noun
naming children with numeral kanji by birth order
Traditional practice of using kanji like 一, 二, 三 in children's names to indicate birth order. Now mostly historical or literary.
昔は排行で子どもの名前に一郎、二郎などと付けた。
In the past, children were named Ichirō, Jirō, etc., using numeral kanji according to birth order.
noun
lining up; arranging in order
Only when written 排行
Rare, mostly in older texts; restricted to the kanji form 排行.
古い文献では、排行が「順に並べること」の意味で使われることがある。
In old documents, 排行 is sometimes used to mean 'lining up in order'.
From 排 (arrange, line up) and 行 (go, line). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is now rare.