English Names For Chinese

中国人的英文名字

Beautiful Roses

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

When last month I got the paycheck from Asia Knowledge – the school where I teach Chinese language to Israeli students, a little surprise was waiting for me: the section “Pay to” stated my name as Crystal Tao. Of course, this is the way that I present myself to foreigners but one can easily guess that Crystal is not the name given to me by parents. My Chinese name is Jiaqi (嘉琪).

Without thinking too much I took the pen with ink color similar to the one used on the cheque, surrounded “Crystal” with brackets and added my Chinese name in front of it. I was very pleased with the result since now it looked as some writer’s pen-name. And luckily there were no problems with cashing in the cheque.

It seems that the administration of Asia Knowledge was confused that I always sign my mails as Crystal Tao and thought that it is my real one, or maybe they are following this blog :-) . I always assumed that foreigners communicating with Chinese people know that many of them choose a foreign (mostly, English sounding) name.

To check it, I went through some profiles of Chinese girls in one dating site and counted the proportion of girls having English names. Surprisingly, it was quite high through the broad age group from 20 to 50 years old: almost half of site members had a foreign name appearing in their profiles (somewhere between 40% and 50%). Even for Chinese women older than 50 y.o. the proportion was as high as 20-25%.

The most often used names were Mary, Cherry and Jane. I also noticed that Chinese women like to take the names of some flowers or other presumably beautiful things. The result can be a usual and widespread name – like Rose or Daisy or less conventional but still pleasant to ear Sunflower. However, the most unexpected flower name that I encountered was Geranium… I closed my eyes and tried to imagine to myself how a man would pronounce – “I love you, Geranium!”

Other reason why Chinese choose English names

Intercultural dating is not the main reason for having an English name. As a matter of fact, some Chinese companies with a large database of foreign customers ask all of their employees to choose an English name. I think, however, that in most cases it is redundant and doesn’t bring any additional value. Let me quote the excerpt from one personal blog I recently stumbled upon:

Our “national” guide, Ming, met us at the Beijing airport when we landed. <…> Thirty-one years old, tall, very slim, cute, Chinese.

“My name is Ming,” she told us once she’d corralled us through the arrival gate, “but you can call me Kate.” Apparently the tour company had given all of their guides “Western” names to make it easier for their charges.

Which struck me as really funny; are there a lot of Americans who can’t pronounce “Ming”?

“I’m sorry, Monp? Mirg? Say it one more time, slower. Okay… Mmmmelg? Fuck this, I’m calling you Kate.”

I am quite curious why people often like the sound of foreign language. Maybe it just feels more romantic or makes it easier to create certain associations which would be harder in their own language? Or take, for example, the opposite trend when Westerners ink Chinese tattoos on their bodies? Do they feel that Chinese characters are more meaningful, mysterious or nice?

Let’s conclude this topic with an entertaining video from the series “Sexy Beijing” produced by witty Anna Sophie Lowenberg (who wisely changed her “unpronounceable” name with simple Su Fei):

Jiaqi (Crystal) Tao

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http://jyrsa.iki.fi Jyrsa

Hi Chrystal,

I am quite curious why people often like the sound of foreign language. Maybe it just feels more romantic or makes it easier to create certain associations which would be harder in their own language?

I have actually thought about this myself from time to time. For instance, there’s a singer who’se music I like to listen to in Italian, which I understand only barely. She also sings in Spanish, which is passable as well but her English songs I just can’t bear to listen to because they sound too cliche. There’s an association that is lacking in foreign languages. Also, I find it easier to speak about my feelings and emotions in languages other than my native one.

I’d say that it’s because using a foreign language goes around some of the constraints we build for ourselves while growing up.

Sean Wong

Same thing for French singer I like, Alizee. Her french song are nice to listen to, but the English songs are just errr.. However her cover of Madona’s La Isla Bonita is still fantastic.

http://blog.friday-nite.com WoAi

Yes believe it or not, Jackie isn’t Jackie Chan’s real name and my name isn’t actually Peter. The name on my credit cards, passport and driving license all say “Ching-Wa Lee”. Nice to meet you Jia Qi!

http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

Nice to meet you, Ching-Wa Lee…
Oh, I almost “broke” my tongue!
I will call you Peter :lol:

Ziccawei

I think for Chinese people born or brought up since childhood in a foreign country, having an English name is ok.

But I find something distasteful about Chinese people (in China) that seem so keen to adopt an English name. It smacks of colonialism to me.

Yesterday evening, I was in one of Shanghai’s more well known bar/retuarants and all the Chinese staff had English names. And they were serving mostly white foreigners.

I can’t exactly put my finger on it but it doesn’t sit very well with me.

Kind of like having a black driver called Sam in Kenya in the 1920′s.
Marko

Great article Crystal. I never understood why the Chinese people give themselves a foreign name if they don’t work in a foreign company or over the Internet. To me it’s like they rejecting their own culture in some way by doing so. I know that now is 21st century and that English is the international language and that everyone want to keep pace with the time, but I would rather as Crystal says “broke my tongue” :grin: over an over again until I can pronounce a Chinese name. It’s reasonable to give themselves foreign names when they are abroad for better understanding, but while in your native country I think it is superfluous.
http://www.speakingofchina.com Jocelyn

Nice article, Crystal. I wonder if some of this can be attributed to the whole idea of “Western worship” (崇洋媚外) that has gone on for a long time in China? Something to think about.

Lily

Maybe. Not sure.
Perhaps it’s the same reason as why many foreigners (especially foreign students)prefer to choose real Chinese names instead of their own English names or the direct translation of them.

By the way, one of my coworkers’ name is Monkey. :shock: No clue how he made up his mind for that. Well, I guess it would be better if he could have a real English name instead.

SB

There was an interesting article on just this subject in Slate last year: Apparently, in Chinese culture, there’s a more utilitarian view of names; there’s nothing wrong with people having different names for different purposes. In the west, however, we tend to view names as more of a fundamental and immutable aspect of personal identity.

http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

That’s a good article. I especially liked the following quote:

taking an English name isn’t kowtowing, nor is it simply utilitarian. Rather, it’s essential to being Chinese and achieving Chinese goals. Whereas in the past patriotism was expressed by self-sacrifice, it is now expressed through economic activity. So by working for, say, 3M, Chinese citizens are helping to build up China, and the English names they take on in the process are as patriotic as Cultural Revolution-era monikers like Ai Guo (Loves China) or Wei Dong (Mao’s Protector).

http://www.magnoliaarts.com TLB

Oh, so now you’re going to start bringing ideas from actual research into this blog? :shock: What’s the fun in that? :grin:

The article corroborates my own experience with my 53-year-old fiancee: she has her “real” name, and a name she uses on the web (QQ, etc). I’ve NEVER heard anyone call her by her real name; friends and acquaintances use part of her QQ name with the added “old” or “young” depending on their age.

