EChineseLearning Resources » Chinese Idiom Beginner: Recent Episodes
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Did you learn how to select a fitting Chinese name from our last tutorial? While the basic naming method may not have met everyone’s expectations, this advanced version will definitely meet your customized needs. Let’s take a look together!
Your Chinese name can comprise:
Your aspirations for yourself
Male names:
明 (Míng) – Bright, 思 (Sī) – Thoughts, 翔 (Xiáng) – Glide, 鹏 (Péng) – Huge Bird, 涛 (Tāo) – Waves, 峰 (Fēng) – Peak, 宇 (Yǔ) – Universe, 仁 (Rén) – Benevolent, 逸 (Yì) – Leisurely, 超 (Chāo) – Surpass.
女性 Female names:
婉 (Wǎn) – Graceful, 慧 (Huì) – Wise, 莹 (Yíng) – Lustrous, 蕾 (Lěi) – Blossom, 舒 (Shū) – Comfortable, 悦 (Yuè) – Happy, 佳 (JiāJiā) – Excellent, 欣 (Xīn) – Delighted, 敏 (Mǐn) – Agile, 倩 (Qiàn) – Elegant.
Dialogue:
Sī Hào: Wǒ de míng zì shì Sī hào, Sī shì Sī xiǎng, hào shì guǎng kuò de yì si.
思浩：我的名字是思浩，思是思想，浩是广阔的意思。
Si Hao: My name is Si Hao, where “Si” means “thought” and “Hao” means “vastness.”
Wǎn Wǎn: Zhēn hǎo tīng! Wǒ jiào Wǎn wǎn, lǎo shī gào sù wǒ zhè ge míng zì dài biǎo shú nǚ.
婉婉：真好听！我叫婉婉，老师告诉我这个名字代表淑女。
Wan Wan: That’s a wonderful name! My name is Wan Wan, which means “lady” according to my teacher.
Your fondness for everything in the world
Animals:
猫 (Māo) – Cat, 狗 (Gǒu) – Dog, 雁 (Yàn) – Wild Goose, 熊 (Xióng) – Bear, 鹿 (Lù) – Deer, 牛 (Niú) – Ox, 凤 (Fèng) – Phoenix, 龙 (Míng) – Dragon, 虎 (Hǔ) – Tiger, 鲸 (Jīng) – Whale.
Plants:
桃 (Táo) – Peach, 荷 (Hé) – Lotus, 竹 (Zhú) – Bamboo, 梅 (Méi) – Plum Blossom, 菊 (Jú) – Chrysanthemum, 兰 (Lán) – Orchid, 柳 (Liǔ) – Willow, 玫 (Méi) – Rose, 松 (Sōng) – Pine Tree, 梨 (Lí) – Pear.
Dialogue:
Xiǎo Táo: Wǒ xǐ huan chī táo zi, suǒ yǐ wǒ de zhōng wén míng shì Xiǎo Táo.
小桃：我喜欢吃桃子，所以我的中文名是小桃。
Xiao Tao: I adore eating peaches, hence my Chinese name is Xiao Tao.
Xiǎo Hǔ: Wǒ jiào Xiǎo Hǔ, yīn wèi lǎo hǔ shì wǒ zuì xǐ huan de dòng wù.
小虎：我叫小虎，因为老虎是我最喜欢的动物。
Xiao Hu: I am called Xiao Hu because tigers are my beloved creatures.
Memories of time and festivals
Time:
春 (Chūn) – Spring, 夏 (Xià) – Summer, 秋 (Qiū) – Autumn, 冬 (Dōng) – Winter, 晨曦 (Chén xī) – Dawn, 时 (Shí) – Hour, Time, 秒 (Miǎo) – Second, 分 (Fēn) – Minute, 早 (Zǎo) – Morning, 晚 (Wǎn) – Evening.
Festivals/Solar terms:
雨 (Yǔ) – Rain, 霜 (Shuāng) – Frost, 露 (Lù) – Dew, 春分 (Chūn Fēn) – Spring Equinox, 冬至 (Dōng Zhì) – Winter Solstice, 元宵 (Yuán Xiāo) – Lantern Festival, 端午 (Duān Wǔ) – Dragon Boat Festival, 圣诞 (Shèng Dàn) – Christmas, 除夕 (Chú Xī) – Chinese New Year’s Eve.
Dialogue:
Chén Xī: Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì Chén Xī, Chén xī dài biǎo zhe zǎo shàng de zhāo yáng!
晨曦：你好！我是晨曦，晨曦代表着早上的朝阳！
Chen Xi: Hey there! I’m Chen Xi, where “Chen Xi” signifies the morning sun!
Xià Tiān: Hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ! Wǒ shì Xià Tiān, yīn wèi wǒ xǐ huan zài xià tiān qù chōng làng.
夏天：很高兴认识你！我是夏天，因为我喜欢在夏天去冲浪。
Xia Tian: Nice to meet you! I’m Xia Tian, and I selected this name as I adore surfing in summer.
By combining and arranging these words according to your preferences, you can create a perfect Chinese name!
What’s your Chinese name? Please let us know in the comment section!
You May Want to Learn More:
Chinese Name Details
Chinese Names for Girls
Chinese Names for Boys
How to quickly integrate into the Chinese-learning environment? Having a Chinese name might be a good place to start!
