zunlei Posted February 4, 2008 at 05:31 AM Report Posted February 4, 2008 at 05:31 AM Hello, I have another question regarding Chinese names... I really wish to thank the people who helped me choose my Chinese surname... 謝謝你們.. 太好了! Now I am thinking of taking this as my Chinese name: 花環 (pinyin: Hua1 Huan2) - meaning: wreath; lei; garland I chose this because my English name is Lei so it would be the Chinese equivalent... I would like my Chinese name to be connected to my English name even if I don't really think "Huahuan" sounds pretty. Although I would dearly love to be called Lei also in Chinese... but so far, I can't come up with a good name in Chinese with 'Lei (as in pinyin)' in it. Any suggestions? Anyway my questions regarding "花環" are: 1. Is this a female name? 2. Does it mean anything negative in colloquial speech? I am asking because the character 花 according to Wenlin is slang for "horny; womanize" but I've seen Chinese names using this character so I'm ok with it. I just don't know if 花環 (these 2 characters together) would stand for another slang for something I don't want to be associated with. 3.Is it hard to pronounce for native Mandarin speakers? Honestly, I find it quite hard to pronounce but I am still a newbie now. 4. Is it a good name at all? I look forward to hearing from everyone! Quote
BrandeX Posted February 4, 2008 at 06:51 AM Report Posted February 4, 2008 at 06:51 AM I just asked my gf, she said it means "a flower ring you wear around your head", and not really anything else. Should be alright then. Quote
muyongshi Posted February 4, 2008 at 06:53 AM Report Posted February 4, 2008 at 06:53 AM 1) Having the 花 makes it a feminish type name 2) Nothing bad... 3) Not difficult to pronounce at all 4) It's not a great name but it's not like a horrible name. A bit out of the ordinary but not too far out there, and not very common, but not too weird either. Overall it's just kind of neutral and may not be the "best" name or even best sounding. If you want a character that is lei then may I suggest 蕾. 磊 is a common surname and 勒 is used but would be more in males names. Hope that helps. Quote
Lu Posted February 4, 2008 at 07:28 AM Report Posted February 4, 2008 at 07:28 AM I think the common surname is 雷 (thunder). Given names that read lei: 磊 and also 雷 are mostly for men, 蕾 is used in women's names. You could even name yourself 雷磊 or 雷蕾 :-) My dictionary has another lei2, 嫘, defined as 'used in names, as in 嫘祖, wife of the legendary Yellow Emperor and reputed discoverer of sericulture'. Best check with a native speaker if this one would be ok to use in a modern name. 花環 is definitely feminine. Mandarin speakers generally have no trouble pronouncing Mandarin, so that shouldn't be a problem. I don't really like 花環 as a name, but then I'm not a native speaker and it's only my opinion. Quote
xiaocai Posted February 5, 2008 at 11:42 AM Report Posted February 5, 2008 at 11:42 AM I don't know how others feel about it but I have to say it sounds a bit funny to me as a name, specially considering that your surname is 鄞. 鄞花环 is kind of a weird name to me, but maybe it's just me... 磊 and 蕾 are quite common given names, safe to use for both girls and boys and also compatible with almost all family names. Consider using either of these if you don't mind having an ordinary name. Quote
zunlei Posted February 5, 2008 at 01:03 PM Author Report Posted February 5, 2008 at 01:03 PM BrandeX, muyongshi, Lu, xiaocai - thank you so much for your replies!!! BrandeX - Thanks for asking your gf for me :-) I am glad to know it doesn't have any hidden meanings in case I end up using this name. muyongshi - This 磊 is new to me and it has a nice definition! I do want to be called the same sounding name rather than a whole different name... that would take some time to get used to. 蕾 is okay since it means flower bud and I could always go with 小蕾 (except it might sound a bit like 宵類). Lu - 嫘 in my dictionary doesn't have a definition... I wonder what it means... and if the character components have anything to do with it (woman + tired). Yeah 花環 doesn't sound too appealing :-( xiaocai - I appreciate the honesty :-) Even my mom thinks it sounds funny but is lost when I ask for suggestions (she uses the Fujian dialect). 磊 can be used for girls, then? That's good to hear! Quote
muyongshi Posted February 5, 2008 at 02:27 PM Report Posted February 5, 2008 at 02:27 PM I've only ever heard 磊 used in boys names but I trust xiaocai on this (ps sorry I meant to say given name not surname early on this one) 嫘 does not really have a meaning, it is just a name You could always do 花蕾 I think that sounds decent.... Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.