Well, in my humble opinion, these two Chinese characters don’t sound too old-fashioned.
莲 means lotus and its Pinyin is lián. And in a metaphorical way, it could mean purity. That’s why in a famous essay, Ode to the Lotus, or 爱莲说 in Chinese, by Zhou Dunyi, or 周敦颐 in Chinese, a renowned neo-Confucian philosopher living in Song Dynasty, who referred lotus as 出淤泥而不染, 濯清涟而不妖, which could be translated as “The lotus grows out of mud but is not stained; it is rinsed in clear water but does not look flamboyant.”
雨 means rain and its Pinyin is yǔ. There is a well-known verse from a Tang poem, Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night, or 春夜喜雨 in Chinese, by an eminent poet Du Fu, or 杜甫 in Chinese, 好雨知时节, 当春乃发生, which could be translated as “A good rain knows its appointed time, right in spring it brings things to life.”
Although these two quotes are from writings written centuries ago, when Chinese people of nowadays think of lotus and rain, these two quotes are often mentioned. So, they are not that old-fashioned. And there are people whose names include either of these two Chinese characters. The following are several examples.
Here is a picture of Jacklyn Wu, or 吴倩莲 in Chinese, an actress from Taiwan.
Here is a picture of Sandy Lam, or 林忆莲 in Chinese, a singer from Hong Kong.
Here is a picture of Zhou Dongyu, or 周冬雨 in Chinese, an actress from mainland China.
Here is a picture of Zhou Yutong, or 周雨彤 in Chinese, an actress from mainland China.
Here is a picture of Zhang Yuqi, or 张雨绮 in Chinese, an actress from mainland China.
