Comments on: Good Character, Bad Character http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/ The no-nonsense China expat and traveller community. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:52:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ryan http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2806 Ryan Sun, 15 Apr 2007 09:45:25 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2806 Thank you Nana, I hadn't known that. Now it makes so much more sense. No thought was put into the name, silly me. Thank you Nana, I hadn’t known that. Now it makes so much more sense. No thought was put into the name, silly me.

]]> By: nana http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2804 nana Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:31:18 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2804 其实翻译非洲的名字的时候别人根本没想那么多 而且我们说非洲,也没有任何mistake/error/wrong/evil-doing的意思啊 其实翻译非洲的名字的时候别人根本没想那么多
而且我们说非洲,也没有任何mistake/error/wrong/evil-doing的意思啊

]]> By: Estelle http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2679 Estelle Tue, 10 Apr 2007 02:47:23 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2679 oh..not really...there are certain words work really well for names (different person likes different words obviously), especially when you purposely want the name to sound ancient,unique, and beautiful. In some many, many, many, Chinese novels, the names of some characters (especially main characters) have no meanings, they just sound nice (which is fine to me). Yeah..and how it looks also plays an important role..to me....for example..I personally don't like names with words like 小, because it looks childish and ugly..yeah.. oh..not really…there are certain words work really well for names (different person likes different words obviously), especially when you purposely want the name to sound ancient,unique, and beautiful. In some many, many, many, Chinese novels, the names of some characters (especially main characters) have no meanings, they just sound nice (which is fine to me). Yeah..and how it looks also plays an important role..to me….for example..I personally don’t like names with words like 小, because it looks childish and ugly..yeah..

]]> By: Ryan http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2659 Ryan Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:02:42 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2659 Hey Estelle, that was sort of the point. I'm endlessly told that some Chinese names have 'no meaning', they're just names ... but the fact is, with 400 some-odd phonetics to pronounce the thousands of characters - surely better characters with the same phonetic could have been found. This is the first I've heard anyone ever mention that a character is chosen for how it 'looks'. I've heard names being said to be "good" because the character's radicals are in line with 风水 or other superstitious things (wealth, fortune, luck, etc.)... but never just the look about the character. And why do you feel it's a wonderful word to have in a name? Did this hit close to home or something, you seem oddly defensive about it. Hey Estelle, that was sort of the point. I’m endlessly told that some Chinese names have ‘no meaning’, they’re just names … but the fact is, with 400 some-odd phonetics to pronounce the thousands of characters – surely better characters with the same phonetic could have been found.

This is the first I’ve heard anyone ever mention that a character is chosen for how it ‘looks’. I’ve heard names being said to be “good” because the character’s radicals are in line with 风水 or other superstitious things (wealth, fortune, luck, etc.)… but never just the look about the character.

And why do you feel it’s a wonderful word to have in a name? Did this hit close to home or something, you seem oddly defensive about it.

]]> By: Estelle http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2647 Estelle Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:14:53 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2647 Translations like Asia -> 亚洲 have no meanings. It is pointless to add a literal meaning to everyone of them. People chose these words usually because they 1)sound nice;2)look nice, which also apply to the names. For example, some girls choose SNs like 沉香--沉 (sinking) is sort of negative, but it does not matter, because when you put the two words together, they form a beautiful name. (By the way, I think 亚 is a wonderful word to have in one's name.) Translations like Asia -> 亚洲 have no meanings. It is pointless to add a literal meaning to everyone of them. People chose these words usually because they 1)sound nice;2)look nice, which also apply to the names. For example, some girls choose SNs like 沉香–沉 (sinking) is sort of negative, but it does not matter, because when you put the two words together, they form a beautiful name. (By the way, I think 亚 is a wonderful word to have in one’s name.)

]]> By: Ryan http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2590 Ryan Fri, 06 Apr 2007 08:02:14 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2590 Hey LYM, definitely would be interesting to hear some of the comments being thrown around Tianya regarding the book. Definitely a heavy topic for mainlanders. By "baozi" I was referring to 包子. Hey LYM, definitely would be interesting to hear some of the comments being thrown around Tianya regarding the book. Definitely a heavy topic for mainlanders. By “baozi” I was referring to 包子.

]]> By: LYM http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2588 LYM Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:34:32 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2588 Hey Ryan, I have sent my translation on your book review(War Trash) to the BBS "tianya"(天涯, if you ever heard of). And, from some comments I have received, I realize that not many Chinese know about the truth of the Korean War(including me), and talking about the decisions of those POWs on where to go(mean, Taiwan or mainland) seems to be a heavy topic, for us mainlanders. Anyway, I find this topic of yours on Chinese learning very entertaining, so this time I'm gonna introduce it to more Chinese readers. BTW, what do you mean by "baozi"in your second paragraph? Does it refer to some Chinese characters? Hey Ryan, I have sent my translation on your book review(War Trash) to the BBS “tianya”(天涯, if you ever heard of). And, from some comments I have received, I realize that not many Chinese know about the truth of the Korean War(including me), and talking about the decisions of those POWs on where to go(mean, Taiwan or mainland) seems to be a heavy topic, for us mainlanders.

Anyway, I find this topic of yours on Chinese learning very entertaining, so this time I’m gonna introduce it to more Chinese readers.
BTW, what do you mean by “baozi”in your second paragraph? Does it refer to some Chinese characters?

]]> By: Conversations With 小i | Life In Suzhou China Blog | Adventures of the Humanaught http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2188 Conversations With 小i | Life In Suzhou China Blog | Adventures of the Humanaught Fri, 23 Mar 2007 01:48:16 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-2188 [...] back to my recent post at LLW about the Chinese meaning of place names, I had to ask about Africa: Ryan says: [...] [...] back to my recent post at LLW about the Chinese meaning of place names, I had to ask about Africa: Ryan says: [...]

]]> By: Ryan http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-1942 Ryan Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:59:17 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-1942 我也是. Its the dessert for eating all my vegetables. 我也是. Its the dessert for eating all my vegetables.

]]> By: Chris http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/learning-chinese/good-character-bad-character/#comment-1938 Chris Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:31:03 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/18/good-character-bad-character/#comment-1938 @Ryan: I guess I shouldn't be embarrassed that I didn't know the meaning of 肏 straight off. My built-in software just called it "undefined" and Google translated it as "indicators," whatever that means. I asked a friend here in the cafe what it meant and she sorta freaked. I finally found it on your old <a href="http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/10/16/shit-piss-fuck-cunt-cocksucker-motherfucker-and-tits/" rel="nofollow">post </a> about free speech and swearing. It's a fascinating one indeed, and "enter meat" seems about as good a translation as any, I suppose. I love swearing in multiple languages. @Ryan: I guess I shouldn’t be embarrassed that I didn’t know the meaning of 肏 straight off. My built-in software just called it “undefined” and Google translated it as “indicators,” whatever that means. I asked a friend here in the cafe what it meant and she sorta freaked.

I finally found it on your old post about free speech and swearing. It’s a fascinating one indeed, and “enter meat” seems about as good a translation as any, I suppose.

I love swearing in multiple languages.

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