The Architecture of a Name (名以载道)
Hadrian Wan 万浩正 · Renping（仁平） · Chaozong（朝宗）
浩气长风正此生，怀仁抱朴海波平。
江汉朝宗万里去，笑看乾坤日月明。
Vast in spirit, upright in bearing; gentle in heart, calm as the sea.
Rivers find their course, while the world remains open and bright.
Haozheng establishes the inner self; Renping cultivates its virtue; Chaozong gives it direction.
In traditional Chinese culture, a person’s identity is multifaceted, represented by a given name (名), a courtesy name (字), and a pseudonym (号). Together with my English name Hadrian—chosen initially for its phonetic resemblance to my given name “Haozheng”—they form not just an identity, but a complete and interconnected philosophy of existence.
1 · The Inner Anchor Given Name
Haozheng Wan（万浩正）
The Compass of the Spirit
Hao (浩) means vast and boundless; Zheng (正) means upright and true. Derived from Mencius’s concept of “浩然正气” (Hao Ran Zheng Qi), this name is my active, unyielding internal compass. My surname Wan (万) translates to “myriad,” symbolizing the chaotic complexity of the world. “Haozheng” means navigating this myriad complexity (万) with a spirit large enough to embrace it all (浩), and a spine straight enough to never lose direction (正).
Source and meaning
In The Works of Mencius (《孟子·公孙丑上》), Mencius writes, “I am skilled at nourishing my vast, upright qi” (浩然之气)—a moral vitality that is both expansive and principled. “Haozheng” draws on this tradition without being a direct quotation: Hao names the breadth of spirit, while Zheng names the direction it should keep.
2 · The Builder’s Echo English Name
Hadrian
The Western Counterpart
Initially chosen because it sounds like “Haozheng,” Hadrian gradually acquired a second layer of meaning through its associations with the sea, order, and architecture:
- The Water Motif: Etymologically linked to the Adriatic Sea, “Hadrian” carries an expansive maritime image that complements the breadth of “Hao.”
- The Order and Legitimacy: As one of Rome’s Five Good Emperors, Hadrian represented imperial authority, law, and legitimacy, giving “Zheng” a Western historical counterpart.
Furthermore, Emperor Hadrian was a master architect. He represents the practical builder: turning abstract principles into enduring structures that stand the test of time.
3 · The Outward Balance Courtesy Name
Renping（仁平）
The Gentle Resilience
If “Haozheng” is the internal strength, “Renping”—the courtesy name recorded in my family genealogy—is the external wisdom. Ren (仁) is empathy and benevolence; Ping (平) is equilibrium and tranquility. They soften the rigid edges of “Haozheng,” reminding me to move through the world not with sharp armor, but with gentle resilience: treating others with warmth and facing adversity with a level heart.
Source and meaning
“Renping” is the courtesy name preserved in my family genealogy, rather than a fixed phrase taken from one classical text. Its two virtues, however, belong to the classical tradition: Ren follows Mencius’s “仁者爱人” (“the humane person loves others”), while Ping echoes the balance and harmony described in The Doctrine of the Mean (《礼记·中庸》).
4 · The Ultimate Synergy Pseudonym
Chaozong（朝宗）
Expansion and Convergence
Chaozong (朝宗) names a movement from breadth toward direction: many currents gathering without losing the character of their own course. In this sense, it completes “Haozheng”—Hao gives the water its breadth, Zheng gives it a direction, and Chaozong gives that direction a destination.
Because it is vast (Hao), it can converge (Chaozong); because it is upright (Zheng), it can give convergence a direction.
Yet this grand convergence is not a rigid absolute. A later canal proverb associated with the water-diversion works at Nanwang says:
Seven parts paying court to the Emperor, three parts descending into Jiangnan.
Sources and meaning
“江汉朝宗于海” · Book of Documents (《尚书·禹贡》)
Literally, the Yangtze and Han rivers flow toward the sea. Figuratively, the line describes many currents finding a shared destination and order. It gives Chaozong its central image of convergence and return.
“Seven parts paying court to the Emperor, three parts descending into Jiangnan”
This later canal proverb is associated with the water-diversion works at Nanwang, where one current was sent north and another south. Read through Chaozong, it becomes a fuller balance: seven parts of life may flow toward truth, responsibility, and a larger order, while three parts remain open to freedom, poetry, and ordinary life. It is the harmony between a grand direction and an individual course: finding the sea without losing one’s own waterway.