【主题分类】 中文段落是关于中国人姓氏的一些常识。先是从形式上解释“姓名”的构成和特点。然后从“名”的字来说明它所承载的“意义”。在翻译时，要注意句子之间的关系词的使用.

【逐句解析】

1. 组成：也可译作“be composed of”或者“be made up of”；“姓氏”也可译作“surname / last name”，“名字”也可译为“first name”.

2. “followed by”是一个过去分词作“伴随状语”。

3. 因为有for thousands of years的影响，因此本句的时态要用完成时态。

4. not uncommon是一个双重否定，主要是跟汉语原文对应着使用。

5. carrying用的是现在分词形式，表示的是一个伴随动作，说明“名”的意义。

6. it是一个形式主语，真正的主语是what引导的两个句子。Lead a life意为“过着......生活”。

7. attach importance to极其重视；as引导的是一个表示原因的从句。Tend to意为“倾向于......”。

【参考译文】

The full name of a Han Chinese consists of a family name and a given name. A distinctive feature of the Chinese name is that the family name always comes first, followed by the given name. For thousands of years, Chinese family names have been passed down through the father. Nowadays, however, it is not uncommon for a child to adopt the mother’s family name. Generally, a given name is made up of one or two characters, usually carrying the parents’ wishes for their child. It can be inferred from the name what kind of person the parents want their child to be, or what kind of life they expect him or her to lead. Chinese parents attach great importance to the choice of their child’s name, as the name tends to accompany the child for his or her entire life.