What does this name mean? (Chinese)?

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吳志楊 - Wu ZhiYang 
 
What is the meaning, the significance, of each character?
What does the name mean altogether?
Non-Chinese readers/speakers can try too.
asked Sep 4, 2013 in Chinese Paintings

2 Answers

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Although your Chinese name, 吳志楊, at first glance, doesn't seem to have any clear meaning, it does show what your father or whoever gave you this name aspired you to be. 吳, of course, is your surname or family name and has no meaning other than it was the name of an ancient kingdom in China. But 志 means "aspiration" or "ambition" and 楊 is a poplar tree which is much revered for its magnificent height, splendor and usefulness. The poplar tree can grow up to a height of 15 to 50 metres.
 
It could be that whoever gave you the name would want you to have the character of the poplar tree: to aim high in life and to be as outstanding, useful, and versatile as the poplar.
 
The poplar is a very versatile tree and its wood is used in light construction, furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, musical instruments, siding, paneling, mouldings and millwork, edge-glued panels, turnings and carvings.
 
According to Wikipedia, the poplar was the most common wood used in Italy for panel paintings; the Mona Lisa and indeed most famous early renaissance Italian paintings are on poplar.
 
This probably explains the combination of the two Chinese characters of your name 志楊 which I would be tempted to translate as "the aspiration or ambition of a poplar tree"
 
Hope this helps.
answered Sep 4, 2013
0 votes
I'll get you started:
 
吴[吳] Wú n. ①Zhou-period state ②Wu Kingdom (222-280) ③southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang ④Surname
"Bawl, brag; noun proper of an ancient state -- the seal has a variant of 大 man, and 口 mouth" --Karlgren.
 
志 ¹⁰zhì n. will; aspiration; ideal; ambition
 
杨(F楊) [yáng] poplar tree
 
There is no particular meaning (according to my dictionary) to the three characters together.
answered Sep 4, 2013