Anyone know any good Chinese first names? I've trying to name a few characters for a couple different Saiyuki fic, and I can't think of any. Anyone have any thoughts, or know of a good naming site for Chinese names?
Ah. I'm culturally Chinese, though English is my first-language.I can help!
Are there any particular qualities of your characters that you'd like to fit into the different names? Because it's customary for Chinese parents to name their children after qualities they hope their children will have (eg. integrity) or using traditional symbols of wealth/prosperity/beauty, such as jade or dragons etc.
Oh, thank you! Hm. I think names with connotations of purity or holiness might be appropriately ironic for one of the situations I'm thinking of. Are there any such names you can think of? If not, common, often-used names (like John and Jane are in English) would also be appropriate.
Sheng Xin is suitable for both genders. Sheng translates directly to holy. Xin could be heart or hardworking, depending on the Chinese character used.
As for common names, you can't go wrong with:
Female: Yi Hui (Destiny, Wisdom)
Male: Zhong Ming (Loyal, Capable)
Both genders: Su En (Longevity, Gratitude)
If your characters are children, it might be helpful to note that children are generally given affectionate nicknames by their family such as Ying Ying, which is basically a repetition of one part of their first name. So if you name was say, Li Ping, then (ahaha) it's likely that your parents would refer to you as Ping Ping or Xiao Ping (Xiao being the generic character for 'small' or 'little').
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-06-06 06:31 am (UTC)Are there any particular qualities of your characters that you'd like to fit into the different names? Because it's customary for Chinese parents to name their children after qualities they hope their children will have (eg. integrity) or using traditional symbols of wealth/prosperity/beauty, such as jade or dragons etc.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-06 06:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-06 06:53 am (UTC)As for common names, you can't go wrong with:
Female:
Yi Hui (Destiny, Wisdom)
Male:
Zhong Ming (Loyal, Capable)
Both genders:
Su En (Longevity, Gratitude)
If your characters are children, it might be helpful to note that children are generally given affectionate nicknames by their family such as Ying Ying, which is basically a repetition of one part of their first name.
So if you name was say, Li Ping, then (ahaha) it's likely that your parents would refer to you as Ping Ping or Xiao Ping (Xiao being the generic character for 'small' or 'little').
no subject
Date: 2007-06-06 06:55 am (UTC)That's very helpful, thank you! I think I'll be using some of these. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-06-07 08:04 am (UTC)Ah, and Xing means star.
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Date: 2007-06-10 03:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-10 03:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-08 11:45 pm (UTC)This site, aimed at gamers, was pretty interesting - I've bookmarked it for my own use as well:
Mandarin Names for Gamers
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Date: 2007-06-10 03:34 am (UTC)