A Fun Guide to Names in China

A Fun Guide to Names in China
Dec 13, 2011 By Andrea Scarlatelli , eChinacities.com

Moving to China as a foreigner, one of the most fun – and some would argue important – choices you have to make include choosing your Chinese name. Granted, I know plenty of expats who decide not to bother having one, but for those in any type of business situation in which you are consistently working with Chinese people on a daily basis, having a Chinese name can make all sides feel more comfortable.

Foreigners choosing a Chinese name

1) Get the help of a Chinese person
There are certain guidelines you should follow when choosing your Chinese name. First of all, always have the name you choose verified by at least two different native Chinese people that you trust. Have them look at the name you've chosen, explain to you what it means, and listen to any suggestions they may have. Alternatively, you can try telling them the name you want (provided your pronunciation is good enough) and have them write down the characters to make sure they match what you had.

2) Choosing a ‘Chinese' Chinese name or a ‘foreigner' Chinese name
There are basically two ways to approach your choice of a Chinese name – deciding on a "Chinese" Chinese name (ie: a name that can be found commonly in China by native Chinese speakers) or choosing a "foreigner" Chinese name (ie: a name that mimics the Western name you already have).

People who want a "foreigner" Chinese name simply choose characters that reproduce the sound of their English name. For example, my husband's name is Adam, so his Chinese name is 雅淡 (sounds like Yadan). This is a straightforward, no fuss way to choose a name that appeals to many foreigners. Just be prepared: the characters that make up the sounds of your Western name may be confusing for some Chinese people – at least until you tell them your English name and they realise that you're mimicking that sound.

The other option is to choose a "Chinese" Chinese name. Many times you'll find that if you don't have a Chinese name, a friend or co-worker from China will give you one. That's how I wound up with the name 夏娃 (sounds like Xia Wa). This is the Chinese equivalent of "Eve" from the Bible (Adam and Eve, get it?). Of course, feel free to pass on the name suggested if you don't like it!

3) Choose characters that have a good meaning
People in China are also very big on names that both sound and mean something beautiful. For example, 岚 (sounds like Lan) means "mountain mist" and is a popular first name for women. It gives a peaceful, pretty mental image and it easily rolls off the tongue, both of which are desirable traits for a name.

4) Characters to avoid
Of course, there are a few things you should avoid when choosing a Chinese name. Obviously, don't pick anything with negative associations or things that are considered bad luck. This list is ridiculously long and consists of things such as 四 (sounds like Si) and means "four" (because of its similarity in pronunciation to the word meaning "death") and anything resembling 鬼  (sounds like Gui), which means "ghost." So as always, run your possible name choice by a Chinese friend! And please, for the love of all that is good, avoid using 大 (sounds like Da) in your name – this means "big" and just comes across as arrogant. The same applies for 龙 (sounds like Long and means "dragon") and 富翁 (sounds like Fu Weng and means "rich person").

5) Telling the difference between men and women's names
When choosing a Chinese name, it may be difficult to decide whether a name is male or female. The following links provide an expansive (but by no means all inclusive) list of female, male, and gender neutral names to choose from (note: all the names listed are surnames). A tip: If you're going to choose a name from the gender neutral list, you might want to pair it with a name from your appropriate gender list to avoid any confusion! Simply scroll your mouse over the Chinese character to see the English meaning of the name.
Female: http://www.cojak.org/index.php?function=ggn_index
Male: http://www.cojak.org/index.php?function=bgn_index
Gender neutral: http://www.cojak.org/index.php?function=agn_index

Chinese choosing American names

1) Pop culture plays a role
On the flip side of this issue, Chinese people have a variety of methods for choosing their English names. A popular one is to choose a character from a favourite movie or television series. Chances are you've already run into many Rachel's, thanks to our crazy exportation of "Friends," or Susan's from "Desperate Housewives."

2) Meaning and luck don't always translate…
People in China also like to name themselves after things that are meaningful or lucky. You come across a situation where a Chinese friend asks you to help them choose an English name – when doing so, keep in mind that things that may have good or neutral meanings in the West may be viewed differently here. For example, I was going over some possible English names with a Chinese friend and I suggested "Autumn," since this is a name that is unique in the West yet evokes visions of beautiful leaves changing colours, crisp weather and warm fires. She immediately rejected it, saying that in China that season represents death and bad luck. She did, however, take the name "Summer," which has much better connotations in China.

3) Teacher's last laugh
Some unfortunate souls are saddled with rather, um, unusual names by their overworked, underpaid English teachers. These are the people with names like "Eraser" or "Ruler" or "Yoyo." When encountering such a predicament (and trust me, you will – there are a lot of inexperienced English teachers out there), there's nothing much you can do except grit your teeth and try not to laugh. Hey, Yoyos are people too!

4) Open up the dictionary
Perhaps my favourite way that Chinese people choose their English names is by seemingly randomly going through a list of emotions and adjectives, and just seeing what sticks. This, I'm assuming, is how Happy at my favourite local restaurant, and Silly who works at my gym, got their names…
 

Related links
The Willing Mute: Why Many Expats Don't Speak Chinese
7 Reasons You Should Learn Chinese: 1-3
Where to Learn Chinese? University vs. Private Language Center

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Keywords: choosing a chinese name foreigners learning Chinese how to pick a name in China Chinese choosing English names

2 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

Rob

My name is Robert Green, usually shortened to just Rob. Was told that I couldn't use the Chinese for Rob because of theft so was given 羅拔格連
My question is, are they being honest about my name or having some fun with the only foreign guy in town?

Apr 10, 2012 01:14 Report Abuse

name calling

Da si gui. My new chinese name. apparently if said wrong it is something like rapist.

Dec 14, 2011 03:54 Report Abuse