It’s interesting that, in the Slate article, the author (who is not the source of the research data) in the end can’t give himself an English name — carrying forward, as an American, the existential “this is who I am” mentality.

Cultural habits such as these come into being usually because people believe that it is to their advantage and in their own interests to do so. The anthropologist’s data gives some interesting ideas for how that could be. Thanks for posting it.

benj

I’m sorry I don’t really have anything to contribute. Maybe you’re right about the foreign languages having more of a ring to it. But… I wish my students would use less daily objects/nouns as names. It’s really odd to hear “Helicopter” or “Evil” or “Predator” as a name.

SB your name is the real reason I made this comment. LOL.
Rhys F

This entry got me wondering on a bit of a tangent… English has the terms Engrish for japanese screwups in english, and Chinglish for Chinese screwups… Just look at cheap translations of the instructions on imported asian made goods!

But what do Chinese call a foreign speakers screwups with Mandarin?
http://blog.friday-nite.com WoAi

Interesting discussion. I’m from England and when I was growing up, many of my friends and myself did not use an English name. It’s ironic that I only needed an English name when I moved to Asia in 1996. First day at work (in HK) the HR person asked “so what’s your English name”.

In mainland China it’s also now becoming the same way. Out of about 35 people in my office, there is not one person who doesn’t have an English name.

I grew up in London, it’s a multi-cultural city, nobody had any problems calling me Ching-Wa and probably would have thought it was strange if I said my name was Peter.

I kind of like how Chow Yan Fa, the HK actor didn’t follow Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and stuck to his Chinese name. I felt kind of proud when I walked down the street in London and passed a movie theatre and saw “The Replacement Killers starring Chow Yan Fat”.

Ziccawei

Good point, wo-ai.

Chow Yan Fat is a great example of someone refusing to bow-down to western bullshit values.

Why should someone have an English name?

I don’t have a Chinese name and if I did Chinese people would probably think it’s weird that I do.

disagree

It’s not “western bullshit values.” China is somewhat unique in this regard. Maybe the people want to seem metropolitan and modern. I dunno. Japanese don’t take on English names. Nor do Russians, Indians, Iranians, Egyptians, etc. The only example I could think of in which one of those people might be using an English name was if they worked in a call center and needed to dupe the Americans into thinking they were not foreigners.
Kevin

Why should someone have an English name?

I don’t have a Chinese name and if I did Chinese people would probably think it’s weird that I do.

Most foreigners in China do have Chinese names. My job made me pick one for my business cards and I never really use it, but lots of people do answer to their Chinese name and use it in everyday life (even with other foreigners).

Kevin

PS I totally agree about having to choose an English / Chinese name being bullshit cultural imperialism, and I think this is probably part of the reason you see Chinese people with such “stupid” English names. If I was a cocky schoolkid rather than a new employee that didn’t want to cause trouble with HR, I would definitely have chosen something rather sillier than 凯文 (actually my first choice was already quite silly, a full 8-character transliteration of my English name, but they wouldn’t let me use that).

Teacher in China

You guys are all missing the biggest point: who is that girl in the picture!!?? :grin:

Ziccawei

Good call, TIC.

:cool:
Bored in Sydney

I suspect her name is Maggie

BlackSugarDaddy

There is one thing missing in this article, which is who are those people naming themselves under a foreign names and why are they doing so. Pretty much 80% of native chinese who named themselves with fancy exotic labellings is for the sake of communication either in a working place or somewhere engaging with foreigners(not necessarily native english speakers),and of course they speak English. The reason why they use foreign exotic letters instead of their native chinese names i guess is because THEY BELIEVE some of the names are difficult to pronounce for foreign guys cause letters may be pronounced differently in different languages.

For example I wouldn’t like talking to someone with a name like [Ziccawei].It strikes me as someone from somewhere between nowhere and goodbye,and this name sounds ridiculous in mandarin as well. “zi wei”, jacking off, masturbating???????? ugh, :???:

So Crystal, why would you call yourself Crystal instead of jiaqi? because jiaqi might be sounding different/difficult, isn’t it ?

Ziccawei

Ziccawei is how the Shanghainese call Shanghai. Years ago anyway.
http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

The reason was very banal.
Just as all other students – I chose my name (Crystal) in school, at English language lesson.
To say the truth I feel very comfortable with it, and do sincerely regard it as my second name.

David

Crystal is a nice name but I am kind of curious why you didn’t choose “Jessie” as it would have sound closer to your chinese name of Jia qi. Most chinese I know would have done that. eg. mei ling will be Mary or Ai len as Elaine.

keius

Because Crystal sounds cooler and is considered ‘prettier’ by most girls. Jessie, for girls at least, invokes images of tomboys…not the effect alot of girls would go for :)

A friend of mine is named Wing Leung. I told him to go with Wayne or Leon. He chose Michael.

http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

Actually, I do like how “Crystal” sounds and in my mind it associates with something precious.
Also, I knew one woman whose name also was Crystal – she was kind of role model for me.

Xiaou2

Ive always loved the name Crystal, and interestingly enough, it seems to fit you somehow.

Crystals are beautiful. Ive collected a few of them over the years. They are said to be somewhat mystical, amplifying emotions, desires, & power… Crystals are somewhat symbolic of Enlightenment, Healing power, and Love.

The name Jiaqi is also very interesting. (Pronounced as Jie Qee ?) What does it mean? Google translates it to: Cathy Wan, which does not seem accurate to how Ive heard Chinese names translated.

Personally, a name like Ming is pretty and easy to pronounce. There are a few instances of Asian names which Ive found very hard to pronounce. I can only think that some have chosen different names that are easier for others to pronounce or spell. However, there are some who prefer an english name. The girl I was with last was from Taiwan, and she had chosen Lily. Her real name sounded very similar to lily though.

As for Chinese Characters… to many westerners, they are interesting and artistic. Also, they do have a lot of meaning, which is quite different from english letters… where each letter has no real meaning individually.

SB

The more likely naive transration of Jiaqi by most westerners would probably be something like “Jackie”. Among my coworkers and associates in my graduate program a lot of the ones who’ve chosen western names tend to pick something that sounds pretty close to their Chinese name (Jixin becomes Jason, Liuxi becomes Lucy, etc.)
http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

Thanks for your nice words, Xiaou2.

The first syllable of my Chinese name “Jia” (嘉) can be translated as “flowing smoothly” and it is like in the name of river Jialing – tributary of Yangzte river. My home city Chongqing is actually located where Jialing and Yangtze join.

The second syllable “Qi” (琪) can be translated as “beautiful jade”.

Xiaou2

Thank you JaiQi. Its a very beautiful name. So poetic.

