‘In China, My Name Is…’ Book Contest: Win A Copy!

first,my name is sara, because I love Michael of Prison Break.

I’m an American student majoring in Chinese. My Chinese name is 何建宏 and was given to me during my first week of classes by one of my professors. They gave us a paper with our Chinese name, pinyin, and meaning, so I had a lot of fun telling my friends that my name meant “erect”.

I’m into my third year of studying Chinese now and just got back from a six-month study-abroad stint in Beijing, where we were more or less forbidden from speaking English. By now, “建宏” is almost as recognizable as “Zac”to me, and the strange thing is how those two names seem to be the things that divide my Chinese-speaking and English-speaking life.

As I’m in a position where people often ask me to give them English names, I’ve come to quite enjoy it. I try to keep them themed. One group of people I may give superhero aliases, another maybe name them after famous dictators (benito is my favourite), or perhaps serial killers. You’re only limited by your imagination.
Much fun can be had by all.

I am an American who is currently a teaching language in China. I’m called 羊子言。When I was 15 I was an exchange student in Taiwan in a Taiwanese high school, so I wanted a Chinese name to fit in to the culture a little more.
My last name in English is Lamb. Originally I was given the last name 杨 because it sounded like 羊. Later I decided just to use 羊 because it is more true to my real name, even though it is a strange last name to have in China!
I am named 子言 mainly because my host sister at the time saw it in a book and thought it sounded good and would be easy for me to write.
When telling people my name I often say 孔子的子，语言的言. I like my name because although it was picked almost randomly, I feel it has a lot to do with my character and future, since language and learning has long since been a part of my life and hopefully my future!

My first Chinese teacher gave me the name 李安柏 which sounds vaguely like my English name when it’s written surname first. It kind of suits me because I’m quiet like 安静 and tall like a 柏树.

I used to teach English in Chengdu and so became quite familiar with the weird names students liked to choose for themselves. The one I remember most was a guy who chose the name ‘Mud’. So yes, he would say ‘My name is Mud’.

He later changed his name to ‘Clay’ which was a lot better. Don’t know why he liked this earthy theme though…

I have a few stories to tell:

First, myself: My own Chinese name is a bit boring, 柯乔治. 柯 is a phonetic stand-in for my English surname “Corley”, and 乔治 is of course the standard transliteration of “George”, my own given name.

For a long time I’ve been asking Chinese friends to help me find a “real” Chinese name, but the closest I’ve got is with the ladies at the front desk of my Chinese dorm have started calling me 饺子 (I’m studying at Zhejiang University, so with their southern accents the pronunciation is very similar). I have also thought to drop the surname, since there are so few Chinese surnames and I have no connection to a 柯 family (or any Chinese relatives) anywhere, but not until I find a given name that isn’t so likely to be another white boy’s name (George is pretty common).

“Bad Girl”: I once met a girl in Suzhou whose English name was “Vilion” pronounced as “villan”. Not knowing the spelling at the time me and my friends explained to her the meaning of the word “villan”, at which point she insisted that we find her another name. Essentially she had the opposite problem as I had — rather than translating a very common Chinese name to English, she just made something up out of thin air — something that doesn’t happen all that often in English-speaking cultures as far as I know. It wasn’t until a year later that she settled on my suggestion: “Donna”, which somewhat fits the sounds of her Chinese given name, 冬梅.

At that I was somewhat reluctant to help my friend with her name. “Vilion” was “cute”, and I really didn’t see why she needed an English name, since her Chinese name is not so difficult for anglophones to pronounce. But I think ultimately it should be up to the person who wears the name, she wanted an English name that didn’t sound like it meant “bad guy”, I want a Chinese name that actually has some interesting meaning rather than just a transliteration of my real name. To each their own.

One last anecdote: My (older) brother was recently engaged to a Taiwanese girl, so of course he needs a Chinese name now. Of course, when I asked, it seems his future in-laws have already made that happen. My brother’s given name is Burr, not a very common English name, and at some point someone confused it with the word “bird”, so he is now refered to by his fiancé’s family as “that little bird”. I don’t know if they’ve actually considered giving him a Chinese name, but for now, when I introduce him to my Chinese friends, I shall call him 小鸟.

