217 Funny & Unique Chinese Cat Names With Meanings

Song dynasty families did not buy a kitten. They actually “betrothed” it. They used to pay its owner with a few fish strung on a willow twig or a bag of salt.

List Of 217 Chinese Cat Names And Their Meanings:

Xuebao (雪豹)

Snow leopard.

Yingwu (鹦鹉)

Parrot.

Jing (静)

Jing is meaning quiet, still.

Libai (李白)

Plum, white. Li Bai (701-762) left close to one thousand poems.

Yun (云)

Cloud.

Xiangyun (湘云)

Clouds over Xiang River.

Bao (宝)

Treasure. Po, panda hero of Kung Fu Panda, is A-Bao in Chinese.

Hulu (呼噜 / 葫芦)

Purr, or snore, as 呼噜. As 葫芦 it is a gourd, and Calabash Brothers is a cartoon about seven gourd boys.

Hong (红 / 虹)

“red”/“rainbow”

Dundun (墩墩)

Mound, block of stone. Bing Dwen Dwen was the mascot of Beijing 2022 and is a panda in an ice shell.

Moyan (莫言)

“Don’t speak.” Guan Moye published as Mo Yan and won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Yutu (玉兔)

Jade rabbit. In 2012 China’s Yutu rover drove on the moon.

Denglong (灯笼)

Lantern.

Xue’er (雪儿)

Snow, with -er, a diminutive suffix.

Penglai (蓬莱)

Fleabane and goosefoot. Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu to sea to find Penglai.

Chinese Black Cat Names With Dark Meanings:

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Taotie (饕餮)	“glutton.”	TOW-tyeh
Anye (暗夜)	dark night	AHN-yeh
Jiangshi (僵尸)	“stiff corpse”	jyahng-SHUR
Chiyou (蚩尤)	rebel god	CHUR-yoh
Hundun (混沌)	faceless chaos	HWUN-dwun
Wuya (乌鸦)	crow, or omen	WOO-yah
Xingtian (刑天)	he fought headless	SHING-tyen
Tiangou (天狗)	“heavenly dog”	TYEN-goh
Moye (莫邪)	sword of sacrifice	MWAW-yeh
Qiongqi (穷奇)	rewards the wicked	CHYOONG-chee
Hanba (旱魃)	drought demon	HAHN-bah
Guiying (鬼影)	“ghost’s shadow.”	GWAY-ying
Gonggong (共工)	god of floods	GOONG-goong
Yaoguai (妖怪)	monster, or demon	YOW-gwhy
Wangliang (魍魉)	mountain goblins	WAHNG-lyahng

The list continues.

Feng (风 / 凤)

Wind, or phoenix.

Pangu (盘古)

Coil, ancient. When Pangu died, his breath became wind and his eyes sun and moon.

Kongming (孔明)

Very bright. It is pronounced as kohng-MING and is also spelled K’ung-ming. Zhuge Liang used it as his courtesy title, so sky lanterns are Kongming lanterns.

Ze (泽)

Ze is meaning marsh and grace. Save

Xueli Tuoqiang (雪里拖枪)

It is symbolizing snow pear.

Xianchan (衔蝉)

A cicada in its mouth. Huang Tingjian wrote in his poem 乞猫: “闻道狸奴将数子，买鱼穿柳聘衔蝉” (I hear the cat will have kittens, so I buy fish on a willow twig to betroth one).

Mimi (咪咪)

Kitty, what people used to call a cat in Chinese.

Qilin (麒麟)

Qi for the male, lin for the female of a beast from myths.

Mogu (蘑菇)

Mushroom.

Yingtao (樱桃)

Cherry.

Chinese Pet Names:

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Wangcai (旺财)	booming wealth	WAHNG-tsye
Niuniu (妞妞)	little girl, in Chinese	NYOH-nyoh
Guaiguai (乖乖)	obedient, supposedly	GWHY-gwhy
Ahuang (阿黄)	yellow one	ah-HWAHNG
Naicha (奶茶)	“milk tea”	nye-CHAH
Laifu (来福)	luck arrives	LYE-foo
Maomao (毛毛)	fuzz	MOW-mow
Xiaoqiang (小强)	cockroach, as slang	shyow-CHYAHNG
Tiantian (甜甜)	sweet	TYEN-tyen
Fugui (富贵)	riches and rank	FOO-gway
Qiuqiu (球球)	“little ball.”	CHYOH-chyoh
Kele (可乐)	cola, or delightful	KUH-luh
Pangpang (胖胖)	chubby	PAHNG-pahng
Dudu (嘟嘟)	toot of a horn	DOO-doo
Duoduo (多多)	plenty	DWAW-dwaw
Lele (乐乐)	happy twice over	LUH-luh

Scrolll for more.