Steve
http://laowaiink.weebly.com Mark

So where does the “Tao” come from? :shock: Some of my students choose last names to go with their English name but it’s always Lee because their Chinese surname is 李. Otherwise they just have an English first name.
disagree

I don’t mind if a Chinese person wants me to call them by their English name. I do, however, think that it is becoming an unnecessary anachronism. Japanese and Koreans don’t give themselves English names, and if the name is difficult to pronounce, they will offer a shortened version. Foreigners also do this. For example, someone’s name might be Alexander, but simply tell people to call them Al. Chinese people should be proud of their names and language. Also, I prefer calling my Chinese friends by their Chinese names. If I meet a Chinese person and they insist I call them by their English name, I don’t consider them to be a potential friend.

One thing Chinese people should do if they want an English name, is to choose one they can pronounce. Simple is better. Don’t choose a name like “Franklin” when “Tim” will do.
Bill

I’m sure there are multiple reasons Chinese choose english names.

But for those who interact with westerners, I think it’s done just to make life easier. Unless you know a little Chinese and can read Pinyin it can be hard to remember Chinese names. I can pronounce JiaQi, but nobody unfamiliar with Pinyin can. And even if they learn to say JiaQi correctly, they still have to memorize it.

My wife’s first name is Zheng. Even if someone gets the ‘Zh’ sound right, unless they say it in the Mandarin first tone, it is still likely to slip right by her.

I always try to remember Chinese names. It seems more respectful and shows your interest in the person.
Michael

English names for Chinese are a really bad idea. They are unnecessary and often much more dull than the person’s real name. Many of the names also sound old fashioned or just plain weird to westerners, and must make the Chinese person lose prestige. I have a doctor friend called Winky who just cannot be taken seriously by colleagues or any western patients.
Andy

My wife and I are expecting our first child. My wife is Chinese and I am British and have begun discussing possible ideas for our child’s name. One of things that has come up is whether their name should have some Chinese roots, or even an English then a Chinese name. The perfect solution would be a name that works both in Chinese and in English as my wife’s does. Not necessarily an easy name to find.

Kevin

@Andy Apparently the most common thing to do is to have a separate English and Chinese name, using your surname and your wife’s surname respectively, and then use the given part of the Chinese name as a middle name in English. For example, if your surname is Smith and your wife’s surname is 王, you might call your child 王伟 in Chinese and James Wei Smith in English.

Kevin

Replying to myself, I just realised that you’re probably in the UK. My reply was based on children with a foreign father in China, who still need to have a Chinese character-based name. But even so, having a Chinese middle name seems like a good compromise.

http://laowaiink.weebly.com Mark

I’m American with a half-Chinese son and his name is in English with my last name on his birth certificate (he was born in China) but his middle name is the initial Z since my wife’s surname is Zhu. If a child is born in China but the parents agree to give him foreign citizenship then his name should officially be in the foreign country’s language.

China Shark Mike

Okay, here are some of the crazy names my students chose Cinderella, Sunday, Orange. Yeah, I see why people wouldn’t respect these people. Friggen’ idiots. I’ve been mulling over whether to choose a Chinese name as of late. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place because I’m already the infamous China Shark so if I choose a third name how confusing would that be to Chinese. It’s so funny because my students are always shouting at me in the hallways and student grounds China Shark! I think I’ll be better off with just my American name and my alias China Shark Mike.

Kevin

I made a comment about this above – they probably resent being told they have to pick a foreign name, so they deliberately pick something stupid to make a point or make their classmates laugh. It’s not like they’re using the name in daily life, right?

China Shark Mike

Crystal how did you come up with the name Crystal. Truth be told in America Crystal is a big stripper name like of course Candy or Kandy is. It’s a great name yet my preconception of in my mind is a scantily clad girl who pole dances for a living. It’s ironic on how the perceptions are different from nation to nation. Personally, I think it’s a cool name so it’s really a moot point. Have quite a few students and friends named Crystal. I’m surmising that at one point Crystal might have become the in name to choose like Michael has been for like 30 yrs running in America. It is spelled 26 different ways around the world. Michael/American, Micheal/English, Michelle/French.

http://www.magnoliaarts.com TLB

I’m an American and in no way associated Crystal with a stripper name; guess I need to get out more… :mrgreen:

Jandy

I’m with you here – the only American I know with the name Crystal is a Paramedic – definitely NOT a stripper! Also, the American Classic Country singer, Crystal Gayle.

Ziccawei

I used to live in Hong Kong and one time, me and my brother went into McDonalds and it was pretty empty. There were two girls serving next to each other so we went to one each. My one was called Kinetic and the one serving my brother was called Energy. Plus they were twins. THAT is sheer genius!

:lol:
Smithcraft

Famous people change their names to make themselves more identifiable, and I don’t see people complaining about that! :lol: Who wants to go out and see that new Archibald Leach movie? Well, there hasn’t been a new Archibald Leach movie since 1966, but you get my point right?

A friend of mine is of Japanese and Mexican descent. He has a Mexican first name, and asked me if I thought it would be a good iDea if he changed it to a Japanese name. I think my abrupt laughter told him what I thought about that! Not only was he going to try and just pick a male Japanese name based on whether it was cool sounding, but he had no iDea about Japanese naming conventions. Now I should also note it took him more than 15 years before he shook off the English version of his name that he was given when his family emigrated to the US. He now goes by his Mexican name, although once in a great while I’ll slip and use his English name.

And then what about when people have nicknames? Just like we have user names at forums, that most of the time are not our real names. Would you scoff at someone that has a nickname? At one place I worked at the only people we called by name were the managers. All of the workers used our nicknames when talking about, or to, each other.

What about when people have their names legally changed? I might scoff at the guy that had his name changed to Optimus Prime, but if you think a different name better identifies you, why not change it?

Now the problem I have with Chinese having foreign names is two fold. First, if I understand correctly, many times the English names are picked by a school or workplace, at random. If someone is going to rename me, then it’s gonna be me or someone I know, not some unknown entity. Second, many people that pick a name I think don’t know what the name means, and only go by how it sounds, or end up making up names like the one lady in the Sexy Beijing video that wanted to have a different version of Samantha.

I let people tell me how they want to be addressed, and go from there.

