powerful family or a prominent, deeply-established clan. In this case, calling them by surname invokes a sense of reverence. The speaker here would be one of a lower status to that character (like, in Siwen’s case). Still, for extra respect, it’d be more appropriate to pair that with a honorific indicating the other person’s social status. Thus, Siwen not using honorifics for Ouyang is an indication of their closeness in spite of the difference of their statuses.
The given name is not that impressive compared to the surname, or it just has one syllable that can sound weird when uttered on its own. Here, the speaker would be older or of a higher status than the character.
The speaker is just very close friends with the character that such politeness can be ignored. (Like, bros bickering with each other)
In Forced to Share a System with Long Aotian, the male lead is named Sikong He (司空鹤). He’s a martial artist who started cultivating very late, so in a sense, he is everybody’s “junior” in the cultivation world. Those with a higher cultivation than him, like his senior brother, would just casually call him Sikong. His surname is unique enough in the setting, so there’s no worry about mixing him up with someone else. The main character, however, calls him by his full name, indicating a more equal relationship between them.
And honestly, I just think it’s awkward to call a martial artist by his given name Hè because it sounds a lot like that sound they exclaim while they’re training. (The e in Chinese is more of an uh sound than an eh one, unlike in English… I’m oversimplifying this, but you get it…)
3. A close family member calling you by full name and without any honorific can be odd.
Like, imagine your mom calling you by full name. Once or twice, it sounds like you’re in trouble (re: Lucky Cyan example in 2.3). But all the time? Your mom hates you.
Nicknames or given name+honorific is more normal.
This doesn’t apply to Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling from Link Click, even though they canonically consider each other as siblings. Idk, maybe because they have different surnames and aren’t really blood-related? Anyways, how they address each other is fine. And considering how they get along with each other, I also think they’d find those affectionate nicknames cringe 😂
4. If the given name is more than one syllable, then it’s fine to address that person by only given name and without any affixes and honorifics. This is an indication of closeness/familiarity.
e.g. In Link Click: Xia Fei calling Cheng Xiaoshi as only “Xiaoshi.”
However, there are instances where an older person may call a younger person by given name even if they aren’t that close. Like, a preschool teacher addressing their student by only given name is acceptable.
In family, an elder addressing someone from the younger generation with only given name is also normal, regardless of how close they are. But the opposite is not true. It is generally considered rude for someone younger to call an older relative by only given name.
Chinese Nicknames via Name Variation
5. It can be formed by repeating a syllable in the person’s given name.
Edit 1: Thank you @oceans-bluem for pointing out my mistake! Yes, reduplication of the name only happens with the given name. I could’ve sworn I’ve seen it happen with surnames in some novels, but after research, I have confirmed that I just remembered it wrong sgfjhgsjd
Edit 2: Just a few days after edit 1, I encountered an example of surname reduplication in a CNovel 🫠
In the apocalypse novel Guess I’ll Have to Run the Plot Myself! (只好自己走剧情了!), the protagonist Qi He once used his superpowers to move multiple cars forward. He nicknames this move as ‘QQ Flying Car,’ with QQ probably being a reference to the Chinese site/app QQ by Tencent and the initials of his surname doubled (Qi Qi). One of the side characters who didn’t know Qi He’s full name started calling him Qi Qi because of this. But even after he learned his name, he continued to call him Qi Qi as a form of affection. This kind of nickname is acknowledged as unnatural within the story, but considering the context, it wasn’t out of place.
So, tldr: You can’t reduplicate the surname in real life, but in fiction, whatever goes. Just be sure to justify it in your story.
ANYWAYS. Reduplication, for me, is the most affectionate way to address someone. It sounds very cute.
Lin Ling (林凌) from To Be Hero X can be called Ling Ling (凌凌), and that’s why the Chinese fandom abbreviates his name as 00. In Chinese, zero is 零, which is also pronounced as líng.
5.2. However, be careful in choosing which syllable to repeat because you might end up with a nickname that doesn’t sound nice.
