Guides to Chinese names
Short, practical pieces on choosing a name, reading its source, and saying it out loud.
How to Choose a Chinese Name (Without Translating Your English One)
A practical guide for foreigners choosing a Chinese name: sound, meaning, surname pairing, and the mistakes that make a name sound like a label.
7 min readChinese Names from the Book of Songs (Shijing)
How to find a Chinese name in the Book of Songs, with real lines, example names and the meanings behind them.
6 min readChinese Names That Mean Light, Moon and Water
A short guide to Chinese names built on light, moon and water imagery, with characters, example names and pronunciation notes.
6 min readWhy Translating Your English Name into Chinese Usually Fails
Phonetic Chinese versions of English names often sound foreign, carry no meaning, and are hard to use. Here is what to do instead.
5 min readHow to Pronounce Your Chinese Name (Tones Without Panic)
A simple method for learning the tones and rhythm of your Chinese name, plus the mistakes that make it unrecognisable.
5 min read