As for Chinese characters in tattoos? I don’t know, and I can’t speak for anyone else, but for the tattoo I still have in the design stage, and since I don’t have Aaanolds biceps, the use of Chinese characters will be better in terms of spatial utilization, rather than the full latin expression. Also – less needle time means less pain!
China Shark Mike

TLB it might be a regional thing back in the states back in my younger years when I’de frequent those type of establishments. Certain names carry certain connotations in all cultures.
David

Well as you can see my name is David. I was told by a Chinese friend that in China I would be called 大卫 (pronounced Dà wèi). Now I was worried that this might be just a phonetic translation and have no meaning at all. Kind of like the world Golf. Which in Chinese is just a phonetic translation (高尔夫 Gāoěrfū Which according to google means “High” “Seoul” “Husband” Which sounds more like a married pot smoker from Seoul). When I learned that 大 (Dà) meant “Big or Great” and that 卫 (wèi) means “Protector”, “Defender” I was happy. Because although the name is often given the meaning; “Beloved by God”, the name actually does translate rather nicely. Being that David is a Biblical name and was the first King of Israel. The term “Great protector” does fit into the spirit of the meaning of the name. I guess we all can’t be so lucky.
Louisa

I actually have the opposite situation. No one except my ex-Chinese teachers ever use my Chinese name. My parents don’t even use my Chinese name. They use a shortened from of my English name. Interestingly, all my Asian American friends go by their English names, except for one or two who basically use a phonetic translation of their Chinese/Korean name. The only place where my Chinese name even shows up is my middle name, which is pretty common for overseas Chinese come to think of it.

If someone called me by my Chinese name it would probably take me a second or two to realize they’re addressing me. haha.

As for Chinese people choosing their own names, I find it interesting that they choose names that end in -y or -ie. Like Nancy, Annie, Johnny, Davy, etc. And Allan/Allen/Alan seems to be popular too. Though I think the coolest name I’ve found is this guy whose English name is Sephiroth, although this might be because I’m a huge Final Fantasy nerd.

Rhys F

Final Fantasy hell! That’s a Kabbalistic name :D at least to a non FF nerd.

Sephiroth is occult :P which for mainstream folks, means dark, uncanny and not to be dealt with… Ideal name for a black clad swordsman with uncanny connotions in a game :P

I wonder how my Name would come out, anyone willing to translate “Rhys” for me? The name is welsh and means “Firey Warrior” or “Fearless Spirit” depending on which welsh name book you read :P

Louisa

That’s actually very interesting. I did not know that. But for this guy at least it was a reference to the game character. I asked him and he said that FFVII was his favorite game.

But now I’ve learned something new. I always thought that Sephiroth was a play on the word seraph. Sounds similar and the character later turns into an evil lopsided angel.

China Shark Mike

Reminds me of my exwife who never took an English name while we were together. Xiao Wen, first 3 weeks dating could not pronouce it so I would just use a cliche how is my baby doing on the phone to compensate for my lack of liguistic skills. My first girl in China is named Mei and was insisting on changing her name to Jany. Had to say I was totally against it. For those doing business or communicating with foreigners is one thing but just to do it for the sake of doing it is lame. Some Chinese have beautiful simple names that I see as appropiate. However, if you want to move up in the international business world you must take an English name. The western culture worship I don’t get it myself.
Carl

Since my last post the wife and I moved to Yanji so she could spend time with her parents and I could follow my deram of teaching English. Some of my students had already chose English names and the rest wanted one too. In most cases I was able to give them a name that closely matched their native name. As far as my wife Ying goes, on the website I met her on her name on there was Jean, but she never used it and I always called her by her given name. When we got married I gave her the option of keeping her name or changing it. She decided to keep her native name, use her family name as her middle and take my family name as her last. Her family still calls her by her native name and thats ok with me, I just call her Dear and she calls me BOY!!!!!!!!!
CanadianDumpling

I got tired of white people trying to pronounce the Xiao sound. The X confuses the hell out of them.
Eddie

I asked a Chinese girl why she felt she had to take a Western first name. She said, because Americans can’t pronounce Chinese names.

Actually, most of us can read. We can pronounce Chinese names quite well, when they are spelled in English. Pinyin is a disaster. That’s why we can’t pronounce Chinese names. X doesn’t confuse us. We all know that words do not start with X. When we want to write the CH sound, we write CH.

When I see pinyin I always ask “How do you say that?” Then I write it down is such a way that it can be pronounced correctly by a native English speaker. This is called the Garret-Wade system. It worked well for 100 years.

I say, Peking. :-)

Kevin

Peking is a bad example because the Chinese pronunciation is pretty close to an English-speaker’s reading of “Beijing”, and really nothing like “Peking” at all. And Wade-Giles has some of its own letter strings that sound nothing like you would expect in English – the sound that is written as “x” in pinyin is written as “hs” in Wade Giles, which is just as far from the actual pronunciation.

If you don’t like the weird letters like in pinyin, the best system is probably something called Tongyong Pinyin, which was introduced by Taiwan about 10 years ago. It’s almost identical to standard pinyin except for a small number of sounds that have been changed to match up better to how an English speaker would naturally read them – for example, ‘zhong’ is changed to ‘jhong’, ‘xiu’ is changed to ‘syu’ etc.

Eddie

Kevin, I don’t think Wade-Giles (thank you for the correction) is perfect. I doubt that Peking is the only bad example of pinyin either. For me it is only about being able to pronounce a word. What I like is what works. Anyway, I do not believe that Wade-Giles was replaced with pinyin because of a few subtle irregularities – do you?

Why do any of these systems exist? I doubt that any of the Romanization Systems are really necessary. I’m not sure they’re even helpful. They are not Chinese, and they are not English. They are an artificial non-language. No other language feels that it needs such a construct. I do not think for a second that when I say “Vladivostok,” I sound like a native speaker of Russian. Yet, the Russians are willing to accept my non-native accent.

Wade-Giles gave two Englishmen cushy university teaching jobs. I’m not sure it ever did much for China. Its best feature was that nobody ever knew it existed. Pinyin has created thousands of cushy teaching jobs for Chinese professors, but I’m not sure it ever did much for anyone else.

http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

How about English transcription?
I mean those phonetic symbols put between “[" and "]” in dictionaries?

I think that most students learning English language find them quite useful.

Eddie

Of course, the pronunciation keys in dictionaries are invaluable, even though sometimes they only add to the confusion. The audio pronunciation buttons found in some online dictionaries are wonderful. They are especially entertaining when comparing UK to American accent. :-)

If I had to explain the pronunciation of “Qipao,” I would write “chee-POW.” Q is a problem. In English, a Q sounds like a K, never a CH.

X is a problem too. We have almost no words that begin with X. Most sound like a Z (xylophone). On the other hand, we do know how to pronounce SH.

“Xiexie” would be “SHEE-she” or something like that. Not perfect, but at least we would have half a chance of making ourselves understood.

When speaking pinyin-to-English dictionaries become available, spelling will be less of an issue. There are a few attempts at this, but they are poor (if you know of a good one, please share). Hopefully this will happen before the “universal translator” arrives. ;-)

SB

If I’m not mistaken, Isn’t Peking the Cantonese pronunciation of China’s capital? A number of common historical names for people and places in China come from the Cantonese readings because of the extensive British influence in the region and the large number of Cantonese immigrants to the US. It’s the same reason we refer to the person that modern Chinese know as Jiang Jieshi as Chiang Kai-shek.