Lu (露 / 鹿)

Dew. As 鹿, a deer.

Ailing (爱玲)

Love and tinkling jade. Eileen Chang’s mother chose 爱玲 to match Eileen.

Pingguo (苹果)

Apple. Píng matches 平, peace, so Chinese friends swap apples on Christmas Eve, 平安夜.

Erhu (二胡)

A two-string fiddle. Er is two, and hu was a word for peoples of the north and west. Save

Ling (玲 / 灵)

“Tinkling jade” or “spirit.”

Kuafu (夸父)

Boast and father. Kuafu chased the sun and drank Yellow River and Wei River dry.

Liuliu (六六)

Six six, from liuliu dashun, a wish for things to go smooth.

Xingxing (星星)

Stars.

Xiaoqing (小青)

Little green. In Legend of the White Snake Xiaoqing is a green snake as well as sister to Bai Suzhen.

Caocao (曹操)

操 is to grasp, to drill. Chinese say: speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives when someone walks in just as he is mentioned.

Huntun (馄饨)

Wonton, from Cantonese wan tan.

Xiao (晓)

Dawn and to know. Save

Linu (狸奴)

It combines 狸, wildcat, and 奴, servant, and Song poets used it as a pet word for cat. In November fourth, Lu You wrote: “溪柴火软蛮毡暖，我与狸奴不出门” (brushwood fire low, felt rug warm, my cat and I stay in).

Zongzi (粽子)

Sticky rice that is wrapped in bamboo leaves for Duanwu.

Jinsi (金丝)

Gold brocade.

Caomei (草莓)

Strawberry, “grass berry.”

Doudou (豆豆)

Little bean.

Baize (白泽)

White marsh. Baize is a talking beast who told Yellow Emperor about all spirits and monsters.

Jinyu (金鱼)

Goldfish, first bred in China.

Zi (紫)

Purple. Forbidden City is Zijincheng in Chinese, purple forbidden city, after Ziwei.

Paopao (泡泡)

Bubbles.

Shizi (狮子)

Lion. Linqing lion cats from Shandong descend partly from Persian cats.

Ju (菊)

Chrysanthemum. Tao Yuanming gathered chrysanthemums by his eastern fence.

Linghu (令狐)

Command and fox. Linghu Chong is a swordsman who doesn’t refuse wine in Jin Yong’s The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

Miaomiao (喵喵)

Meow meow.

Jingwei (精卫)

Spirit and guard. In Shanhaijing, a daughter of the Yan Emperor drowned in the Eastern Sea and came back as a bird.

Nezha (哪吒)

Chinese form of Nalakuvara, which comes from Sanskrit.

Wu (雾)

Fog.

Niangao (年糕)

Year cake, said aloud similar to 年高, higher year after year.

Liu (柳)

Willow and 柳 rhymes with 留, stay.

Yinxing (银杏)

‘Silver apricot’, Chinese for ginkgo.

Huajiao (花椒)

Sichuan pepper.

Xixi (茜茜)

Madder red. Empress Elisabeth of Austria is Xixi Gongzhu, Princess Sissi, in Chinese.

Lizhi (荔枝)

Lychee.

Xiaoyu (小鱼)

Little fish.

Shuangxi (双喜)

Double happiness, as 囍 on wedding doors.

Ren (仁)

Benevolence. Analects 12.22 has Fan Chi who asks about it, and Confucius answers: “It is to love all men.”

Long (龙)

Dragon.

Hupo (琥珀)

Amber.

Qiu (秋)

Autumn: 禾, grain, next to 火, fire.

Moli (茉莉)

Jasmine. Puccini wove folk song Mo Li Hua into Turandot.

Youtiao (油条)

Oil strip.

Sen (森)

Forest, three 木 trees stacked.

Tudou (土豆)

Earth bean, a potato.

Xiaohei (小黑)

‘Little black.’

Mengmeng (萌萌)

Mengmeng has a meaning that I like: sprouting, and online, cute.

Ruirui (瑞瑞)

Auspicious.

Nuan (暖)

Warm.

