What was East Heretic's reason for giving his students the name "Fung?"

[Ken Cheng]

What was the logic behind East Heretic Wong Yerk See's giving each of his students the name "Fung" ("Wind")? Why did he abandon this practice with his final student, Ching Ying?

[creamcheese007]

Isn't Ching Ying her real name given to her by her parents?

Weren't his feng students orphans or something.

[Ken Cheng]

Isn't Ching Ying her real name given to her by her parents?

Weren't his feng students orphans or something.

At least a few of Wong Yerk See's original students had given names before he encountered them.

For example, Mui Chiu Fung was originally named "Mui Yuk Hua." I think each of the other "Fung" disciples probably also came with names given to them by their parents.

[HuangYushi]

I think it's nothing more than simple generational naming practices within an organisation. Besides having a common character in the names of a particular generation, e.g. Huang Yaoshi's "Feng" or Bai Zizai's "Wan" (i.e. Bai Wanjian, Hua Wanzi, Feng Wanli), there are also other methods of giving generational names, such as:
1. Zhang Sanfeng's students were named after landscape elements.
2. Wan Zhenshan's students (Linked Cities) had the Earth radical [土字旁] in their single-character given names.

Then, there were organisations that used generational names on and off. In DGSD, the Qingcheng school did not use generational names (Sima Lin, Zhu Baokun, etc). In SPW a few of hundred years later, Qingcheng had generational names (Hou Renying, Hou Renxiong, Yu Renhao, Luo Renjie, etc). But this could be nothing more than an arbitrary naming/writing decision on Jin Yong's part.

[Ken Cheng]

I think it's nothing more than simple generational naming practices within an organisation. Besides having a common character in the names of a particular generation, e.g. Huang Yaoshi's "Feng" or Bai Zizai's "Wan" (i.e. Bai Wanjian, Hua Wanzi, Feng Wanli), there are also other methods of giving generational names, such as:
1. Zhang Sanfeng's students were named after landscape elements.
2. Wan Zhenshan's students (Linked Cities) had the Earth radical [土字旁] in their single-character given names.

Then, there were organisations that used generational names on and off. In DGSD, the Qingcheng school did not use generational names (Sima Lin, Zhu Baokun, etc). In SPW a few of hundred years later, Qingcheng had generational names (Hou Renying, Hou Renxiong, Yu Renhao, Luo Renjie, etc). But this could be nothing more than an arbitrary naming/writing decision on Jin Yong's part.

Also, four of Central Divinity Wong Chung Yeung's students had "Chui" as the second part of their names: Tam Chui Deun, Yau Chui Gei, Lau Chui Yin, Wong Chui 1. Makes me wonder how Ma Yuk, Sheun But Yee, and Gok Dai Tung escaped that convention.

The third generation Cheun Jen Sect members then used "Tze" as the second part of their names: Wan Tze Ping, Chiu Tze Ging, Lee Tze Seung.

[HuangYushi]

Also, four of Central Divinity Wong Chung Yeung's students had "Chui" as the second part of their names: Tam Chui Deun, Yau Chui Gei, Lau Chui Yin, Wong Chui 1. Makes me wonder how Ma Yuk, Sheun But Yee, and Gok Dai Tung escaped that convention.

The third generation Cheun Jen Sect members then used "Tze" as the second part of their names: Wan Tze Ping, Chiu Tze Ging, Lee Tze Seung.

Some of these generational names were real; others were just made up by JY, e.g. Yin Zhiping was real, but not Zhao Zhijing. Others, like Sun Bu'er, were still renamed, but without using the perceived generational name.