Chinese Names

Mandarin characters and the way words sound are very different from English, so our attempts at pronouncing Chinese names are usually pretty brutal. To make it easy when dealing with foreigners, it’s customary for the Chinese to use an English name. For example, the Plaid Far East staff is made up of Simon, Euan, Kathy, Roger, Mavis and Joyce (plus soon-to-be Cathy, a new hire starting this Sunday). 

Sometimes the English name sounds like their traditional given Chinese name, or sometimes it’s assigned by a teacher in school. In the case of Euan’s new baby boy Zack, the name came recommended by a coworker in our Atlanta office when she saw the spelling of his Chinese name. Occasionally the name is selected because the person believes it’s popular and attractive, or it is the name of a well-known celebrity. 

Most of the time when we meet people, their name is what we would consider easy to pronounce and fairly common in the U.S. Other times you encounter someone that’s a little off the mark, like a guy who applied for the recent opening in the office. I couldn’t help but snicker when I saw “Knight Jam” at the top of his resume. Clearly he did not have a native English-speaking friend assist him in the name selection process.

A few years ago I (Emily) was given a Chinese name by my coworker Euan. He debated about it for over a week, telling me it was a big decision for him and not something he could give me instantly. In the end, he decided my name should start with Lang, since this is the beginning of my last name, and it is Chinese tradition to call people by their last name first. Lang is the surname of a famous Chinese volleyball champion who competed in the Olympics - - - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Ping - - - and I think a famous ping pong player as well as a pianist (side note - Lang Ping’s English name is “Jenny”)

The second name he assigned is Ting, which has many meanings depending on the accent marks or characters used when it’s written. The two that were most influential in his decision were “to listen” and “graceful”. He also thought it just sounded good together with Lang. 

So my Chinese name is Lang Ting, which can be interpreted as “well-known gracious listener”.

Matt was recently given a Chinese name by the bartenders at Cheers. I wasn’t there when it happened, so there may be details leading up to this that I am unaware of, but he is now known as “Da Lao Hu”. The English translation for this is Large (male) Tiger. By default, Dean has been assigned a related Chinese name of “Xiao Lao Hu”, or Small Tiger / Tiger Cub. At 14 months old, this is a good descriptive name for him, but when he’s older he will need a name that fits him better. 

It’s good I already had a name assigned so the bartenders at Cheers could not lure me into the Tiger family as well. My coworkers tell me the name “Mu Lao Hu”, or Female Tiger, takes on the same meaning as the word “Bitch” in the English language when it is used to describe a woman.  

I’ll stick with Lang Ting, thanks!