Guide
Chinese Names from the Book of Songs (Shijing)
6 min read · 2026-11-05
The Book of Songs (诗经, Shijing) is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry and one of the most common sources for names. Its lines are short, concrete and full of plants, rivers and weather — which is why they produce names that feel lived-in rather than invented.
Why Shijing names still work
Shijing poems were sung, not written for the page. Their language is plain and rhythmic, and many lines contain two-character phrases that already read like names.
Because the collection is public domain and widely taught, a name taken from it is recognisable to Chinese speakers without explanation.
How to read a line for a name
Look for a two-character phrase that can stand alone: 清扬 from 有美一人，清扬婉兮; 琼琚 from 投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚; 静嘉 from 笾豆静嘉.
Avoid phrases that are common nouns in modern Chinese, such as 明月 or 春风. They are beautiful but read as words, not names.
Names worth considering
A few Shijing-derived names, with the line they come from:
- 清扬 — 有美一人，清扬婉兮 (《野有蔓草》)
- 琼琚 — 投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚 (《木瓜》)
- 静嘉 — 笾豆静嘉，朋友攸摄 (《既醉》)
- 令仪 — 岂弟君子，莫不令仪 (《湛露》)
- 子衿 — 青青子衿，悠悠我心 (《子衿》)
- 采薇 — 陟彼南山，言采其薇 (《草虫》)
Gender and tone
Shijing names lean gentle and literary. Many work for any gender; 令仪, 静嘉 and 清扬 are traditionally feminine, while 维桢 and 德音 read masculine.
Check the tones of the two characters. A level tone followed by a falling tone is easy to say; two falling tones in a row are not.
A warning about online lists
Many “Book of Songs names” lists online are generated by pairing random characters and then attaching a line that happens to contain both. The name and the line often have nothing to do with each other.
Always check that the exact two characters appear together in the original text. If they do not, it is not a Shijing name.