So true! I hadn’t been in Taiwan long before my local friends suggested 小強. It didn’t take long before I discovered what this means, and this obviously led to my choice of screen name. That was three years ago so I guess its time I chose something better.
I’ve read the posts above and will take some of the advice given but any suggestions or help from fellow Forumosans would be much appreciated.
谢谢,
小強
I picked a surname that sounds like my real surname.
Then, put two of my students names together to make the rest.
Chinese friends say it’s hick. Native English speakers have said it sounds like “cunt”.
Oh well. I only used it buy a scooter and open a bank account.
I still feel that if you speak Chinese to a reasonable level and are actively involved in Chinese culture (whatever that is! 
) then go ahead and pick a “traditional” or “real” Chinese name – i.e., two or in Taiwan preferably three characters (you will never know when to use just the first name with someone if you have a two-character name, because you can’t wait for them to do it with you first if you have only two characters in your Chinese name, as I do).
For people who are just passing through, or don’t speak Chinese/have little involvement in the culture, I personally prefer transliterated names. It sort of keeps a category line there: I’m making my own name Chinese for your convenience, sort of, but I’m NOT Chinese or even close. I think there are expectations that go with “real” Chinese names.
My own name was given to me by my first-year Chinese teacher, and it’s worked fine all these years (except for being 2 characters, I always felt a bit odd about that) except that lately that young Korean singer has the same name, and everyone comments that I must have taken my name after hers. :fume: I suppose I should be glad to look so young?
There’s another thread about it here:
[forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.ph … highlight=](How important is a Chinese name?
Personally, I’d disagree with ironlady (is that allowed? 
) and say you should either stick with your English name or get yourself a proper Chinese name - the transliterated names just look and sound silly (you always seem to end up with waaay too many syllables)
I would agree. I feel that sticking with your English name will be perfectly fine for most purposes, but if you’re really into it, spend the time to choose a Chinese name that you will be proud to use. A transliterated name just sounds ridiculous, and you’d be better off with your English name anyway.
Here’s a link to Chinese surnames, all with meanings and pronunciation guide. Keep in mind that some of the more popular surnames in Taiwan are Chen, Lin, Wang, Zhang, Wu… This is for historical reasons - these are the more popular surnames in Fujian province in China from which most Taiwanese derive their ancestry. But it doesn’t mean you have to choose one of those. geocities.com/Tokyo/3919/hundred.html#origin
There’s a lot that can go into choosing a name. Going to a fortune teller is basically about “counting.” Strokecount in the name is supposed to predict what qualities a person is/will have. There’s also a lot to do with what the character “looks like” - what radicals are associated with the character and what the character symbolizes in terms of elements - fire, water, earth, etc… These considerations, it is believed, give the person good, or bad luck. Thus, many Chinese parents choose baby names based on qualities they wish their children to have.
There’s also practical considerations - try to stay away from names that sound like something else in Mandarin, Taiwanese, or even Cantonese or English. You could get some flak for that.
Best advice to to consult a native Taiwanese friend. There are volumes of name-picking books in any bookstore, and having a good idea of what Taiwanese parents might go through in choosing a baby name will help you choose a good name you can be proud of.
In case you don’t have any Chinese friends 
, there’s a simple tool you can use to get a Chinese name online.
mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
Type in a name and it will generate a suggestion. Use it a few times and it will give different suggestions. Perhaps run a few of these by some friends.
At the very least it’s amusing.
[quote=“puiwaihin”]In case you don’t have any Chinese friends , there’s a simple tool you can use to get a Chinese name online.
mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
Type in a name and it will generate a suggestion. Use it a few times and it will give different suggestions. Perhaps run a few of these by some friends.
At the very least it’s amusing.[/quote]That’s actually pretty fun.
I’ve been trying to generate my Chinese name…not surprisingly not showing up.
[quote=“puiwaihin”]In case you don’t have any Chinese friends , there’s a simple tool you can use to get a Chinese name online.
mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
Type in a name and it will generate a suggestion. Use it a few times and it will give different suggestions. Perhaps run a few of these by some friends.
At the very least it’s amusing.[/quote]
It is entertaining. The ones given to me are pretty bad though. No matter I choose male or female, I get very masculine names.
It’s also funny that I can put given names like John, Tom…etc and choose to be female.
On the transliteration/translation thing - you can strike a happy medium with a bit of luck and work. My Chinese surname is a proper - if less common in Taiwan - name, and also the first character of the transliteration of my English surname (well, it was when transliterated into Cantonese at least). My given name in Chinese is a transliteration, but also an actual Chinese name, as I found out while watching the news one night and seeing them talk to some local guy with the same given name as me.
