How do Westerners get Chinese names?

So, short answer: Westerners do adopt Chinese names, whether because they’re issued one in Chinese class, or because they embrace it emotionally as a legitimate name on its own, or even, in some cases, legally change their name.

Why did Jack Ma change his name?

Jack Ma was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. He became pen pals with one of those foreigners, who nicknamed him “Jack” because he found it hard to pronounce his Chinese name.

How are Chinese names chosen?

The family name (or ‘surname’) is inherited from one’s parents and shared with other members of the individual’s immediate family . It always comes before the given name and is usually a single syllable/Chinese character. The given name (or ‘personal name’) is chosen at birth as the individual’s personal identifier.

What is the most common Chinese first name?

Nearly 300,000 people, both men and women, share the name “Zhang Wei,” making the name top the list in 2019. “Wang Wei” comes in a close second with a total of 287,101 people given the name. “Li Na” ranks third on the list with over 270,000 people being given the name.

How do Chinese people choose their Western names?

As an old Chinese saying goes: “One does not fear if he/she has a bad fate; what one fears most is to have a bad name,” Chinese speakers use different mechanisms in the process of choosing their Western names. Some people choose Western names that resemble their original Chinese ones, either in terms of pronunciation or meaning.

Why are English names so hard to pronounce in China?

For many, English names are informal haos that represent another layer of identity. Admittedly, some Chinese names are really difficult to pronounce. For instance, westerners find it tricky to pronounce names starting with ‘x’, which sounds a little like ‘sh’ in Chinese, or ‘c’ which is pronounced ‘tz’.

Do you know Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee’s Chinese names?

You might have heard of movie star Jackie Chan, but you sure do not know he is addressed as Cheng Long in Chinese. As for martial artist Bruce Lee, his Chinese name is Li Xiaolong. Western names are widely used by Chinese-speaking people, in addition to their Chinese names, even though they are not used for official identification.

Can a Chinese name turn into something ridiculous in English?

Therefore, a nice Chinese name can turn into something ridiculous if forcibly translated into English. This may also explain why some Chinese tend to have quirky English names like Almighty and Cute.