Lián

Lián is a Mandarin pinyin transliteration that can correspond to several Chinese characters used as a personal name or surname. In contemporary usage, the most common characters associated with Lián are 连/連 (lián, meaning “to connect” or “to link”) and 莲 (lián, meaning “lotus”). A less frequent surname variant is 廉 (lián, meaning “honest”). Because multiple characters share the same pronunciation, Lián as a name can have different meanings depending on the chosen character.

As a given name, Lián often draws on either the lotus image or the idea of connection. The lotus (莲) is a traditional symbol of purity and grace in Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese culture. The meaning “to connect” can convey notions of unity, harmony or networks of relationships. The use of Lián in two-character given names is common in modern China and among Chinese communities abroad.

Across East and Southeast Asia, Lián has variant forms and associations. In Vietnamese, the name Liên (often written with diacritics as Liên) is widely used for women and generally carries the lotus meaning; in other contexts, Lián may appear as a transliteration of foreign names or as part of two-character naming traditions.

Because Lián can be written with different characters, its interpretation is not fixed and depends on the specific character chosen for the name. Notable individuals bearing Lián as a given name or surname appear across Chinese-speaking communities, including those in and outside of mainland China.