The Chinese name I currently have is: 史偌迪
I like the First Character, as I did have History until my third year and it’s still a big hobby of mine (especially chinese history). However, the second and third characters I’m not sure about. They are basically a transliteration of my English name (Rudi), but I would prefer to have the meaning derived from Rudolph, i.e. brave wolf or famous wolf. But herein lies the problem. 1. It’s too many characters, and 2. It may have some conotations I may not like.
Hmmm…too afraid to ask my girlfriend to help, she might do something like BAH and call me pretty girl, or naked white women or something… If anyone has any suggestions, please note the mps symbols because I don’t really know pinyin.
[quote=“bismarck”]The Chinese name I currently have is: 史偌迪
Hmmm…too afraid to ask my girlfriend to help, she might do something like BAH and call me pretty girl, or naked white women or something… If anyone has any suggestions, please note the mps symbols because I don’t really know pinyin.[/quote]
And by girlfriend I mean, just a friend who’s a girl, so you see the dilemma? It’ll be just too much of temptation…
I got my Chinese name when I was living on the mainland, mainly because I hated the name I was given when I first arrived (a transliteration of my english name, and possible if I pronouned it badly - which I often did! - to accidently tell everyone my name was ‘stupid’ instead)!
So… my friend and I sat down with a dictionary, picked a name out and I"ve been happy with it ever since:
汤- for my surname, which I originally thought was not a real surname (until I met some of my chinese ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ and discovered it’s just not a common one).
小乐- for my first name, since I’m short and generally pretty happy (unless it’s early morning!), and because it sounds like my english first name (sally) - I know it sounds more like a nickname/ not that much of a proper name, but I figure I can get away with it - and I’ve had it for so long now I don’t really want to change!
Growing up in America, I was exposed to all sorts of names from all over the planet, especially in university. I think it would be kind of sad if Dong Kim, Sadipta, and Yung-ju changed their names to “Dan”, “Sean” and “Jenny”.
It seems like a lot of immigrants to the USA and their children tend to use names from the language they spoke before they came to the USA.
So in Taiwan, I just let “Elliot” become “Ai-Lue-Te”, or just “Elliot”. What the hell?
But my feeling is that in Taiwan, people choose English names so that they can feel some kind of connection with the international community on a personal level. That would explain why so many Chinese in Taiwan use English names, whereas Chinese Americans use Chinese names: The English name bridges a perceived distance and allows you to feel international even when you’re still in Taiwan.
Maybe if I still lived in America, I would also try to find a Chinese name… but…
So, therefore… in conclusion… if after much introspection you discover that the reason you’ve decided to find a Chinese name is so that you can create a more personal bond with Chinese language and culture, then realize that this bond is very superficial. The true bond comes from learning things about Chinese language and culture which are beyond your name.
Just find a name quickly which can be practical, like Bu-Lai-En said above, to give to the pizza-delivery guy. Whatever. Speaking of which, I’ve been waiting for the IKEA delivery guy and got on Forumosa, and then opened a bottle of wine and whhooo… Li-Bai…
Hmm, Chinese names…
At university I was given the name 桐豪力 by my Chinese teacher, I used it for a while but disowned it upon graduation. The memory of all the looks I got in China when people saw my name has still not faded: ‘very interesting…’, they would say, trying not to laugh. That was a transliteration of my English name, but unfornately the surname is very rare (some people say they’ve never heard of it as a surname), and also the given name doesn’t suit me. I also don’t like the sound of it - I personally don’t think 2nd tone followed by 4th tone in a given name rolls of the tongue nicely.
I spent about 8 months in Taiwan without a Chinese name, which is sometimes inconvenient, not to mention slightly strange for someone who has studied Chinese for five years. But enrolling in Chinese classes here forced me to chose a new one, which I had been meaning to do for a while. After some consideration I chose the surname 唐, a ‘normal’ surname which sounds a bit like my English surname. I consulted with friends to choose a given name, and after eliminating the many ‘helpful’ suggestions my girlfriend made, such as 唐小白 and 唐下來 (ah she’s a funny one), I came up with 唐奕光. I like the characters and the sound and apparently it passes for a real Chinese name, although it’s nothing like my English name. Still not used to using it outside unversity though, because everyone who knows me calls me by my English name. Either that or calls me 哈利 because they know I frickin’ hate it. I want to kill Harry Potter, but that’s another story. :fume: