Anecdotes about famous figures: “Qian Zhongshu” or “Qian Zhongshu”?

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“\"Qian Zhongshu\" or \"Qian Zhongshu\"? Along with the wave of commemorations for Mr. Yang Jiang, attention has also been drawn to the way the character \"Zhong\" is written in \"Qian Zhongshu\". Some media outlets refer to Mr. Qian as “Qian Zhongshu” in their reports, while others use “Qian Zhongshu” – so which one is correct: “Zhong” or “Zhong”? According to Mr. Hao Mingjian, former editor-in-chief of “Yao Wen Jiao Zi” and a renowned philologist, there are currently four known ways of writing the character “Zhong”: 钟, 锺, 鍾, and 鐘. The latter two are in Traditional Chinese characters. Zhong means a concentrated emotion, such as being deeply in love or having a special preference for something; it can also be used as a surname. These are the original characters used in Mr. Qian’s name, indicating his great love for books. There is also a small story behind this: on the day Qian Zhongshu was born, a friend brought him a set of books titled \"Collected Works of the Ancient Sages of Changzhou\", and so his uncle named him \"Yangxian\" as his given name, with the courtesy name \"Zheliang\". On his first birthday, when he picked an item from a basket, he chose a book; his grandfather, uncles, and father were all very happy, so they named him \"Zhong Shu\" based on the family naming convention related to the character \"Zhong\". The meaning of “ bell” is a sounding instrument or timer, such as in the phrase “a monk who rings the bell every day” or clocks and watches. Zhong and Zhong are two characters with completely different meanings, but in the simplified character system, both have been simplified to Zhong; as a result, “Qian Zhongshu” became “Qian Zhongshu”. Mr. Qian did not approve of using “Zhong” as part of his exclusive logo; he referred to himself as “Zhong” in his handwritten writings, even though he did not accept the use of “Zhong” in his name during his lifetime. Later, as a compromise, the character “Zhong” was created and used specifically for Mr. Qian’s name. Mr. Qian’s family, as well as in Mr. Yang Jiang’s manuscripts, also used the character “Zhong”. In line with China’s tradition that the name should reflect the owner, the usage of “Qian Zhongshu” as a signature has been widely accepted both in official circles and among the general public, functioning like a patent or an exclusive brand logo. “The character “ bell” was later included in the Chinese character set around the year 2000, and it is now also a standard Chinese character. It is also included in the 6th edition of the Modern Chinese Dictionary. Source: West China City Daily