Justin Liu

The only thing that could perfectly do the job is the international phonetic alphabet (what Henry Higgins uses to write down Eliza Dolittle’s accent in My Fair Lady), but who is going to teach a bunch of 6 year olds IPA?

Eddie

Native speakers of English are never going to speak with a Chinese accent. It’s not in the cards. “My Fair Lady” was a work of fiction. And, this is not the end of the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Fair_Lady

Chris

Not sure why people in China have English names, but in USA and Canada, I think it’s just an easier way to settle into a new culture. Not everyone have a monosyllable name that’s easily pronounced, which means that a lot of people will need to use English names.

That being said, I sympathize with your pain. Having been using Chris as the name I communicate with friends and colleagues, I find myself increasingly having to preface or explain my legal name as I continue to move into a very professional field. It’s annoying, and at times creates more confusion than is necessary.

What else is there to be done? I think in a more culturally aware world, maybe one day there will be universal recognition of how names are arranged. It’s not very likely, but one can hope.
Dan Ruble

well first off let me say I just stumbled onto this site and am enjoying it quite a bit. Second, English names not only are usually easier to pronounce, but oft time abreviated even further. friends and colleages may call a Daniel dan or danny. Robert becomes Bob, James,Jimmy, or Jim, hey maybe Jimbo.. And now we have the lovley Crysal, which is sure to be shortened to Crys.. that’s how I see it. And someone metioned the bastardization of language..Chinglish,Spanglish etc.. I thought English /Mandarin would be obvious.. Mangle- ish…Also the shortening of names, or new appelations? Cinderella? Cin ,Sin or Cyndy.. Sunday becomes Sunny, Sunnie, Sunee, even Suni..don’t forget that little heart for an “i”…As for miss Tao.. I think she would make a great pole dancer.. sorry Crys,you can’t help it if yer sexy…BTW , nice site you have here.
jaiolang

I’m in Western Canada. The “name-thing” is something I’ve watched with fascination. Canada is a country of immigrants, always has been since the beginning. Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate to know people who’ve moved here from all corners of the planet.
while noting the trend among Chinese to change their name to the “North American” familiar, I’ve noticed that East Indian people do not. I have friends from Vietnam who’ve never even thought to change their names.
Most Japanese I have met have introduced themselves with the name their parents gave them in Japan. Lately I have met one Japanese woman who allows a slight pronouniation variable, the name Reiko as the Hispanic Riko. A slight variation for the sake of efficiency.
But mostly this topic seems to be the serious concern of Chinese natives.

I wonder how many white folks visiting or living in China have adopted a Chinese name? ( beyond a familiar nickname among friends or family…?)

I think of it as a curious cultural anomaly, and find myself often questioning the rationale and supposed efficiency of the practice. I know a young lady who’s name is Yiran, but insists on being Alice.
Yiran is a beautiful and different name from my geographical perspective. Alice seems rather pedestrian, cardboardish in my part of the world.

From a North American perspective, I’ve noted that Chinese society seems to value the group over the individual. Compared to most in North America, Chinese people seem very highly socialized. Work and social activety has been seen by my eyes as a movement of the group, rather than the lone individual….(in general.)
I wonder if the practice of name change is more of a social need of the Chinese expatriate to “blend in” and become part of the group here, as a result of social upbringing back in China. (As well as creating a welcoming social format for North Americans and Europeans travelling, working and living in China?)

It is also natural that North Americans would find this need to intigrate a little unusual sometimes. Canada/USA are still a bit about the wild wild west….extolling greater value on the individual’s ability to stand out from the crowd, the gun fighter’s self reliance, ability to move and act unilateraly.

When people move here from India and maintain their name, nobody seems surprised. When the Chinese native does, it is noticed.

I don’t think this topic repesents something that is either good or bad. I do thing that it represent a highly complex social dynamic, and that perhaps a greater understanding of people’s motives, actions and reactions may allow us to learn more about the inner workings of the cultures of these two very different regions.
3jay

I, for one, fail to understand the Chinese preoccupation with adopting a Western name. I don’t think a Western name has the same ‘cultural’ value as the different names Chinese would take on for different purposes in the past (like zi 字 and hao 号). For example, back in their heydays, when Japan was the growing power to watch out for, none of the Japanese ever bothered to consider such an option. They are justifiably proud of their heritage and culture and, by extension, their names, and so should the Chinese be. I tend to make a point of calling my Chinese friends by their ‘real’ names, unless they really are completely Westernised and use a Western name in every aspect of their lives. And no, pronunciation shouldn’t be an excuse: you can learn how to correctly pronounce pinyin in about 10 minutes. TV and radio news-readers should really pay attention to that, by the way!
woodlandowl

I am disappointed that Chinese individuals’ names are westernized for whatever reason. I think it displays a fundamental lack of ignorance on those westerners who demand a western name for Chinese workers or, I also feel bad that westerners are ignorant enough to make Chinese feel that they have to have a westernized name to be communicated to properly.

My understanding is that in Chinese, that written in Pinyin and pronounced, the family surname comes before the child’s given name. For instance my girlfriend’s name is Yang Lan. Her family name is Yang, and her first name, the most personal and intimate, is Lan. I call her Lan because we are very close.

Is my understanding correct?
Mai Ke

I’ve been teaching English in China for last 6 years. I’ve heard some strange English names.
Latest is Lobelia (a flower – a nice change from Rose and Daisy). One of the oddest – Chair – a boy. Eleven – taken directly from one boy’s Chinese family name.
A few years ago I taught a Ruler Toe.
Yan

Most of chinese want an english name because of many reason

they have a foreigner boyfriend
They works online
they work on business (chinese or not)
or they think foreigner name is cute

Personally I prefer the chinese name because sometime like crystal’s Jia qi doesnt mean crystal in english it have another meaning

But you know in USA and even in Canada we can change our name Legally ( going to the government and changing name)

A name doesn’t define you your family name define you

just to tell you in my MSN I have someone called

Very Pure
Little Butterfly
Pure Angel
and another one I actually forgot the meaning
Kong

Even if Chinese people picked English names “stinks of Western imperialism”, why shouldn’t they? Would it be better to act as if Western imperialism doesn’t exist? Why not just call it what it is, and admit that Western Europe and the US have culturally ransacked most of the world? It is up to local people everywhere to shape the direction of their culture. I have a great idea: instead of telling Chinese people what they *should* or *should not* do (which is pretty much the same thing Western Imperialists do), just let them do whatever they want to, yea?

Sorry for the heavy talk. Now for something a little less snooty:

In my experience, Chinese people generally do not use their given names at all except for formal situations. They use nicknames, or 老/小+family name. For this reason, choosing an foreign language name to be called by may be fairly arbitrary. It may just seem weird to have everyone calling them by their first name.

I have a friend whose name is Apple, and I think that is just fine. It’s unique and a bit cute (and definitely tasty!). If she were to work in some high-powered professional field, she might consider changing her name.

