>In addition to the reasons given by others, Chinese culture is accustomed to associate multiple names to a person, a name given by the parents when young, nick

>In addition to the reasons given by others, Chinese culture is accustomed to associate multiple names to a person, a name given by the parents when young, nickname among friends, another name when one enters adulthood, a pen name when one publishes something. If you have a 字 or a 號 in this century (or even most of the last), you're very odd.