He (和 / 鹤)

He (HUH/HUR): Means “harmony,” or “crane” with 鹤.

Nüwa (女娲)

Mother goddess of Chinese myth. Nüwa shaped first humans from yellow clay.

An (安)

Peace: a woman, 女, under a roof.

Jiu (九 / 久)

nine/long-lasting

Sunzi (孙子)

Grandson. It is pronounced as swun-DZUH, and is also spelled Sun Tzu, after The Art of War’s author.

Mantou (馒头)

Steamed bun with not much inside.

Rou (柔)

Supple, tender.

Yi (怡)

Joyful.

Huoguo (火锅)

Fire pot.

Bingxin (冰心)

Ice heart. Xie Wanying (1900-1999) signed her books Bing Xin, including Letters to Young Readers.

Song (松)

Symbolizing long life, song is pine.

Wuyun (乌云)

“Dark clouds”. Chinese cat lovers refer to a black cat with white paws and a white belly wuyun gaixue: dark clouds over snow.

Jingzhang (警长)

Police chief. Black Cat Detective (黑猫警长) is a cartoon that puts a black cat in this job.

Xiaoxiao (笑笑)

Laugh, laugh.

Zhiruo (芷若)

Angelica and pollia, two herbs.

Lijun (丽君)

Beautiful lord. Teresa Teng was born Deng Lijun.

Diaochan (貂蝉)

Sable and cicada. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Diaochan has the intention to make Lü Bu against Dong Zhuo.

Jun (君 / 俊)

Lord. With 俊, handsome.

Keke (可可)

‘cocoa’. Kekexili (可可西里) protects Tibetan antelope.

Meilin (美林 / 梅琳)

According to Behind the Name, Meilin is made of 美, “beautiful,” or 梅, “Chinese plum,” with 林, forest, or 琳, fine jade.

Wei (薇 / 伟)

Wild vetch, and 伟, great. Boyi and Shuqi refused to eat Zhou grain and later starved.

Xigua (西瓜)

‘Western melon,’ watermelon.

Tao (桃 / 涛)

Peach. Peaches of immortality grow in Xiwangmu’s garden. With 涛, big waves.

Nuomi (糯米)

Glutinous rice. Ming builders mixed sticky rice soup into lime mortar.

Mahua (麻花)

Hemp flower, a dough twist from Tianjin.

Taiji (太极)

Supreme ultimate.

Hongdou (红豆)

Red bean. Wang Wei’s poem 相思 opens with red beans growing in the south.

Nian (年)

Year. Folk tales describe Nian as a beast that fled from firecrackers and red paper.

Tangyuan (汤圆)

Sticky rice balls in soup which is eaten at Lantern Festival.

Doufu (豆腐)

Bean curd. Liu An was a Han prince and made it first while was on a chase to an elixir.

Yezi (椰子)

Coconut.

Xiaolong (小龙)

Little dragon. Bruce Lee was Li Xiaolong in Chinese.

Hui (慧 / 灰)

Wise. As 灰, grey, ash.

Zhima (芝麻)

Sesame, and “open sesame” in Chinese is zhima kaimen.

Lei (雷)

Thunder. Lei Feng was a soldier who became a national role model.

Zhu (竹 / 珠)

Bamboo, or pearl.

Longjing (龙井)

Dragon well, a green tea from hills by Hangzhou’s West Lake.

Mudan (牡丹)

Peony, and in Chinese painting it is symbolizing wealth and rank.

Xifeng (熙凤)

Bright phoenix.

Qingting (蜻蜓)

Dragonfly.

Ming (明)

Bright: sun, 日, and moon, 月.

Pengyou (朋友)

Friend. Analects 1.1 says: “Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?”

Xiongmao (熊猫)

Chinese for panda: “bear cat.”

Weiqi (围棋)

“Encircling game,” Go.

Lian (莲)

Lotus.

Liyu (鲤鱼)

Carp. A carp that leaps over Dragon Gate becomes a dragon.

Huiyin (徽因)

Emblem, cause. Lin Huiyin was an architect and poet who helped design China’s national emblem.

Jie (杰)

Heroic or virtuous.

Shan (山)

Mountain, drawn as three peaks.

Na (娜)

Graceful. Li Na won the French Open. He is first Asian player to take a Grand Slam singles title.

Li (丽 / 李 / 力 / 理)

Li has different meanings depending on its character. 丽 is ‘beautiful’, 李 is ‘plum’ and one of China’s most common surnames, 力 is ‘strength’ and 理 is ‘reason’. In 茉莉, 莉 is half of jasmine.

