GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 129

简

简 is read as jiǎn.

Pinyin

jiǎn

Script forms

Simplified 简 · Traditional 簡

Basic meaning

bamboo slip; simple; select

Five element

Wood

Origin

Time: Zhou and later bamboo-slip/object-name and branch traditions; Zhou and later surname traditions, from 1046-256 BCE onward

Place: Multiple central-plains and southern branch traditions

Origin note

Jian surname traditions include object-name and branch-name layers. The basic meaning of bamboo slips is useful for English readers because it evokes records and simplicity.

Historical figures

简雍 (Jian Yong)

Three Kingdoms period · Shu Han official

A companion and official under Liu Bei.

简又文 (Jian Youwen)

1896-1978 CE · historian

A modern historian known for Taiping Heavenly Kingdom studies.

Sources checked