they are always identified or referenced by their given name,

That is not true though, some historical figures are better known in the modern day by their courtesy name.

Let's lay some ground work first, and first things first, forget everything you know about names in the non-Chinese sense(even modern Chinese sense), and let's explore how names work in pre-modern China(more specifically from around spring autumn to late Qing in dynastic China and the naming conventions of the scholarly class[士大夫]{basically you are part of that class if you were literate and most strive to enter imperial service via the imperial examination}).

You have 姓(surname) 氏(clan name) 名(given name) 字(courtesy name) for your average scholarly class(and the conventions are even more complicated when you ask how Emperors styled themselves). Now modern Chinese generally only have surname and given name, both the clan name and courtesy name have fallen into disuse. First, the surname and clan name has generally merged in modern China(and in fact happened during warring states onward), but they are not the same in ancient China. Surname follows the patrilineal line and operates as it does today, but clan name is more tricky, it depends on how it was given and it sometimes changes when the family switches feudal holdings. A good way to think about it is like the House names in Game of Thrones, it generally does not change and is passed down like a surname, but it does morph on important occasions like founding of a house or splitting of a cadet branch of the family.

Poet 屈原(Qu Yuan)(340 BC – 278 BC) is known by his surname(typo, edited to: clan name) and courtesy name in modern times and modern readers generally omit his clan name(typo, edited to: surname) and given name.

He is known as 羋姓(surname)，屈氏(clan name)，名平(given name)，字原(courtesy name).

But writer 魯迅(Lu Xun)(25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936) is best known by his pen name.

He is known as 周樹人(surname+given name)，原名周樟壽(original name at birth)，字豫才、豫山、豫亭(courtesy names, more than one and changes it throughout his life)，筆名魯迅(pen name).

Mao Zedong(毛澤東) is known by his surname and given name in most Chinese history books and is reflected in the common English translation.

Chiang Kai-shek(蔣介石) is known by his surname and courtesy name in the English translation here though the practice in referring to him varies and you can see both surname and courtesy name, and surname and given name used.

The reality is there is no uniform standard for referring to historical figures in either Chinese or in English translation since people can be know by many names. It generally depends on the time period and how the person would have comported oneself. For instance, Mao Zedong was consistently known by his given name so his courtesy name is less well known.

A very good primer on Chinese names would be "Chinese History: A New Manual" by Endymion Wilkinson though I think I am still using the older edition and most of my comment here is on the back of my mind since Chinese naming conventions are more of a common knowledge item in China studies. The concept of names is different within Chinese culture and people general think nothing of it by having different names for different occasions like you have different clothes for different purposes and flying a bit closer to modern era and the 20 year rule(though really, the practice predates that), Chinese people have no problem adopting a "Western" name for ease of communicating with others and it is routine where you will come up with an English name for English class in China. The reversal is also true that you have non-Chinese encouraged to adopt a "proper" Chinese names when the intend to learn the Chinese language.

So next time you see the name of a Chinese historical figure, the name could be any of the names that that person was known by, and the only way to tell is to double check.

I noticed that classical Chinese naming convention is a topic area of frequent confusion and misconceptions, so I will try to clarify a few key points here:

I've read that it is very disrespectful to use the given name of a Chinese person when they reach adulthood and that we would use their courtesy name instead.

This is a misunderstanding. First, most people in ancient China did not have courtesy name at all. Generally speaking, only male members of the literate class would have courtesy name (字), typically given between age of fifteen to twenty at the coming of age ceremony for boys known as guanli (冠禮). For those from humble background but managed to achieve social prominence during adult life (such Zhu Yuanzhang or Hongwu Emperor who founded Ming dynasty), they could acquire courtesy name ex post facto. Because traditional written historical texts tend to overwhelmingly feature prominent, male figures, this led to a popular misconception that everyone in ancient China had a courtesy name.