I have a question for Crystal: Is it possible that they simply did not know your Chinese name, much less know how to write it in Chinese!?
http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

I have a friend whose name is Apple, and I think that is just fine. It’s unique and a bit cute (and definitely tasty!). If she were to work in some high-powered professional field, she might consider changing her name.

Could be a good name for the employee of high-tech company :razz:
X in LA

I’m a Chinese national living in Los Angelos as a grad student, teaching physics to undergrads. I do not have an English name and don’t see the need for one. Most of my students surprisingly can pronounce my name. I just tell them to call me Mr. X (my initials) if they can’t and they love to laugh at that, but no one ever actually does.

Not having an English name hasn’t stopped me from having fun in LA!! The ladies love it when I can say just call me Mr. X!
Ming

Hi Crystal,
I have a full-on Chinese name and I go by the middle one Ming b/c ppl always had difficulty pronouncing the full one. One WOULD think Ming is simple to pronounce but I get Megan, Meegan, Meng, Sing, Me, etc. Ridiculous. I usually give it a 2-name attempt then have to spell it out to them. “Oh! Miiiiing!”
I also love getting mail with MR. Ming. I am a female and it is hard to tell just based on the name but that drives me bananas! I will be giving future kids North American names to save them from this nonsense every single time intros are made. They will get a Chinese middle name though :)

http://www.lovelovechina.com Crystal

I think that giving a Chinese middle name is a good compromise.
It should sound well in combination with English names (cause they are usually short).
Not sure, however, if it would sound equally well with other European languages… Marco Wang Botticelli

Louisa

In college there was an lady who was an administrator in my department called Laura Chen-Schultz. It amused me.

John

I had plenty of exposure to unwise name choices amongst my approximately 1000 students over 7 years in China.

There were those who chose actual names, usually two syllables, hardly ever three, and they were unable to recognise diminutives as such, so Becky for instance was considered a different name from Rebecca.

Then there were those who chose a noun or adjective they liked – one girl called herself Finger, others were Orange, or Sweetie.

Amongst boys I had Michael Owen, Jackie Chan, God, Francis Beaufort and Garden Rake.

There were those who made something up, such as Niceshty, and there were those whose “English” name was in fact Japanese, usually Miko.

Sometimes they changed their names, to avoid a clash.

But I think the prize for the most ill-chosen name goes to the Marketing manaager at Acer computers who, according to the little book which came with it, is called Easy Lai. Not sure if male or female.
John

I reminded myself of when I was asked by students to suggest English names. Sometimes I offered names that sounded like their Chinese names, such Ou Shu Na who was happy to become Sheila (and still is), or sometimes names that reflected the meaning – I had a student called Xiao Fan (晓帆) who thought Dawn was suitable.

On the other hand there was a girl called Ke Yuanyuan whose friends told me it meant “two round things” but they laughed when they said it. She was Oonagh for a while (two round things!) but later changed it for Kiera. Presumably after Kiera Knightley that abysmal actress, who, either her or her parents, between them couldn’t spell Keira, or Ciara.

Then there was a girl whose name – He Cui Meng – means Green Dream. She didn’t like Olive/Olivia and when I found out that Chloë means “green shoot” I thought she’d be made up. But she said “Shoot? You mean bang, bang? No thanks.” So Green Dream she remains.

My best name I think was for a girl called Xi Ling. That sounds like ‘shilling’ in English, the pre-decimal coin whose colloquial name was Bob. Bobbie she became and Bobbie she happily still is.

Another girl whose name stuck is called Chrissie. Not because it’s like her Chinese name, or has any meaning. It’s just that she so much reminded me of a girl from my youth.

I did make a girl cry once when I told her I thought her chosen name – Fly – was horrible. But we sat a while and she decided she would become Sacha.
whatwhome

Hey John, I love all of your names for your students! LOL

I have an English name…well it’s the name on my birth certificate. I even have a middle name that’s Western. I’m American after all. I’ve just now been informed by my fellow classmates [Asian-International] that they all thought I was white washed because of this.

:roll: :roll: :roll:
John

I remembered another anecdote, about another student I inadvertently named. What happened was on the first day of class I was trying to write a register of English names, and went round asking each student in turn. When I reached this one she said, “Mei you.” I knew that meant “don’t have” but for a joke I pretended to write Mayo as her name. “No no no no”, she said. “OK, Nono it is.” And Nono it still is, five years later!
Fearchar

This is an interesting discussion. In Germany, which is a multilingual state at the heart of Europe, there are many cross-cultural influences, and given and family names come from many different places. The Sorbs, a Slavic linguistic minority, have often used the German translation of names to fit in to German-speaking society, and kept the Sorbian equivalent for family and for use within their own linguistic community. German, like English, is a major language with a tendency to steamroller other languages.

In my own case, my birth was registered in English, but the names are all originally Scottish Gaelic. When I gained fluency in Gaelic and became seriously involved with Gaelic-language media, I changed everything – passport, voter’s roll, bank accounts, etc. It still causes confusion that my wife (also a well-known Gaelic speaker) uses the English form of her own name – but keeping her own name is completely in accord with established custom within Gaelic and indeed older Scottish culture, and she goes by her Gaelic names within the Gaelic-language media. In any case, she couldn’t call herself “Mrs…” because the form of my surname, which begins with “Mac-”, only applies to males.

Before visiting Taiwan, I had to realise that it would have been asking too much of people to pronounce even one of my Gaelic names; they’re enough of a problem for many non-Gaelic speakers. (That doesn’t mean to say that I won’t try to get them to use these: my monoglot neighbours, colleagues, etc. can only benefit from having their horizons broadened, and it gives me the opportunity to make people aware of my chosen language.) Anyway, a family name that begins with “Mac-” seemed to have an obvious equivalent in 馬: so the first step was easy. When it came to my given name, I had to consider how best to approach it – a translation (of a name whose origin is, in any case, obscure); a transliteration (of a name with three syllables that are not pronounced so strongly in any Chinese context); or an equivalent, chosen with reference to the sounds of the original, with a meaning that didn’t turn out to be offensive or unusable, and that could be pronounced and understood easily.

