What’s the difference between a modern day Chinese name and an ancient Chinese name?

The wife of the Guangwu Emperor (5 bce – 57 ce) of the Eastern Han was named 陰麗華 Yin Lihua (family name Yin, Lihua, beautiful and flowery, or beautiful flower). The founding emperor of the Sui dynasty had a daughter in 561 ce. He named her 楊麗華 Yang Lihua. There are so many people named 麗華 Lihua in Taiwan today that it’s called a 菜市場名 marketplace name: you can go into any market and call it out that at least one person is sure to respond.

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