Juzi (橘子)

Tangerine. Chinese netizens joke that from about ten orange cats, nine are fat.

Nini (妮妮)

Girl in Chinese. Nini was a swallow kite and one of five Fuwa mascots at the Beijing Olympics.

Ning (宁)

Ning (NING): Means “tranquil” and Nanjing goes by Ning for short.

Doujiang (豆浆)

Soy milk.

Jiaozi (饺子)

Dumplings. Northern families put them on New Year’s Eve.

Langlang (朗朗)

Bright and clear. Lang Lang plays piano in concert halls worldwide.

Ruyi (如意)

Ruyi: Ruiy is made of 如, as, and 意, wish.

Shuangmei (霜眉)

Frost brows.

Yingtai (英台)

Flower and terrace. In Butterfly Lovers, Zhu Yingtai dresses as a boy to study.

Zhi (智)

Wisdom.

Huangshan (黄山)

Yellow Mountain.

Zhaojun (昭君)

Bright lord. Wang Zhaojun left Han court to marry a Xiongnu chanyu.

Wusong (武松)

“Martial pine.” In Water Margin, Wu Song kills a tiger with his fists on Jingyang Ridge.

Maque (麻雀)

Sparrow.

Feifei (菲菲)

Fragrant, luxuriant.

Qing (晴)

Qing (CHING/CHEENG): Means “clear sky”, 日, sun, with 青.

Kunpeng (鲲鹏)

In Zhuangzi’s first chapter, a fish changes into a bird with a back thousands of li long. Kun is the fish, peng the bird.

Dong (冬)

Winter.

Chang’e (嫦娥)

Moon goddess.

Fenbi (粉鼻)

Pink nose.

Zhinü (织女)

Weaver girl, and Chinese for Vega.

Cha (茶)

Tea. English “tea” came from 茶 via Min speakers on China’s coast, and “chai” via Mandarin cha and Persian.

Xin (心 / 欣)

Xin (SHIN): Means “heart”, and with 欣, glad.

Beidou (北斗)

Northern Dipper, as well as China’s satellite navigation system.

Pixiu (貔貅)

A winged beast of myth, and in classical texts a word for valiant troops. Feng shui shops sell pixiu statues that reportedly can draw money into a home.

Fengzheng (风筝)

Kite. Weifang in Shandong hosts a international kite festival.

Tangtang (糖糖)

Sugar, sugar.

Bo (波)

Wave in Chinese and “to live” in Norse, through Scandinavian Bo.

Hai (海)

Sea in Chinese and yes in Japanese.

Yan (燕)

Swallow. Yan was also a state around today’s Beijing.

Chun (春)

Spring.

Xique (喜鹊)

Xique is pronounced shee-CHWEH and is meaning magpie. On Qixi, magpies make a bridge so a weaver girl and a cowherd can meet.

Wulong (乌龙)

Black dragon, oolong in tea. In football, a wulong qiu is a goal a player who actually scores against his team.

Jiafei (加菲)

Add and fragrant. Garfield is Jiafei Mao in Chinese.

Hudie (蝴蝶)

Butterfly. Zhuangzi dreamed he was unsure who was dreaming whom.

Jin (金)

Gold.

Qiezi (茄子)

Eggplant. Chinese say qiezi for photos, as English speakers say cheese.

Wuji (无忌)

Without scruples. In Jin Yong’s Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber Zhang Wuji becomes leader of Ming Cult

Xiaomi (小米)

Millet.

Rong (蓉).

Lotus, in 芙蓉, and a short form for Chengdu. In Jin Yong’s Legend of the Condor Heroes Huang Rong is a food-loving girl.

Yin (银)

Silver.

Emei (峨眉)

Lofty eyebrows: 峨 is lofty, 眉 is eyebrow. Mount Emei in Sichuan is a Buddhist mountain.

Dao (道)

Dao is meaning way, path.

Feicui (翡翠)

Jadeite. Before it meant a stone, feicui was the kingfisher: 翡 for red feathers, 翠 for green.

Xia (霞)

Rosy clouds at sunrise or sunset.

Sanmao (三毛)

‘Three hairs’. Zhang Leping sketched Sanmao as a street orphan with three hairs on his head.

Lihua (狸花)

Leopard cat pattern. Dragon Li, or Chinese Li Hua, entered CFA’s miscellaneous class.

