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Good Chinese Name?

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Fenno

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Joined: June 10, 2003
Posts: 345
Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Oct 06, 2003 - 07:25 PM
Post subject: Good Chinese Name?

Learnt today that I need to have a Chinese name. Can you fluent Chinese speakers/writers tell me if Bai Sheng Li is okay or what?

jenming

FooJay

Joined: Dec 20, 2002
Posts: 1675
Location: Right where you wanna be
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Posted: Oct 06, 2003 - 07:50 PM

hhmmm...

you might have to explain which bai, sheng, and li you mean. For all we know that might mean "defeat rope principle"....

Rebekah

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Joined: July 27, 2003
Posts: 316
Location: Germany, sometimes China
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Posted: Oct 06, 2003 - 08:02 PM

sounds like Bái shêng lì = saving energy for nothing. but can be something nice if the tone is different.

Shèng lì means Victory. However it sounds a little bit out of fashion in a name. So, tell me what your English name and personality is so I may give you a few suggestion:)

Fenno

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Joined: June 10, 2003
Posts: 345
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Posted: Oct 06, 2003 - 09:36 PM

Thanks Jenming and Rebeka, sounds complicated, so perhaps I had better ask people who actually know me. Appreciate your responses.

NCD22

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Joined: Sep 18, 2003
Posts: 209
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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Posted: Oct 06, 2003 - 11:05 PM

Fenno,
First off, do you speak Chinese, this will determine how important having a Chinese name is, if you don't, then having a name is just something you do, if you do speak chinese, then having a name is important as that is what Chinese people will call you. If you feel that you need something interesting I would suggest a very common name, something that is very traditional or from the countryside. Mine is like that and it works very well as a conversation starter, or at least a good laugh as it is a very NON westerner name to have (Kang3De2Long2, literally; Healthy Virtuous Dragon). Also, learn to write it as the variations in pronunciation make it impossible to explain just what characters you mean, hence the earlier posts, and if you have to you can always write it down. A side note, a company, I won't say which but we studied it in marketing, didn't know anything about chinese and picked something that sounded like their product name and the result was;'Bite the Wax Tadpole', so ask someone you can trust Laughing

Ciao!

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parkerfairfield

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Joined: July 10, 2002
Posts: 501
Location: SF Bay
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Posted: Oct 06, 2003 - 11:43 PM

Rebekah wrote:

sounds like Bái shêng lì = saving energy for nothing. but can be something nice if the tone is different.

Yea, as it was pointed out, there are thousands of possible combinations for bai sheng li dependant upon tone.

Quote:

Shèng lì means Victory. However it sounds a little bit out of fashion in a name.

Quite a subjective comment ... Victory - depending on what you're looking for might suit you. I'd agree that it wouldn't suit me.

Quote:

So, tell me what your English name and personality is so I may give you a few suggestion:)

OK, here's where I have an issue ... and i thought that I'd climb up on the <SOAPBOX> that Michael has so nicely provided.

<center>Parker's Thoughts on Naming Foreigners Well; A Guide</center>

1. As one's MOTHER didn't 'hear' the infant's name when it was born, it is irrelevant what one's first given name is.

2. Foreigners should be given names that don't stick out like a sore thumb. Imagine going to the UK, US, etc and having a native of that country give you the English name Pepsi Cola because your family name was GUO, and your name was something that sounded to him/her like "Pepsi"

3. Just because some other guy named David had his name as "Da Wei" doesn't mean that EVERY David has to be a "Da Wei" too.

4. Remember that the name isn't necessarily going to be like that name that your 7th grade Spanish teacher, Ms. Whateverhernamewas, gave you... it MIGHT NOT go away at the end of the year.

5. What if a moron picks your name ... but the moron is convincing ... and you then are only surrounded by PRC nationals that are afraid of, bu hao yi se - I didn't want to embarass you by telling you that your name sounds JUST like (Toilet bowl, Horse ****, etc) if you change the tons the wrong way.

6. Make sure you can WRITE your Chinese name. Bonus points if you know how to write it in Simplified and Traditional (without Bill Gates' help).

7. Make sure you can say your name correctly.

8. KISS is a great idea; Keep It Simple Stupid

9. Realize that if you marry, have kids, or want to own property, your Chinese name will very likely be needed; mine is on my wife's ID card, on my marriage license, and in my sons passports. Cool

</soapbox>

FYI: My Chinese surname is an immutable 菲 - "fei" like in Philippines... and I:
A. had my name given to me after I reconfirmed over and over with the person (who was as fluent as any of the PRC posters on this board) as a "normal" Chinese name "that Chinese people could have".

