How to quickly integrate into the Chinese-learning environment? Having a Chinese name might be a good place to start!
Check out some of the popular naming techniques that are used!
Literal translation
Literal translation is the easiest way to get a Chinese name, so that you can keep your English name intact. For example, William (威廉Wēi Lián), Jenny (珍妮Zhēn Nī), or Emma (艾玛Ài Mǎ). It should be noted that some people have more syllables in their names, and partial abbreviation would be more in line with the Chinese naming convention. For example, because Ollie is short for Oliver, so the Chinese name could be 奥利Ào Lì, and 薇薇Wēi Wēi for Vivi (short for Vivian).
Dialogue:
Jenny: Bob! nǐ de zhōng wén míng jiào shén me?
Jenny：Bob！你的中文名叫什么？
Jenny: Bob, what is your Chinese name?
Bob: Wǒ de zhōng wén míng shì “Bào bó”.
Bob：我的中文名是“鲍勃”。
Bob: My Chinese name is “Bào bó”.
Review:※※
Paraphrasing
The key to this approach is to choose pertinent Chinese words and characters based on the name’s meaning before paraphrasing them to create the Chinese name.
Examples:
Logan means “hollow”, which can be translated to “空 Kōng” in Chinese;
Jade means a hard stone that is usually green and is used in making jewellery and decorative objects, which can be translated to “玉 Yù” in Chinese;
Adonis means an extremely attractive young man, which can be translated to “美男 Měi Nán”;
Nick means “victor”, which can be translated to “胜利 Shèng Lì”.
Dialogue:
Jade：Hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn! Tīng shuō nǐ yǒu xīn míng zi le？
Jade：好久不见！听说你有新名字了？
Jade：It’s been a while! I heard you have a new name now?
Nick：Shì de Jade！Nick de hán yì shì shèng lì zhě，suǒ yǐ wǒ de zhōng wén míng jiào “Shèng lì”！
Nick：是的Jade！Nick的含义是胜利者，所以我的中文名叫“胜利”！
Nick: Yes, Jade! Nick means “victor” in Chinese, or Shèng Lì Zhě . So my Chinese name is 胜利Shèng Lì!
Jade：Hěn bàng! Wǒ zuì jìn yě qǔ le xīn de zhōng wén míng, rú guǒ nǐ jiào wǒ Xiǎo yù de huà wǒ huì hěn kāi xīn!
Jade：很棒！我最近也取了新的中文名，如果你叫我小玉的话我会很开心！
Jade：What a wonderful name! I also recently took a new Chinese name, so if you call me 小玉Xiǎo Yù, I will be very happy!
Nick: Tài hǎo le! Wǒ men yǐ hòu dōu jiào duì fāng de zhōng wén míng bɑ!
Nick：太好了！我们以后都叫对方的中文名吧！
Nick: Cool! Let’s call each other by our Chinese names from now on!
Review:※※※※
After this lesson, do you know how to get a Chinese name? Please share with us in the comments area if you would like!
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