In the end, the Chinese equivalent I chose for Fearchar (which has an intrusive vowel between the “r” and the “ch”, the latter pronounced like the “ch” in “loch”) was 飛鶴. I’m rather pleased with it, and my Chinese friends find it easy to remember and to use. I also like the written form of the complete name (馬飛鶴), which has a visual connection between the initial and the final characters, as well as combining movement on land and in the air. Most importantly, I sought and listened to the advice of various Chinese people, before coming to my own decision. I feel that it’s a privilege to be able to choose my own name, instead of having one thrust upon me by my parents. I wonder if that is some of the attraction of a non-Chinese name for Chinese people too.
Dr. Lee

Nice article. In my opinion, we should be proud of our heritage and use names that will identify who we really are. For example, when I asked a friend to see a Dr. Mathews, he asked me whether the doctor is a Chinese, Indian or English!
In fact, in the small group of friends I play badminton with here in Malaysia, there are four “Steven”, three “Alan”, and two “Frankie”.
This English influence during colonial days is even more marked and obvious in Hong Kong and Singapore. The days where we are greatly influenced by the English should be over.
Look at all the historical figures in the past such as Sun Yat-Sen, Lee Kuan Yew and Gandhi, just to name a couple. They used their heritage names and even after so many generations, they are still easily identified and remembered for who they really are and all their contributions.
Some races are really proud of their heritage names even though their names are even more difficult to pronounce, such as the Russians, Korean and the Japanese which I really admire.
When I was in Australia for 10 years, I was often persuaded to adopt an English name. I refused to oblige and asked why when they came to Asia, they did not adopt an Asian name as some English names were just as difficult to pronounce. Why should I bow to you?
English language however is now a universal language and is accepted as such and we do not need to identify ourselves to be part English to use it. Many Chinese living in countries ruled by English before such as Singaporeans still look up to the West and prefer to follow their culture which is really shameful. We should be proud of our own rich Asian Heritage and custom especially now that West is now no longer supreme. The days where we are greatly influenced by the English should be over. I heard that even the most respected Mr. Lee Kuan Yew discarded his Western name when he became Singapore’s first Prime Minister.
I do hope that the younger generation will be proud of their given names and of their heritage and will not lose this part of our Chinese heritage, which dates back much longer than that of the English.

http://blog.sina.com.cn/woaibabamamabaobao1314 Elijah

Yeah Lee…. Um I live in Hong Kong and I have quite a number of friends here, not to mention my wife was born here.

So I’m not coming at this from just a reactionary position, I’m coming at this from an experienced position.

It always amazes me when someone in Singapore or Hong Kong bemoans the colonial days in the present tense. They go on and on about how they shouldn’t follow this amorphous “Western” culture (a useful moniker for any culture in the world…) and follow their ancient and traditional chinese culture.

1) Have you actually been to china?? Do you realize the standards of living there? Do you see the culture there? It doesn’t even come close to comparing with World-Class cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, not even the “First-Tier cities” come close except in costs. So what’s the difference? Oh right…. Those dratted colonial days. Liu XiaoBao said it in jest, but a lot of truth is heard in jest

“(It would take) 300 years of colonialism. In 100 years of colonialism, Hong Kong has changed to what we see today. With China being so big, of course it would require 300 years as a colony for it to be able to transform into how Hong Kong is today. I have my doubts as to whether 300 years would be enough.”

2) Do you ever stop to think that maybe it’s a persons choice what name they want their friends and colleagues to call them by? Why should anyone give a rat’s ass if their culture demands subservience or not? A culture is something that some lives with, not something that dictates their lives. I suppose people who emigrate to the “West” for a better life are traitors to their heritage or something like that.

3) Most of my friends actually DID use a chinese name while in china. I did too. So what? Does that have any significance beyond putting some Prep H on some people’s butthurt? No… It’s just a name and again, it’s a personal choice not dependent culture.

4) As for what’s shameful….. Let’s not even go there ok?

Bonus point!!! I don’t know if you realize this or not, but something or someone’s age, rarely if ever impacts it’s value and the only people who rely on such superficial measurements are either unable or unwilling to dig deeper. So if we’re playing the “ancient culture” game, why not take a look at Egypt or Iraq (Persia) or India or even those “Western” roots around the Mediterranean, because really, it amounts to nothing.

Next time you’re feel like making an argument, try to make sure it’s valid first and then try to structure it so that it’s cogent.

Dr. Lee

What Singapore is today has little to do with colonial past but the hard working Singaporeans and it’s very dynamic leader Mr. Lee Kuan Yew even though I must admit the colonial rule did contribute to the initial structure but Singapore will not progress the way it did if not for the present government. Another thing is that any cash earned there stays there to benefit Singaporean.
Yes, I have visited China both on official invitation and as a tourist many times and was very impressed by its development and how contented the people are. I have even visited my traditional home town in Fujien province where my father was born which used to be a very poor undeveloped farm lands. I was impressed by it’s vast development and the people are all kind, very happy and contented unlike what some Western media will say otherwise.
Of course a small place like Hong Kong will be able to be developed more easily by foreigners who also benefited a lot from it financially as Hong Kong being a gateway between China and the rest of the world. So be fair and see it in a more practical way and do not just simply criticize.
You are definitely not a Chinese and so I do not expect you to agree with me but to counter what I say. You seem to read only the part you wish to criticize in what I wrote. A true Chinese believes in tradition through teachings of especially Confucius which we still value. When I was in Australia, a very nice lonely old Australian once confided with me how he admired our Chinese culture.
Oh my argument is very valid except to your Western point of view. Even the editors in our most popular National newspapers have published this argument of mine before. I guess they feel that this is relevant to inculcate a sense of pride in Chinese youths with regards to their given Chinese names and heritage. My opinions are often being accepted by people and the press and often are published. I have contributed and also been leader in many societies in my country and many people respect my views so don’t just blindly criticize it. I have even given examples to justify what I wrote but you have blatantly or purposely ignore what you do not want to believe just to justify your view.

http://blog.sina.com.cn/woaibabamamabaobao1314 Elijah

*Yawn*

Why don’t you just come out and say it directly instead of beating around the bush? “You’re not chinese, you can’t understand!” The same tired old refrain from countless arguments before. The same tired excuse when a chinese person’s OPINION can’t be explained or defended. I could go off on a tangent about you needing to involve ALL chinese people in your argument instead of standing on your own feet, but it’s really not necessary.

You mention “National magazines” printing articles about using traditional chinese names? Which magazines? In what communities? Do you think that any publication has any interest in what they as long as it sells? Honestly, that was a weak argument at best.

As for that pride you feel needs to be indoctrinated into kids, it already is, it’s called “nationalism” and the Party LOVES that shit. Pride is something that you feel naturally, not something that’s pounded into you. The difference being that real pride comes from achievements and forced pride is basically double-think to hide the flaws.

It’s great that you visited one the most developed provinces in china. I lived in china for almost 6 years and not just in Fujian province. I think I saw a bit more than your couple of weeks visiting the infamous “face projects” that the local governments are so in love with. You think some new building built with cut-corners everywhere and might just collapse in 10 years is development? That’s not pride that’s propaganda.

As for the original topic about names, you still haven’t addressed the core issue of individual freedom. It’s the individual person who chooses what name they wish to be called by. Everyone calls me Elijah, some close friends and family call me Bao and others call me 毅力佳 I choose it myself because it’s similar to my English name, sounds good in Mandarin and the meaning suits me. Also the Jia is from my wife’s name. Which just goes to show you that despite both our cultures saying she should take my name, I ended up taking one of her names, just not her family names cause Lin wouldn’t fit.

