Here is an expanded table including female writers and activists alongside their male counterparts, showing the range of formal names, courtesy names, literary/pen names, and aliases used across political, literary, and personal contexts.
🗂️ Expanded Table: Chinese Historical Figures with Multiple Names (Including Women)
| Public/Well-Known Name | Formal Name (本名) | Courtesy Name (字) | Pen/Literary Name (笔名/号) | Alias / Underground Name (化名) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鲁迅 (Lu Xun) | 周树人 (Zhou Shuren) | 豫才 (Yùcái) | 鲁迅 (Lǔ Xùn) | — | Major May Fourth figure. Pen name taken from "鲁" (Lu state) + "迅" = fast. |
| 茅盾 (Mao Dun) | 沈德鸿 (Shěn Déhóng) | — | 茅盾 (Máodùn) | — | “Mao Dun” sounds like “contradiction” 矛盾 — a conscious political choice. |
| 丁玲 (Ding Ling) | 蒋伟 (Jiǎng Wěi) | — | 丁玲 (Dīng Líng) | 孙家琇 (Sūn Jiāxiù), others | Influential female writer and revolutionary. “丁玲” became her identity. |
| 冰心 (Bing Xin) | 谢婉莹 (Xiè Wǎnyíng) | — | 冰心 (Bīngxīn, “Heart of Ice”) | — | One of the most beloved 20th-century women writers in China. |
| 林徽因 (Lin Huiyin) | 林徽因 (Lín Huīyīn) | 彬如 (Bīnrú) | — | — | Architect, writer, and intellectual. No pen name, but famous for poetic writing. |
| 宋庆龄 (Soong Ching-ling) | 宋庆龄 (Sòng Qìnglíng) | — | — | — | Sun Yat-sen’s widow; became Honorary President of PRC. Used her real name publicly. |
| 林昭 (Lin Zhao) | 彭令昭 (Péng Lìngzhāo) | — | 林昭 (Lín Zhāo) | — | Christian dissident writer executed during Mao era. Adopted pen name to write while imprisoned. |
| 李大钊 (Li Dazhao) | 李守常 (Lǐ Shǒucháng) | — | 大钊 (Dàzhāo) | 石坚, others | Early CCP founder. Used aliases in underground work. |
| 郭沫若 (Guo Moruo) | 郭开贞 (Guō Kāizhēn) | — | 沫若 (Mòruò) | — | Self-invented pen name combining poetic imagery. |
| 林语堂 (Lin Yutang) | 林语堂 (Lín Yǔtáng) | — | — | — | Used real name in writings; known for humor and language works. |
| 萧红 (Xiao Hong) | 张廼莹 (Zhāng Nǎiyíng) | — | 萧红 (Xiāo Hóng) | — | Used “萧” from partner 萧军 and adopted a literary name. |
| 艾青 (Ai Qing) | 蒋海澄 (Jiǎng Hǎichéng) | — | 艾青 (Àiqīng) | — | Influential poet; imprisoned by KMT and CCP alike. |
| 林海音 (Lin Haiyin) | 林含英 (Lín Hányīng) | — | 林海音 (Lín Hǎiyīn) | — | Known for nostalgic essays and works about Republican Beijing. |
| 张爱玲 (Eileen Chang) | 张煐 (Zhāng Yīng) | — | 张爱玲 (Zhāng Àilíng) | — | "爱玲" became her literary identity; changed her given name early in life. |
| 江青 (Jiang Qing) | 李云鹤 → 李进孩 → 蓝萍 | — | 江青 (Jiāng Qīng) | 李讷 (Lǐ Nà) [used by her daughter] | Mao Zedong’s wife. Changed names repeatedly during her acting and political career. |
| 谢雪红 (Hsieh Hsueh-hung) | 谢瑞贞 (Xiè Ruìzhēn) | — | 雪红 (Xuěhóng, “Snow Red”) | — | Early Taiwanese Marxist and women’s rights activist. |
📝 Notes:
- Many women used pen names to protect their identity, to adopt a new artistic persona, or to express liberation from traditional family roles.
- Revolutionary women often had to change names multiple times, especially those engaged in underground resistance or exile.
- Literary women like Bing Xin and Zhang Ailing chose names that reflected aesthetic ideals or emotional resonance.
- Some like Jiang Qing changed names repeatedly across careers (acting, politics, prison), while others kept consistent literary identities.
If you'd like, I can:
- Format this into a printable PDF or CSV
- Provide individual biographies for each of the above
- Add Japanese or Western Sinologist women with similar naming practices (e.g., Su Manshu’s female contemporaries) Would you like any of those?