How can you tell....

[Clarie]

Just wondering, how can you tell whether a chinese name is good or not?

I mean, sometimes, I stumble over something that, IMO, when put together sounds really great, and has this nice meaning. But when I asked someone about it, sometimes they just look at me like I'm crazy. Or else, they'd just told me that it sounded like (and I was seriously hurt) a name from an uneducated parents or something.

Can anyone explain to me and gave me some examples?

[doraemon]

I'm not an expert on Chinese names, but names which are really unoriginal or overly popular won't be regarded as 'good' by people, such as 王伟、李娜 and the like.

Also, names which have the same/similar pronunciation as another word in Chinese (especially when that word contains negative connotations), e.g. 枉法 (means to 'pervert the law') sounds like 王法, so that's definitely not a good name to call somebody.

As for the others, I can't be exactly sure but when it sounds like 2 random characters just placed together (and actually is), people might think it sounds a bit dumb. On the other hand, when two characters which may seem randomly put together contains a hidden meaning behind it which is philosophical or holds other positive connotations, people would usually say that it's a good name.

[renzhe]

The most obvious cases are:

- names with bad meanings

- names which sound like something bad, as Doraemon pointed out. 魂旦 would make a terrible name, for example

- names which will always get confused for something else, or use such obscure characters that nobody can write them properly

Other than that, I'd say that it's a matter of feeling which develops. Native speakers are your best resource in this case.

[James Johnston]

Lots of possible reasons, but it's very subjective. In addition to the above, some characters are considered more suitable for males and some for females. This could also be a problem if the name has the same pronunciation as common characters which are frequently used in male or female names. Also, these days, names with three characters are sometimes considered 土 i.e. typical of the countryside.

Family names with many strokes may put you at the end of a list.

If you're called something quite rare like 嵇, you'll be towards the end of the list, always have to explain to people how to write your name, and perhaps embarrassed by the fact that your name sounds too similar to prostitute or chicken. Or perhaps my wife is just very sensitive...