延（yan）
Name meaning
延 (Yan) means to extend; lasting; continuance. As a given-name character, it is best read through image, temperament and pairing logic: to extend should become a person-like quality, not a plain word-list entry.
Practical naming use
延 (Yan) is read as yan and carries the core meaning of to extend; lasting; continuance. In a Chinese given name, it should be treated as a focused semantic signal rather than decoration: the character gives the name a recognizable image, a Mandarin sound and a cultural direction. For English speakers, it works best when the second character clarifies the personality behind the image, so the full two-character given name feels explainable, natural and not randomly translated. Its Fire element label is based on meaning and imagery, not on a fortune claim.
Pair 延 (Yan) with characters that make the image more human: clarity for intellectual names, cultural characters for refinement, calm characters for steadiness, and spacious characters for scale. Avoid a second character that repeats the same idea too closely.
延明 (Yanming): Yan contributes to extend, lasting; Ming adds brightness, clarity.
Historical / name-use references
张延赏 (Zhang Yanshang)
Zhang Yanshang was a Tang dynasty chancellor. His name directly contains the target character, giving it a clear premodern official-literati anchor.