My Chinese name is 范凯令， and it sounds close to my original name. It was given to me by a taiwanese friend who only has daughters… so he chose it with fatherly care. He told me 范是范仲淹的范。凯是凯旋的凯。令是命令的令。I liked a lot its meaning, the writing (water, mountain, grass。。。）and my taiwanese friends say that it’s a nice one. Nowadays, as long as I am in China, or abroad but with Chinese people, my name, and the one I like to be used to address me is kailing 凯令.

I am asked by people in China for English names all the time; it’s mostly for their kids. In the beginning I would come up with simply names like “Mia” and such, something they could easily pronounce. After awhile, I got the impression that they actually like longer and more complicated names because they sound more exotic and western. Once a couple rejected the name “Eli” for their son because it sounds exactly like 依赖(dependent)in Chinese. I’ve met a girl who named herself “Syphilis” because it sounds oh so nice!

My first name is Stuart. It was easier for my mother-in-law to call me “Stu” so a young Chinese nephew heard this and started calling me 死兔子… fortunately this did not stick.

My last name literally means Tall Hill and I am extremely tall (2 meters) so my Chinese name is 高山 (which inevitably gets my spoken Chinese compared very unfavorably to 大山’s). My wife, from Hangzhou (hey all you Zhejiangers!), takes great delight in calling me 高大山 which apparently sounds rather “countryside” to her. I use a Chinese name in Chinese classes and with Chinese who prefer it that way but most Chinese I am close with call me “Stu” or “Stuart”.

My wife does not have an English name (even though she is a graduate of Beijing Foreign Language Institute’s English department and is a Professor of Communication in the U.S.) and I like it that way as I prefer to use normal Chinese names for Chinese people and usually am not comfortable usnig the western names Chinese choose (though it’s their choice, I call them what they like).

My name is actually Greek, and literally means angel. So when I first started learning Chinese, I went by 天使 (which also means angel). After a year being called by that name, I was told (quite embarrassingly) that it was a woman’s name, indicating a certain beauty, at that. So I asked my professor for a new one, and it resulted to 顾安国，顾 and 安国 being phonetic translations of my surname and first name, respectively. I now tend to present myself as 安国, as it feels better, although Chinese people keep hearing it as “韩国”(Korea) as 韩 is a surname and 安 isn’t.
I’ve heard some interesting English names, such as Sunny, Scarlet, and a French one, “Sauvage”(which means “wild” in a kind of a bad way..).

Well, my Chinese name is a no-brainer, a direct translation from Megumi (Japanese name, I’m Mexican though) to Chinese: 惠美. Apparently everybody likes it, and it doesnt’ sound ‘too’ foreigner (except, for course, for those who know some Japanese).
But anyway, I have a friend that used to be an English teacher, and he had the weirdest names in his classroom. Besides the usual “Happy”, “Tiger” or “Eagle”, he had a couple of students that were friends since a long time ago and managed to made it to college together. Their English names? Vitamin and Protein! And yes, they did know what it means!

On my first day in Shanghai I was approached by two Chinese ladies while I was walking on the Bund. Of course they wanted to take me to a teashop and then take lots of money from me for a pot of China’s most expensive tea. But I took something from them – my Chinese name 马修 (sounds like Matthew),　and have kept it ever since.

Next time I get mugged I’ll have to remember to ask for some stock tips.

My original Chinese name, given by my first 老师 in America, was 浩洛汶，hao4luo4wen4. Hao matches the first syllable of my last name, and luowen approximates my English name, Norman. I was quite proud of this name because of the water radicals, as I am a recreational triathlete and open-water swimmer. I would explain this when any Chinese person would inevitably comment on my name, “一点儿奇怪….”

Many years later, during a semester studying in China, we had a short lesson on Chinese names, and I learned that the three water-radicals made my name 一点儿难看, and the three fourth-tone characters made my name 一点儿难听.

The 老师 advised me to change 汶 wen4 to 文 wen2。I resisted this because, as I said, I had invested part of my identity into the name. However, at this point being a “China hand” was also part of my identity, and (forgive me) hearing a woman say “Luo4wen2″ sounded sexier than hearing her say “Luo4wen4″ or “Luo4wen0.” So I reluctantly changed my name.

