Why do Chinese novelists sometimes have the same name as their characters?

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I've encountered this twice now:

I'm puzzled as to what's happening here. I've never seen this in English novels. It's possible the authors are using a pen name, but I'm not sure.

Question: Why do Chinese novelists sometimes have the same name as their characters?

Tsundoku

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asked Feb 9, 2022 at 10:35

Rebecca J. Stones

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It does happen in English too.
– Rand al'Thor ♦
Feb 9, 2022 at 11:22
I haven't read the novels. Given both names are English transliterations, and from the titles and the first page preview, they seem pretty preoccopied with identity. ("David and I were the same age and spoke the same words ...") ... so I would guess the pseudonym is a way to extend that ambiguity slightly beyond the pages of the novel.
– Adam Burke
Feb 9, 2022 at 14:02
Other English examples: Money has a (minor) character called "Martin Amis", and The Word is Murder and its sequels are narrated by a character called "Anthony Horowitz".
– Gareth Rees
Feb 9, 2022 at 14:50
And yet another English example: in Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell, the narrator's best friend is named Pat Murphy. And I know I've seen other examples of this.
– Peter Shor
Feb 9, 2022 at 18:05

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