help with a name?

[kanzono]

大家好，

很谢谢你们帮我！我学了汉语两年了。我写的中文还不太好，有一点坏了。

In our first week of studying Chinese, our class chose Chinese names by ourselves. I was discussing this assignment with a Korean friend in casual conversation, and she recommended I call myself "红龙," "Red Dragon" being one of the few phrases she knew in Mandarin. I didn't have anything else to go with, so for the last two years I have been 红龙。

However, I am currently pursuing art projects of Chinese (particularly 成语) influence, and I would like to give myself a better Chinese signature. I saw a name I was aesthetically drawn to once: the lead singer of the Chinese reggae band 龙神道 is named 国囝.

I know that Chinese folks are more concerned about the meaning of names then "looks," but as an artist I can't help but like that "double-box" vibe to 国囝's name. I have been searching around for possibilities for a name for myself, one which not only uses that particular "box" aesthetic but contains a non-bizarre meaning as well (or at the very least is passable as a name), but I'm afraid my Chinese just isn't good or intuitive enough to do this without help.

I came across an old character "圛," which is described in a couple online dictionaries as "mist rolling upwards." Well, obviously that is fascinatingly beautiful, but I have no idea where that translation comes from. How can one word have such a specific and rich meaning? Where does it come from?

And 圃 seems to be a usable name- but again, I'm just not sure. What do you think? Would 圛圃 be good? Something that could roughly mean, "mist rolling up from the garden?" Or something?

It is also tonally identical to 艺圃, which is kind of cool given the "art" connotation. But I could be way off base here; I shouldn't be choosing a name alone. I seriously need some help. I want a name that I can continue to use the rest of my life, even when I move to China or Taiwan. Something unique but not stupid like 红龙 haha.

Advice? Anything at all would help.

Thank you!!!

[imron]

Do you know about the Unihan radical lookup page? It's possible to list all the characters that use the enclosure radical 囗, which might give you some extra inspiration.

[skylee]

I think 圃 is good for a name. As to 圛，it is not a commonly seen word, which means that many people might not know how to pronounce it and you might have to explain the pronunciation and meaning. Another thing to consider is whether the character can be easily typed. I know some people who have given their children names with rare words/ variants who have to deal with this problem. But I don't know if 圛 is rare. Lastly, I find having too squares side by side in a name unappealing. Maybe it is just me, but they remind me of 身陷囹圄 and 囚 and 圍 ... being confined and trapped.

[kanzono]

imron, that is great, thank you so much!

skylee, that's super advice, as well. You've given me reason to re-consider that idea... I see where you are coming from. Although in a way it could be kind of cool to embrace that connotation, wouldn't it? In the way that somebody could, for better or for worse, acknowledge the limitations of him/herself and the limitations of art. In a way, we're all confined- but perhaps that isn't a bad thing if were view it passively and compassionately...

When I have more time later today or tomorrow, I will try to come up with a better 姓 and probably ask for help again. It is much appreciated!!

[kanzono]

您们觉得 “圃艺” 或者 “艺圃” 怎么样？

[imron]

imron, that is great, thank you so much!

You can also go back to the main page and do it for any other radical.

[kanzono]

Ok, I think ive picked something.

我的外公从美国以前叫Milo。我可能受他的名字的影响。Milo的汉语翻译是米洛。您们觉得 "米洛" 怎么样? 奇怪吗?

很谢谢大家

[Lu]

If you're going to go with something that's clearly a transliteration of a foreign name, it's better to go with a transliteration of your own name, not your grandfather's, imo. It would be confusing.