Also, please in future comments, stick the “true chinese” crap back where the Sun doesn’t shine, it’s just another logical fallacy used to construct a false dichotomy. IE: “If you agree with me, you’re a “TRUE chinese”. If you don’t agree with me than you’re a false chinese? Traitor? Idiot led astray? Something?”

Maybe I should start using arguments about how only civilized people can understand me, but uncivilized savages can’t make a finer point… What do you think Lee? It would make a nice parody of your entire argument.

Dr. Lee

If you dislike China so much or just jealous of the Chinese people, why stay there? Just to be a puppet of the West and cause trouble for others or just spying? What a character! This will be my last reply to you as you are not worth talking to. I have many friends from the West and they agree with me and certainly do not have such warped opinions of China. You are arrogant, fastidious and most annoying. Someone just mentioned to me what the famous Soros recently said of China….. that China has been exporting for over 2000 years while the west has only done so for 200 years. You keep praising how good the Western system is then why do you think most Western countries are going bankrupt now? I guess you will blame China for that too! Facts are more important than loud mouthing.
You call me uncivilized. Well the fact is the leaders of the medical professions in many countries all over the world including your country Canada which I have visited on invitation as a leader of the medical profession in my country do not think so and that is another fact. We have shown mutual respect for each other. Knowing your type, you will want the last say and you are welcome to it as I am definitely not going to waste my time on an egoistic character like you.

http://wanderingamericantravelblog.wordpress.com/ WanderingAmerican

If you won’t reply to him then reply to me. I’ll deconstruct your lst comment point by point.

1)You allege that because he disagrees with your ridiculous assertions that he is anti-Chinese. So we can assume that you are an anti-Western xenophobe since you keep bringing up old history from a long gone period where the West ruled the world and China was weak (whose fault was that by the way?).

2)You couldn’t make a decent argument that would hold up in any educational institution and so resorted to personal attacks. It’s just lame and showed how flustered you got to actually have someone disagree with you. That doesn’t happen often, does it? Do people just pat you on the head and tell you what a smart boy you are? Well welcome to the big boy world where you actually have to use some logic and higher brain functions.

3)China has many thousands of years of history but last time I checked there are still people pissing and shitting in the streets. Ain’t progress awesome? And I’m fairly certain for all of the 5,000-80,000 years of culture you guys claim to have (Chinese people change it often to sound more impressive) I believe the country has only been at peace for maybe 100 years. How harmonious is it that 8 of the 10 bloodiest wars ever fought involved China?

4)China’s debt is 150% of it’s total GDP making it worse off than the US and better off than Japan. That makes China in worse financial shape that any Western country. Make sure you actually know a little about economics before you try to use it in an argument.

5) You keep mentioning your credentials (which no one on here cares about) without using names and providing links. You’ve thoroughly embarrassed yourself.

This article was about people choosing names that they wished to be called by but you tried to turn it into a political, colonial past issue, which it has nothing to do with. Now please go write an article for the imaginary newspaper you work for about how a bunch of foreigners shamed you on the internet. Thanks for playing.

http://blog.sina.com.cn/woaibabamamabaobao1314 Elijah

Damnit!!! An American SPY!!!! If you’ve been to china and don’t love it blindly then you’re just there to sow seeds of discontent and spy….. Thanks Lee, we were confused as to why we came.

1) You’re the only one trying to make line dividing everything between “the West” and china. Neither WA or I ever mentioned “Western” cultures. In fact the only mention was a quote by Liu XiaoBao about colonialism, but even that din’t name anywhere except Hong Kong and china.

2) Thank you, I try my best to be fastidious. Next time use a dictionary before using a big word to insult someone. In this case it means I pay attention to detail and obsess over cleanliness. Ironically despite your n00b failure, they both apply to me. I can see how an attention to detail can be annoying to a puffed up ego based on perceptions of truthiness…….

3) Sorry, Canada isn’t going bankrupt, not even close. The chinese communist party will collapse before that happens. In fact Canada’s economy and banking sector have been praised for the solid regulation and safety. And that’s in a free market, not a controlled market with hidden debt, false numbers and over-inflated finances.

4) Keep avoiding it, but it’s still an individual decision what name they want and no amount of brow-beating and shunning can change that.

@ WA: I was actually ignoring this tard for all the failures he’s thrown up, but you prodded me into action through your own example. But remember, if you reply than what he says about you is true, you’re just desperate for the last word. Interestingly enough, that means he’s hoping you won’t reply and he’ll get the last word. And avoid solid questions and rebuttals which seem difficult on his intellect.

Let’s see…. Ok, if Lee replies to this comment, that means he’s a loser. If he doesn’t it means I’m totally right.

Hahahahahahaha, sad….. :twisted:

paulk

i have lots of chinese friends and people living in my building !!!

some have english names while others use there short chinese names example ming fei is now just ming !!!

very easy for english speaking people to say and remember !!!

her husband though who is also chinese is called john because a english person could not say his chinese name and it saounded like john so the name stuck !!!

as for my wife her name is wu han but wu sounds sort of rough for a woman so her english name is hany !!!!

i chose my daughters name after translating the meaning of her chinese name i chose an english name that was close in meaning of her chinese name she is called primavera !!!! it is sort of a delicate and unique name matching her apperance and qualities also like i said matches very close the meaning of her chinese name !!!!

my wifes chinese name means a flower about to open !!! suits her well i feel !!!!
paulk

oh i forgot to mention my dear daughter had a double name give to her when she was born it was qing qing !!

she thought though it was juvinile to have a double name so when in her later teens she changed it to chuning !!!

now english primavera !!!! there you have it folks !!!!
LaoSichuan

May be it is funny for a university student to adopt an “English name”.
However in business, your name MUST be identical with that in your ID.
Libby Chapman

I lived in Hong Kong for five years and
learnt a little Cantonese in my time, when I was deciding what to
name my little girl I decided on an unusual middle name “Mae”
it’s not Chinese but from memory “May” or “Mai”
is quite commonly used as a girls name. I have now started looking
for a middle name for my next girl. I originally wanted her first
name to be lilly and her middle name to be rose. I have a friend who
lives in Japan and thought that I would find out what “Rose”
was in Japanese, as it turns out it is not a good choice as in Japan
it is “Bara” which has many negative connotations. So I
thought I would look to see what it was in Chinese, it is
apparently “Lou si”, I haven’t been able to find a
pronunciation of it yet, but I’m thinking it might be close to the
English name “Lucy” which is my cousin’s name, my husband’s
past grandmother’s name and my friend in Japan’s little girls name.
Which at the time I told him I didn’t like :)

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