Secondly, whether it is considered disrespectful to address a person's given name (名) depends on social context. Generally speaking, given names are considered appropriate in the following three types of situations:

[1] In intimate and informal social contexts between peers (two individuals of similar status/rank/seniority) or by a person of superior status/rank/seniority addressing a subordinate. For example, see the following line of dialogue between Confucious and his disciple Zi Gong from The Analects chapter Gong Ye Chang:

子謂子貢曰 The Master [Confucius] asked Zi Gong (courtesy name of Duanmu Ci, a disciple of Confucius): 「女與回也孰愈」"Between you and Hui (the given name of Zi Yuan, another discipline), who do you consider to be the superior? 對曰 「賜也何敢望回...」 [Zi Gong] replied: "Ci (Zi Gong addresses himself in his given name) would not dare to compare myself with Hui (Zi Yuan's given name)...

The dialogue above presents a casual conversation between Confucius and one of his closest disciples Zi Gong, where the Master teases Zi Gong by asking Zi Gong to compare himself with Zi Yuan, another disciple who is clearly more capable. In this context, Confucius addresses both of his disciples with their given names (Ci and Hui respectively) and is considered appropriate given that he is their superior, and the conversation is an informal one. Zi Gong uses his given name to address himself, as it is the norm in both formal and informal settings. Additionally, he also addresses Zi Yuan in his given name "Hui," and it is also considered appropriate as the two disciples are peers and are close friends.

[2] A humble form of self-address, in both formal and informal situations. A good example of this can be seen in the famous Chu Shi Biao letter written by (Shu) Han Chancellor Zhuge Liang beseeching Emperor Huai of Han to approve his northern military expedition. The Chancellor begins his letter with the phrase "臣亮言" ("Your servant Liang writes..."). Liang is the Imperial Chancellor's given name (his family name is Zhuge), of which he uses in his official letter to address himself as a polite humble style.

[3] In neutral, non-intimate third person context for necessary identification and record keeping purposes. See the following example from *The Analects, * chapter Wei Zi, detailing Confucius' encounter with two hermit scholars Chang Zu and Jie Ni (here I will use James Legge's English translation, which I consider to be fully accurate for this passage):

長沮 桀溺 耦而耕 Chang Zu and Jie Ni were at work in the field together 孔子過之 when Confucius passed by them 使子路問津焉 and sent Zi Lu (a disciple of Confucius) to inquire for the ford. 長沮曰「夫執輿者為誰」 Chang Zu said, "Who is he that holds the reins in the carriage there?" 子路曰 「為孔丘」Zi Lu told him, "It is Kong Qiu (Qiu being the given name of Confucious)" 曰「是魯孔丘與」 "Is it not Kong Qiu of Lu [State]?" 曰「是也」"Yes."

In the above example, Zi Lu refers to Confucius by his family and given name, Kong Qiu, not only for practical identification purpose, but also because Confucius himself is not directly involved in this conversation (therefore no face-saving needs). The two inquirers (Chang Zu and Jie Ni) are presumed to be in similar seniority and social status as Confucius and are not considered familiar/intimate characters. Therefore, in this case, it is appropriate to use the most neutral (as without honorific or humbling styles) and basic name style (family name + given name).

There is a big exception to the aforementioned rules: given names are almost never directly used for referring to rulers and members of the ruling clan. Well, there are also exceptions to this exception as well. To be continued shortly...

Sources: 《論語 / 公冶長 9》 《三國志 / 卷 35》 《論語 / 微子 6 》

Reply to u/Right_Two_5737

Cao Cao's Wikipedia page mentions his courtesy name but doesn't use it. Is this an example of the "record-keeping" exception?

I'm glad that you asked! Remember I mentioned at end of my previous reply that there's a separate set of conventions when dealing with names of historical rulers? As the founder of the Cao Wei polity, this would apply to Cao Cao as well.

Here's a quick rundown of name style guide for ancient Chinese rulers:

• 【1】Given names, courtesy names, and family names are almost NEVER used for directly addressing rulers. (I say "almost" because an emperor's parents and grandparents still hold social seniority over the emperor, and therefore could directly address the regent's given name in private settings).

