Lin Jiling 林基玲
My parents gave me an English and Chinese name. I used both growing up, but started going entirely by my Chinese name when I left the USA on a one-way ticket to Taiwan, on a back-to-my-roots adventure many years ago. Today, I still use my Chinese name, in gratitude for my ancestors, lineage, and the traditions of my Chinese culture in medicine, philosophy, and living a beauty life.
"Lin" 林 is my family name, which means "Forest." It depicts two ”mu" 木 (wood) standing side by side in proud yet humble solidarity.
"Ji" 基 comes from our family poem. Each generation receives the next word in the poem. I'm in the sixth generation of this poem! "Ji" means "Stable Foundation." The character "tu" 土 (Earth) forms the root foundation of the word itself.
"Ling" 玲 is the sound of jade bells blowing in the breeze from the top of a lofty mountain.
Just like acupuncture points, these words have individual meanings, but also meanings created through dancing together. "Jiling" 基玲 as a whole references a different "jiling" 機靈 (same sound, different characters), which means "awakened, spritely, spirited, or precocious."
Who are you?
What does your name mean?
Where do you come from?