Later, an older Chinese woman commented, “你的名字特别好－－我以为你是中国人！

–洛文，AKA Norman

WOW! This book looks great. I want a copy! You inspired me to look back at some of the records I have of old students of mine from China…
Here’s 2o that I remember:

1. Destiny – She sat in the front row. A little girl. It felt so strange to think that “Destiny sat in the front row.”

2. Gnitsy – This guy is super cool. He created his own name. As he explained, “It’s STING backwards.” Never mind about the “Y”. His English was impeccable and he had the confidence to have a bizarre name. I think when he entered into the working world he changed it back to STING.

3. Glacier – Slow moving? No. Cold? Nope. Beautiful and fun, Glacier was a student who was always pleasant and inquisitive. She was convinced it was a beautiful name. We told her before she went abroad to Australia that she should change her name since people will not understand. But she’ll always be “a big chunk of ice” to me.

4. Dreaming – I think her name explains so much about her. Not a depressing type who was always dreaming of something more, but bubbly, dynamic and lots of fun. The only problem is is that you would say her name from time to time in conversations that are not about her. “Last night I was dreaming…” or “What? You are dreaming!!!” Kind of weird.

5. Diablo – This guy was a big fan of some computer game. I asked if he knew the real meaning. Yes, I know, he said. It means “DEVIL.” Yes, I know what devil means. He seemed ok with that. I never had a student named GOD though.

6. Chieftan – Another computer game inspired name. Although he became a chieftan in my mind, he then changed his name as he began to work. Now he is Barney which is not much better. I keep thinking of a big purple dinosaur chief of a tribe of purple dinosaurs. Weird.

7. Celery – This girl was classic since her explanation was that simply, “I like celery.” Enough said.

8. Tomato – Sticking with the salad theme, Tomato liked the red color and the taste. Again, enough said.

9. Talk! – A young guy who was naturally shy. So he specifically chose this name to motivate himself to do something… can you guess?

10. Raila – Another student who made up her name. Her beauty contrasted with her name. Yet the contrast helped me to remember her name in some strange way.

11. Limpia – Friend of Raila, Limpia enjoyed Spanish and wanted to learn it. Unfortunately I forgot all the Spanish I learned so I couldn’t help her, but I did know that the verb “limpiar” had something to do with cleanliness.

12. Hans – This guy was one of a kind. Smart. Daring. Never embarrassed. He was a constant fixture in English corner. When I asked about how he got his name he calmly said, “My Chinese name is Han Han, so my English name is Hans.” Naturally.

13. Freedy – A wonderful young lady from the country side living in the big city and giving everyone a run for their money. She would tell us stories upon stories about how she grew up in the countryside fascinating everyone at English corner. At first the name meant nothing to me. After a few years knowing her, Freedy means my good friend.

14. Eric Floyd – One of my best friends in all of the Middle Kingdom. All five years living in China we were able to keep up with each other via communication or by visiting each other. He is a big fan of all things Western when it comes to music. That should get you thinking. His favorite artist is Eric Clapton and favorite band is Pink Floyd. Voila!

15. George Oliver Alexander – Another full English name friend that I had in China. This kid was really really smart. He went on to university in Nanjing and I’m sure his future is very bright. Perhaps he couldn’t choose one name and then someone told him about how Western people have middle names.

16. Matthew Trevelyn Knight – A friend of George Oliver Alexander. Equally intelligent and stunning English. I taught him in Middle school and therefore never was able to tell him about Knight Rider. The Trevelyn part I’m not sure about but I’m sure he had some good explanation.

17. King – This was a simple translation from a common family name in Chinese. But King didn’t really match the regal personality and attitude of a king. We taught King and his class baseball during the Autumn and he was less than coordinated when it came to sports. King somehow just didn’t fit.

18. Alpha – Never had an Omega but the name Alpha seemed to fit since she was the class monitor. When she spoke the class listened. When she wanted to argue in English, I listened.

19. Yo Yo – This was inspired I think by some Japanese influence. It had nothing to do with the toy but that is the only image in my mind when I called on her during class.

20. Sunny – This was the perfect name for this young student. She was ALWAYS smiling. Ear to ear. If her name was anything else it wouldn’t fit. She was sunny. She was bright. She was a breath of fresh air.

my name is immortal technique cuz i keeps it fresh liek dat