• 【2】For pre-Qin rulers (Shang and Zhou periods), the "state" + "posthumous title (諡號)" would be typically used in writing. For example: Duke Wen of Jin would be written as "晉文公" in which 晉 Jin (state) + posthumous title: 文 Wen ("civil") 公 Gong ("duke"), so could be literally translated as "The Civil Duke of Jin." King Wu of Zhou would be written as "周武王" in which 周 Zhou (state) + posthumous title: "武 Wu ("martial") 王 Wang ("king"), thus literally "The Martial King of Zhou."

• 【3】For early Imperial Chinese rulers (Han, Three Kingdoms, and Jin periods), posthumous title (諡號)" would be the default shortform style (occasionally the temple title or 廟號 is used at the default shortform, especially for the founding emperor of the dynasty), and the longform written style would be "name of dynasty" + "temple title (廟號)" + "posthumous title". For example, the name of Emperor Wu of Han written in shortform would be his posthumous title 孝武皇帝, or literally "The Filial and Martial Emperor," and in longform would be "漢世宗孝武皇帝" as 漢 Han + 世宗 Shi Zong (temple title, literally "direct patriarchal ancestor") + 孝武皇帝 Xiao Wu Huang Di ("Filial and Martial Emperor"). Sui rulers also adhered to this convention.

• 【4】From Tang dynasty onwards, the posthumous titles are getting longer and longer (for example Emperor Taizu of Song's posthumous title is 啟運立極英武睿文神德聖功至明大孝皇帝), therefore temple title (廟號) or "dynasty + temple title" became the default shortform in writing, and the longform still adheres to the old "Great [name of dynasty]" + "temple title" + "posthumous title" format. For example, Emperor Taizong of Tang would be written in shortform as "唐太宗" in which 唐 Tang (dynasty) + 太宗 Taizong (temple title, lit. "Grand ancestor"). His longform name would be "大唐太宗文武大聖大廣孝皇帝," literally "Grand Ancestor of the Great Tang, the Civil Martial Great Sacred Vast Domain Filial Emperor."

• 【5】Given names and/or courtesy names of historical rulers may be used in writing for necessary identification and historical record keeping purposes. In the case of given names of rulers, they are typically prefixed with the character 諱 huì (functioning as a "trigger" warning of incoming taboo phrase). For example, Han official historical record Han Ji 《漢紀》introduces the given and courtesy names of its founding emperor as: "漢高祖 諱邦 字季," which breaks down as: 漢 Han (dynasty) 高祖 Gaozu (temple title, lit "high ancestor") 諱 huì (warning for incoming taboo phrase) 邦 Bang (Gasp! The given name of Emperor Gaozu which shall never be uttered except in this document for purely historical recordkeeping purposes) 字 Zi (prefix denoting courtesy name) 季 Ji (courtesy name).

Now let's take a look at Cao Cao's Wikipedia page in Classical Chinese or 文言, which is written in the style of traditional Chinese historiography. He is introduced as "魏武帝" which follows style rule【3】above: 魏 Wei (the kingdom) + 武帝 Wu Di (Emperor Wu, Cao Cao's posthumous title). In Records of The Three Kingdoms or《三國志》，it introduces Cao Cao's full name and titles in the following line:

太祖 武皇帝 沛國 譙人也 姓曹 諱操 字孟德 漢相國參之後

In which: 太祖 Taizu (Cao Cao's temple title, "grand ancestor") 武皇帝 Wu Huangdi (posthumous title, lit. "The Martial Emperor") 沛國譙人也 "Person of Pei Commandery (place of birth) 姓(prefix denoting family name) 曹 Cao (family name) 諱(taboo "trigger warning") 操 Cao (given name, notice despite similar pronunciation it is written in a completely different character from his family name, a very common phenomenon for Chinese names) 字(prefix denoting courtesy name) 孟德 Meng De (Cao Cao's courtesy name) 漢相國參之後 (descendant of Han Imperial Chancellor Can).

Further reading: 《漢紀 / 高祖皇帝紀一 3》 《三國志 / 武帝紀》 《漢書 / 武帝紀》 《新唐書 / 本紀第二 太宗》