Check out some of the popular naming techniques that are used!
Literal translation
Literal translation is the easiest way to get a Chinese name, so that you can keep your English name intact. For example, William (威廉Wēi Lián), Jenny (珍妮Zhēn Nī), or Emma (艾玛Ài Mǎ). It should be noted that some people have more syllables in their names, and partial abbreviation would be more in line with the Chinese naming convention. For example, because Ollie is short for Oliver, so the Chinese name could be 奥利Ào Lì, and 薇薇Wēi Wēi for Vivi (short for Vivian).
Dialogue:
Jenny: Bob! nǐ de zhōng wén míng jiào shén me?
Jenny：Bob！你的中文名叫什么？
Jenny: Bob, what is your Chinese name?
Bob: Wǒ de zhōng wén míng shì “Bào bó”.
Bob：我的中文名是“鲍勃”。
Bob: My Chinese name is “Bào bó”.
Review:※※
Paraphrasing
The key to this approach is to choose pertinent Chinese words and characters based on the name’s meaning before paraphrasing them to create the Chinese name.
Examples:
Logan means “hollow”, which can be translated to “空 Kōng” in Chinese;
Jade means a hard stone that is usually green and is used in making jewellery and decorative objects, which can be translated to “玉 Yù” in Chinese;
Adonis means an extremely attractive young man, which can be translated to “美男 Měi Nán”;
Nick means “victor”, which can be translated to “胜利 Shèng Lì”.
Dialogue:
Jade：Hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn! Tīng shuō nǐ yǒu xīn míng zi le？
Jade：好久不见！听说你有新名字了？
Jade：It’s been a while! I heard you have a new name now?
Nick：Shì de Jade！Nick de hán yì shì shèng lì zhě，suǒ yǐ wǒ de zhōng wén míng jiào “Shèng lì”！
Nick：是的Jade！Nick的含义是胜利者，所以我的中文名叫“胜利”！
Nick: Yes, Jade! Nick means “victor” in Chinese, or Shèng Lì Zhě . So my Chinese name is 胜利Shèng Lì!
Jade：Hěn bàng! Wǒ zuì jìn yě qǔ le xīn de zhōng wén míng, rú guǒ nǐ jiào wǒ Xiǎo yù de huà wǒ huì hěn kāi xīn!
Jade：很棒！我最近也取了新的中文名，如果你叫我小玉的话我会很开心！
Jade：What a wonderful name! I also recently took a new Chinese name, so if you call me 小玉Xiǎo Yù, I will be very happy!
Nick: Tài hǎo le! Wǒ men yǐ hòu dōu jiào duì fāng de zhōng wén míng bɑ!
Nick：太好了！我们以后都叫对方的中文名吧！
Nick: Cool! Let’s call each other by our Chinese names from now on!
Review:※※※※
After this lesson, do you know how to get a Chinese name? Please share with us in the comments area if you would like!
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar is in full swing. China did not make it to this mega sporting event, but to celebrate the World Cup together, it also sent a special “team” to Qatar-two giant pandas, named Jing Jing and Si Hai.
Giant pandas are the national treasure of China. Jing Jing and Si Hai are the first pair of pandas to travel to the Middle East, and these two are expected to remain in Qatar for 15 years. Fans who travel to Qatar to watch the World Cup can catch a glimpse of the cute pandas from China.
shì jiè bēi
世界杯
World Cup
shì jiè bēi yǒu sān shí èr zhǐ qiú duì cān jiā.
世界杯有三十二支球队参加。
There are 32 teams participating in the World Cup.
wǒ qù kǎ tǎ ěr kàn shì jiè bēi.
我去卡塔尔看世界杯。
I went to Qatar to watch the World Cup.
dà xióng māo
大熊猫
Pandas
dà xióng māo shì zhōng guó de guó bǎo.
大熊猫是中国的国宝。
Giant pandas are the national treasure of China.
nǐ jiàn guò dà xióng māo mɑ.
你见过大熊猫吗？
Have you ever seen a giant panda？
Qatar is located in the desert, which is far from suitable for pandas. To welcome these two cute creatures, locals spent a fortune to build them a park the size of an airfield with a hot spring pool and swimming pool, replicating the environment the pandas need to survive.
wēn quán
温泉
Hot spring
kǎ tǎ ěr de xióng māo gōng yuán yǒu wēn quán .
卡塔尔的熊猫公园有温泉。
The Panda Park in Qatar has a hot spring swimming pool.
dà xióng māo yě xǐ huan pào wēn quán .
大熊猫也喜欢泡温泉。
Giant pandas also like to bathe in hot springs.
shā mò
沙漠
Deser
kǎ tǎ ěr shì shā mò guó jiā.
卡塔尔是沙漠国家。
Qatar is a desert country.
shā mò gān hàn quē shuǐ.
沙漠干旱缺水。
Deserts are arid and water-stressed.
Out of love for the pandas, Qatar named Jingjing and Sihai “Suhail” and “Thuraya” in Arabic. In traditional Arab culture, “Suhail” and “Thuraya” are the two stars in the sky, representing good fortune, nobility and infinite value.
In addition to “Team Panda”, there are other Chinese elements in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. What else does this global sporting event have to offer? Please let us know in the comments!
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Be humble enough to consult one’s inferiors
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Idiom Story:
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Once upon a time, there was a man named Lord [...]
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