B. due to no one around me having the courage in the beginning 3 months, I grew a succesful business as Mr. Fei ... prohibiting me from changing my name (less I have to explain to everyone that knew me in the city as to what I hadn't done, and that I just didn't like the name that I had JUST chosen)

C. Would have preferred I had a family name like Wang, Lin, Li, Liu, Cai, etc. (Not Zhang, as there are seemingly too many Zhang's ....) <FYI Wang, Lin, Li, Chen are ALL very easy to write/remember>

D. Some of the cooler, more exclusive family names are:
Fei 菲
Men 门
Bai 白
Long 龙

E. Wouldn't change FEI at all... as I've gotten used to it, and it sort of fits the non-conformist in me. (Wonder what my sons' classmates will say when they're about 13, eh?)

Lemme know if we add any Fei's to Chinese long & glorious history; there are 3 of us including myself that I know of.

Fenno

Reacher

Joined: June 10, 2003
Posts: 345
Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Oct 13, 2003 - 08:31 AM

Okay, thanks ParkerFairfield, got the gist of that. Won't be adding another Fei as I feel you need to remain unique lah. If Bai is a good family name, I would like to use that as my maiden name is White which an acquaintance said translates as Bai, and it does have a nice ring to it. So the first name is the tricky part. English name is Vicki and someone came up with Fa Kai which sounds like my own name, but also sounds like swearing and the web site I was given also gave me Fue She and Wei Kang. All these characters look difficult to write but as this will go on my name card, it won't matter and I can practice. What do you all think of these names?
p.s. as gathered I am a F so the name will reflect on me only but I certainly don't wanna be a dirty old toilet bowl or horse thingmebob.
Thanks

sulow

Squeeker

Joined: Apr 02, 2004
Posts: 19

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Posted: Apr 05, 2004 - 04:47 PM

last name - which we put in front you can chose 百(hundred) or 白(white)

胜利 - victory
盛黎 - great help for the people?
胜黎 - more good then general peopl?

dyniquee

Post Boaster

Joined: Apr 24, 2003
Posts: 4777
Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Apr 05, 2004 - 05:03 PM

how about - errr

生梨 - Peach!!!

heh heh you are so nice Peach heh Laughing

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dyniquee

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Posted: Apr 05, 2004 - 05:05 PM

Fenno - dont take me serious, I was just fooling around... Razz

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itv1980

Low Seater

Joined: Mar 05, 2004
Posts: 3355
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Posted: Apr 05, 2004 - 09:46 PM

My Chinese name is a conversation starter too just as my original name Mr. Green

My original name is: Ivo sounds like [evil] so right away having laughs when I'm introduced, especially people from Asia.

My Chinese name 伊佛 yi fo and sounds simalar to 衣服 yifu which means clothing. Very funny when shop assistants shouts clothing when passing by Cool

at least can have a laugh and my friends all remember me easilly

Ivo

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dyniquee

Post Boaster

Joined: Apr 24, 2003
Posts: 4777
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Posted: Apr 06, 2004 - 09:44 PM

ok so ivo your chinese name should be 鬼依佛! (buddha-subdued evil) Very Happy

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Fenno

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Posted: Apr 06, 2004 - 10:42 PM

Just noticed this thread was resurrected. In the end I was given the name Bai Wei Qi. I haven't received any strange looks from people after reading, so figure it must be fairly middle of the road. And yes Dyniquee, I am a bit of a peach, just a bit of an over-ripe one lah!

dyniquee

Post Boaster

Joined: Apr 24, 2003
Posts: 4777
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Posted: Apr 06, 2004 - 11:12 PM

No I meant Pear - 生梨 Embarassed

Hey over-ripe peach is really good - sweet soft and juicy!!! Razz

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edolis

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Joined: Sep 20, 2004
Posts: 223
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Posted: Apr 30, 2008 - 10:50 PM

Just my twoppence: if you are going to get an alien employement permit in China you'll have a chinese name assigned by the authorities (without any input from you) - i guess after all it's the one making more sense.
Mine sounds something like the real one and people say it is reasonably good

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tintindeo

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