Homework Assignment: My Chinese Name

For the purposes of this course, you will need a Chinese name. Tonight’s assignment will help you to choose a Chinese name.

What’s in a (Chinese) name?

Chinese names typically consist of three syllables – a one syllable family name and a two syllable given name – with each syllable having a particular tone and being written as a single Chinese character. About one in seven people have a two-syllable name, and fewer than one-fifth of one percent – many of them ethnic minorities – have a name of four or more syllables.

Chinese names originated the Eastern ordering of names, where the family name precedes the given name. A boy called Wei (伟) and belonging to the Zhang (张) family – currently China's most common single name – is called "Zhang Wei" and not "Wei Zhang" (unless he's travelling abroad). It is standard for the Chinese to address one another – especially those with two-character names – by using full names. Normally, Zhang Wei would be formally addressed as "Mr. Zhang" (not "Mr. Wei") but even informally he would be addressed as "Zhang Wei" and not "Wei".

Directions: 1. Go to http://mandarintools.com and fill in the information they ask for: your given name, family name, personal characteristics, gender, and birth date.

2. Click “get a name!” If you don’t like the one that pops up, you can go back and enter the information again – as many times as you want - until you get one you like. Choose a name that: a. Sounds nice to you b. Has a meaning you like c. Doesn’t look too hard to write

OR

Pick a name from the following examples provided for you!

3. Write your Chinese name in the space below. You can find the pinyin pronunciation for each character by coping and pasting it into google translate – the pronunciation in pinyin will pop up at the bottom!

Your English Name: ______

Pinyin Characters Meaning Last name (This part comes first in Chinese)

First character of your name

Second character of your name

Practice Writing Your New Name! Pick your Chinese Name!

Chinese names have very important meanings and are chosen very carefully by family members. This is your chance to pick your own Chinese name to be used in class, so be sure to choose carefully! In China, the last name comes first, followed by someone’s first name. Last Names: Pick ONE character to be your last name. Usually this is chosen based on the sound of your last name in English. Cài 蔡 Sūn 孫 Chén 陳 Wáng 王 Gāo 高 Wú 吳 Guō 郭 Xú 徐 Hé 何 Yáng 楊 Hú 胡 Zhāng 张 Huáng 黃 Zhào 趙 Lǐ 李 Zhōu 周 Lín 林 Zhū 朱 Mǎ 马

Your first name should symbolize who you are and your personality. Pick one of the following first names:

Boy Names 爱国 Àiguó patriotic 炳文 Bǐng wén bright and cultivated 渤景 Bó jǐng win admiration 朝翔 Cháo xiáng expecting 诚 Chéng accomplished 陈运 Chén yùn good luck 德明 Dé míng virtue and brightness 方 Fāng honest 富华 Fù huá fortune flourishing 宏辉 Hóng huī great splendor 伟 Wěi greatness 强 Qiáng strong 勇 Yǒng brave 杰 Jié heroic 平 Píng peace

Girls Names 婵 chán Beautiful and graceful girl 婉 wǎn Graceful; tactful 善 shàn Good (virtuous); benevolent 淑 shū Warm and virtuous 贤 xián Worthy (person) 惠 huì Benevolence; kindness 娇 jiāo Charming, lovely, beautiful girl 兰 lán Orchid flower 丽 lì Beautiful 倩 qiàn Pretty 巧 qiǎo Artful, clever 娴 xián Refined and skilled 秀 xiù Elegant; Excellent 艳 yàn Colorful; Gorgeous 媛 yuán Graceful young lady 静 jìng Peaceful, Tranquil

秀英 xiù yīng Outstanding Beauty, Elegant & Brave

秀兰 xiù lán Beautiful Orchid, Elegant & Graceful 桂英 guì yīng Beautiful, Brave