Bai (白 / 柏)

White. With 柏, cypress.

Fang (芳)

Fragrant.

Wukong (悟空)

“Awakened to emptiness,”. Sun Wukong is Monkey King of Journey to the West.

Shui (水)

Shui has roots in 水, water, drawn as a stream. Laozi wrote in the Tao Te Ching, chapter eight, in James Legge’s translation: “The highest excellence is like (that of) water.”

Mo (墨)

Ink, written as 黑, black, on top of 土, earth..

Lingdang (铃铛)

A small bell.

Guanyu (关羽)

Pass and feather. Guan Yu is worshipped as a god of war and of wealth.

Guihua (桂花)

Osmanthus, and Guilin is osmanthus forest.

Hu (虎 / 湖)

Tiger, and with 湖, lake. Why can’t tigers climb trees? In a Chinese folk tales, a cat taught tiger all its tricks except that one.

Guoguo (果果)

Little fruit

Shanhu (珊瑚)

Coral.

Dongpo (东坡)

East slope. Exiled to Huangzhou, Su Shi (1037-1101) started to call himself Dongpo Jushi, lay hermit of East Slope.

Gongfu (功夫)

Skill won through effort and time.

Dingdang (叮当)

Jingle, like a bell. Doraemon is a robot cat and was known as Dingdang in Hong Kong.

Baozi (包子)

Stuffed bun.

Shaolin (少林)

Young forest. Shaolin Temple is on Mount Song in Henan.

Jiajia (佳佳)

Good, fine.

Xishi (西施)

Xishi (“west, bestow”) is one of China’s Four Beauties, so lovely that fish forgot to swim.

Xiaowutu (小於菟)

Little tiger, since 於菟 was a word for tiger in ancient Chu. In his poem 赠猫, Lu You wrote: “仍当立名字，唤作小於菟” (time to give it a title: call it little tiger).

Afu (阿福)

Fortune, with a-, a friendly prefix. Chubby Da A Fu clay dolls come from Huishan in Wuxi.

Huzi (胡子)

From 胡, beard, and 子, a suffix: whiskers.

Fu (福)

Families hang 福 upside down at New Year, since dào, upside down, is a homophone of dào, to arrive. Good fortune.

Beibei (贝贝)

Shell, treasure. Cowrie shells was used as money in China.

Bingtang (冰糖)

Rock sugar.

Pipa (琵琶)

A pear-shaped lute with four strings. Loquat, 枇杷, is pípa as well.

Qiqi (琪琪)

Fine jade. Kiki of Kiki’s Delivery Service is Qiqi in Chinese.

Shennong (神农)

Divine farmer, who taste hundreds of herbs to learn which ones healed.

Lizi (栗子)

Chestnut (I first wrote 李, plum, but chestnut is 栗). Beijing vendors fry chestnuts in sugar and black sand in winter.

Daiyu (黛玉)

黛 was a blue-black pigment used to paint eyebrows and 玉 is jade.

Jiang (江)

River. Chang Jiang, long river, is the Yangtze.

Houyi (后羿)

Lord Yi. He’s the archer who shot nine of ten suns.

Yuanbao (元宝)

Gold ingot, boat-shaped, used as money in imperial China.

Lan (兰 / 蓝)

Lan is from Chinese and has a meaning that I love: orchid, or blue.

Yu (雨 / 玉)

Rain or jade.

Haoran (浩然)

Vast and upright. Mencius talked about to nourish his haoran zhi qi, a flood-like vital energy.

Tuantuan (团团)

Round, gathered. Two pandas, Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, went to Taiwan.

Xiu (秀)

Ears of grain coming out, and fine-looking.

Yaya (丫丫)

Little girl, and 丫 is a fork.

Hongniang (红娘)

Red lady. Hongniang is a maid in Romance of the West Chamber.

Tong (桐 / 彤)

Paulownia, or red.

Chen (晨)

Morning.

Dabai (大白)

Big white, what Chinese audiences call Baymax.

Mulan (木兰)

Magnolia. Ballad of Mulan opens with her at the loom: “唧唧复唧唧，木兰当户织”.

Taxue (踏雪)

It is made of 踏, to tread, and 雪, snow.

Yue (月)

Yue (YWEH/yoo-EH): Means “moon”.

Xiuqiu (绣球)

Embroidered ball, and hydrangea. In folk tales a girl tosses a xiuqiu from a balcony to choose a husband.