Acquiring a Chinese name.

[doug86]

hey everyone! im new to the board, my name's Doug. I just started learning chinese in preparation for a trip and i really would like to get a Chinese name. I have a transliteration of my english name however i would prefer a traditional name if at all possible. Can anyone help me with this? Any help would be greatly appreciated and i look forward to learning more from everyone on this forum

[skylee]

Well if Doug is your only name (i.e. if you have no surname and other names), then you could consider 德, pronounced "de2" and the meaning is virtue. You could call yourself 阿德 (A De), 小德 (Xiao De), 老德 (Lao De), etc.

[doug86]

wow that sounds great! My surname is Lewis but i doubt it makes much of a difference, what does the other part of the name mean? as in xiao or lao? as you can tell im REALLY new to learning chinese:oops:

[Lu]

Perhaps you can give some more information about yourself, like your full name, and the characteristics you want to have in your Chinese name. That makes it a bit easier to come up with something that actually suits you.

[renzhe]

what does the other part of the name mean? as in xiao or lao?

xiao is "little", lao is "old". Xiao is very common in names, as a term of endearment, lao is also used out of respect and endearment.

Lao De would also fit well with the last name Lewis (sounds a bit like lao)

Alternatively, 陆 (lu4) means "shore, land, continent", and is a common family name in China, as is 柳 (liu3), which means "willow".

I think that 德 is a great choice. Other similar-sounding characters, like dao and dang don't have nice meanings and could look strange in a name.

陆德 or 柳德 sound good to me, but I'll leave it to a native speaker to confirm.

[skylee]

Besides 陸德 (lu4 de2) and 柳德 (liu3 de2), you could also consider -

陸偉德 (lu4 wei3 de2) or 陸維德 (lu4 wei2 de2) OR

柳偉德 (liu3 wei3 de2) or 柳維德 (liu3 wei2 de2)

Note - I write in traditional script but many members here write in simplified script. So the characters may look a bit different.

[renzhe]

Just a quick note:

de is pronounced "duh" and liu is pronounced "lee-ou"

[doug86]

Ok these all sound so great and i really appreciate the help. Here is a little more about me that may assist in a more suitable name. I practice wing chun kung fu as my first and most important hobby, i work out 6 days a week, as far as personality goes i am humble, quiet, intelligent, observant, generous, caring, ambitious, driven, slightly stubborn, imaginative, inquisitive and focused... thats about as much as i can think of right now.

[fireball9261]

Skylee's 偉德 (wei3 de2) means "great virtue", and 維德 (wei2 de2) means (preserve virtue).

Since you practice Wing Chun, I think it was probably more willowy(?) I am not sure since I only practice Tai Ji. I did read a lot about the stories and history of kung fu. If your style is more willowy, choose 柳 (liu3) as last name. If your style is more stable like the great continent, choose 陸 (lu4). This is not just about your kung fu style, but also your personality.

In addition, I thought renzhe's 陸德 (Lu4 de2) or 柳德 (liu3 de2) is also pretty good. They are:

陸德 (Lu4 de2) - Continent virtue

柳德 (liu3 de2) - Willow virtue

As a martial art novel lover, I thought 陸德 (Lu4 de2) or 柳德 (liu3 de2) sounded more like a kung fu master's name.

[doug86]

thank you everyone for your help and support, ive chosen Liu3 De2 an im incredibly happy with the meaning and sound of similarity to my english name.