Shuai

Shuai is a Chinese name transliterated in pinyin that can function as both a surname and a given name. It can refer to several different Chinese characters, with the most common being 帅 in simplified form and 帥 in traditional form. Those characters have related but distinct meanings, including “handsome,” “confident,” and “military commander.” As a surname, Shuai is relatively uncommon but attested in various regions of China as well as among Chinese communities abroad.

As a given name, Shuai can be written with different characters, each imparting a separate meaning. Because multiple characters share the same pronunciation, the specific meaning of a given-name Shuai depends on the chosen hanzi. There is no single canonical meaning for the given name.

In Chinese language and culture, the syllable shuai also appears in terms tied to actions and sports. The verb 摔 (shuai) conveys the idea of throwing or dropping, and it features prominently in the martial art shuai jiao (摔跤), traditionally a Chinese wrestling discipline focused on throwing techniques. This usage is etymologically distinct from the surname character, though they are homophonic in Mandarin.

In contemporary usage, people named Shuai appear across various fields, including academia, sports, and the arts, reflecting the common practice of using Shuai as part of a broader set of Chinese given names and surnames. The name’s interpretation thus depends on the specific characters chosen and the cultural context.