star.chaser wrote: » I've been working and living with Chinese people for the last few years and one thing they all seem to do is ditch their Chinese names and adopt English names to go by. I haven't noticed any other nationality do this and was wondering if anybody Chinese or otherwise can shed a bit of light on why they do this?
Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John". For instance, the basketball player Yao Ming should be addressed as "Mr. Yao", not "Mr. Ming". Some Chinese people who emigrate to, or do business with, Western countries sometimes adopt a Westernized name by simply reversing the "surname–given-name" order to "given-name–surname" ("Ming Yao", to follow the previous example), or with a Western first name together with their surname, which is then written in the usual Western order with the surname last ("Fred Yao"). Some Chinese people sometimes take a combined name. There are 3 variations: Western name, surname, and Chinese given name, in that order ("Fred Yao Ming"); Western name, Chinese given name, and surname ("Fred Ming Yao"); or surname, Chinese given name, followed by Western name ("Yao Ming Fred"). The Western name, surname, and then given name practice is most common in Hong Kong, for example Donald Tsang Yam-kuen; the surname, Chinese given name, and Western name is most common in Singapore, for example Lee Kuan Yew, Harry. Traditional naming schemes often followed a pattern of using generation names as part of a two-character given name. This is by no means the norm, however. An alternative tradition, stemming from a Han Dynasty law that forbade two-character given names, is to have a single character given name. Some contemporary given names do not follow either tradition, and may in some cases extend to three or more characters.
John G wrote: » I worked for a multinational and we dealt with Chinese a lot. The best was a girl we dealt with called...Fanny Dong...no joke... Seems childish I know but manys the time we phoned Beijing looking for Fanny! She was a really sweet girl, no one ever had the heart to explain what Fanny meant, not to mind Dong. By the way there was also a Sultan and someone who on giving himself the opportunity of renaming himself in his 20's elected for the name of ...Morris!
Rebelheart wrote: » It's a good job the Irish wouldn't ditch their Irish names and adopt English versions of their names. ....
enda1 wrote: » I knew a guy, can't even remember his real Chinese name, but he called himself Bruce. Ah, after Bruce Lee me thinks. "NO, Die Haad Bruce Wee, yippe kayee yippe kayee"
powerzjim wrote: » i work with a guy called loo how, top guy
buccsboyo wrote: » There are three Chinese lads in my class in college. The first few weeks when lecturers or others in the class would ask them their names they would tell them an English name like Gavin or Jim. I pulled one of them aside one day and told him that he had payed 15000 euro to come to Ireland to study our course ( effectively paying the fees for him and 5 Irish) and learnt our language intensively and the least we could do would be to call him by his real name. In fact I make them call me by my Chinese name which I learnt a few years ago ,very simple Ma Deng = Martin:)
buccsboyo wrote: » I hope not or else Ill be looking for my money back on the beginners chinese course I did a few years ago, the teacher was smiling when she told me.....
star.chaser wrote: » I've never met an Irish person that did that. I know plenty of Irish people that have been named English names by their parents though.
c4cat wrote: » I met a Ming Fuk Ho Here is his facebook link http://www.facebook.com/people/Ming-Fuk-Ho/607992422