In Link Click S1E1, Cheng Xiaoshi laughed when Qiao Ling called Lu Guang “Guang Guang.” This is because Guang Guang sounds a lot like wang wang, the Chinese onomatopoeia for a dog’s bark. (Some subs translated “Guang Guang” as “good boy” to get the joke across.)
5.3 Also consider how you’re portraying a character in your fic.
Would Vein from Link Click, whose Chinese name is Xiāo Wèiyǐng 萧未影, be comfortable being called Yǐng Yǐng 影影? The tones are different, but if you say it fast enough the sound isn’t that far from the yīngyīng 嘤嘤 which is a cutesy way of crying in text online (similar to “huhuhu” in English).
Xiāo Xiāo 萧萧 also sounds close to xiǎo xiǎo 小小, which means tiny.
Xiao Xiao and Ying Ying don’t really sound “manly,” but they’re not exactly bad nicknames either (I think). Just consider the context of your story before going with any of them. If unsure, consult a dictionary or a native Chinese speaker.
6. Adding the prefix ā 阿 for monosyllabic names.
This is more common in Southern China.
In To Be Hero X, Ahu’s name is actually the prefix ā 阿 + the character hǔ 虎, which means “tiger.”
In Mo Dao Zu Shi, Wei Ying is called A’Ying. In Bestial Blade, every female supporting character in the Black Eagle tribe is named with the prefix ā 阿 + a one-character given name.
You can only append ā 阿 to one character. So, no “A’Wei Ying.” Just A’Ying.
7. Adding the suffix 儿 (-r or -er).
This is more common in Northern China.
Like ā 阿, -er 儿 is only added to one syllable
It is often added to the last syllable of the given name
The subtitles don’t show it, but Nezha, from the Demon Child movie, is called Zha’er by his parents.
8. Adding the word 小 xiǎo (little) before the name.
You add this before the name of those younger than you or subordinate to you.
In Link Click S2, Liu Lan actually calls Li Tianxi “Xiao Xi.” But in some subtitles, they put in “Xixi,” probably for English localization.
When done among relatives and family friends, it is a neutral, informal way of calling someone. Cute, but also doesn’t express any special-ness since it’s no surprise for an aunt to call her niece as Xiao + Given Name. Still much more affectionate than just calling them by given name, though.
However, when done in a work setting…
a boss calling one employee with Xiao + Surname expresses some degree of favorability, especially if they still call the other employees by full name.
An older employee calling their younger boss with Xiao would sound like they’re not taking them seriously because of their age.
An old, mature boss calling their reckless new and young recruit with Xiao could indicate they think their employee is childish.
So yeah, it all depends on context as well as the speaker’s tone when they say it.
Xiao + Given Name is often used for children.
e.g. Empress Wu from White Cat Legend calls Li Bing “Xiao Bing-za.” Ignore the “za” for now, but the fact that an Empress is calling her subject with Xiao + Given Name is enough to show how much she favors Li Bing. Or maybe she just thinks he’s like a little kid, since she is waaay older than him. (Don’t be fooled by her young facade; she’s an old lady.) Regardless, “Xiao Bing-za” sounds very informal.
Xiao + Repeated Syllable (re: #5) sounds really cute. A bit childish, perhaps, but it really depends on context and tone.
Not a fandom example, but I used to call my cat Xiao Maomao (little cat cat)
9. Adding the word 老 lǎo (old) before the surname.
This is like the opposite of xiao, and it comes across as more rough/casual. Compared to xiao, it has more of a “bro” vibe.
Lao is often used for those older than you, while xiao for those younger.
But between those of the same age, you can use either depending on the kind of tone you want to achieve (re: #8 for notes on xiao)
If you use lao for someone younger, it could come off as ingratiating or extremely respectful.
Link Click: I can imagine Cheng Xiaoshi addressing Lu Guang as “Lao Lu” when begging him for a difficult favor 😂
That’s all for now! For a more comprehensive guide on Chinese nicknames, check out these resources:
How to Address Chinese People Correctly – Appellations in Chinese
30+ Chinese Nicknames: A Guide to Popular Choices and Cultural Significance
In part 2 of this post, I will talk about Chinese honorifics.
