Help choosing a name...

[NEMO]

(Closed)

 

Hi! I recently started learning Mandarin, and I figure it would be a good idea to choose a Mandarin name to accompany my studies and to inteoduce myself with Chinese speakers.

 

The catch that makes this a little difficult is that the name I use in english is already a chosen name that I took great care in choosing, and I’m hoping that I can emulate a similar idea in Chinese. I go by “Nemo” which comes from Latin meaning “No one” or “nobody.” I don’t mean it in a negative connotation. Quite the contrary, I mean it in a sense of “could be anybody.”

 

I chose this name because I often feel that I have multiple identities or sides of my personality, yet I often feel like I’m not one distinct person. So for me Nemo means something like “Nobody in particular, but could be anybody.”

 

I was hoping to get a similar concept in Mandarin, but I’m not sure of using a direct translation of “nobody” would be acceptable.

 

I found that 没有人 (mei you ren) means nobody, which is a rough translation of Nemo in its original definition... Could this work, and would people understand that as a name? Or is there a better alternative with a similar notion that won’t leave people too stumped by an unusual name?

[Shelley]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

I don't thing that it would be a good idea to use 没有人 as a name. You don't actually call yourself Nobody in English you use Nemo. You have also attached your own meaning of “Nobody in particular, but could be anybody.” 

This not what nobody means, it means no people. Nobody was at the show, means no people were at the show. not no people in particular but could be any people. If you substitute people for body it shows the meaning more clearly. 

 

I don't think anyone would recognise the use of 没有人 as a name.

 

Although I don't normally recommend it, you could use a transliteration of Nemo, so you find 2 characters that have the sound Ne and Mo. This might work better.

 

I would leave it someone who is more knowledgeable about names. Its not an easy thing picking a name, you can run in to so many problems with which characters you use.

 

Hope this helps and your studies go well.

 

 

[Publius]

Chinese given names are, by convention, never longer than two characters.

 

Even if you count the first character as family name, it still won't work. Because in Chinese as well as in English, you can't just pick a random word and start using it as your family name.

 

A workaround is to choose an existing family name that is a homophone of a negation word, such as 魏 (未), 吴 (无), or 莫 (itself a negation). 梅 is a family name and homophonous with 没, but 没有 is just too colloquial to be used in a name. Concise, monosyllabic, literary words are strongly preferred in this context.

 

Another problem is that the "nobody in particular, but could be anybody" sense is your invention. In Latin, nemo is a contraction of ne homo 'no man'. It means nobody as in "Who did this to you?" "Nobody did it." -- When Odysseus gave his name as Nobody (Nemo in Latin translation) and blinded the drunken Cyclops with a pole, the giant cried and his fellow Cyclopes came inquiring. They wouldn't have left If Nobody could be anybody.

 

P.S. Interestingly, nemo can be used in Latin as a noun and have the same sense as nobody in "I'm a nobody."

[NEMO]

@Shelley

 Thank you for your feedback.

 

@Publius

If this helps, I do mean the literal translation “Nobody” or “No man” or even “I am a nobody” in using Nemo. I add the fluffy lighter “could be anybody” so people don’t think I’m being melodramatic. Everyone who asks what Nemo means (which has been a surprising amount) always sighs, gasps, and reassures, “you’re not a nobody,” as if it were a negative.

I chose Nemo for it’s direct meaning but with my own purpose behind it. People then add their own connotations, so I’ve gotten in the habit of trying to elaborate my reason in chosing it.

Most people think of calling yourself Nobody as a negative. I understand where that comes from. But for me, I find great solace in being and embracing my “nobody” self. It might not make a lot of sense, but it does for me... Sorry for rambling.

I appreciate the literary lesson, though. Thank you.

 

But let’s talk about finding a strong name that could equate in meaning to Nemo / Nobody - directly without all the fluff.

I don’t use a surname in my daily life (unless I’m handling legal matters)

So if a surname is a must, anything that would help suppost the concept of nobody would be ideal.

Do you think there is a way to build a name that makes sense and can easily be distinguished as “Nobody” or “No man.” I don’t mind having to explain the homophones if someone were to ask the deeper meaning behind my name, as long as I myself can know why it is the way it is.

 

You don’t have to go through all the trouble, but I greatly appreciate any and all help.

[Lu]

Perhaps you can read up a bit on Chinese names and how they work. For example, it would be rather weird not to have a surname. Generally, Chinese names consist of a surname and a given name, and they have to fit together well, without unintentional awkward meanings and rolling off the tongue well.

 

I think you (or someone else who knows more about it) should look to classical Chinese for a nice, elegant solution. You call yourself Nemo, the Latin version, instead of Nobody, so something similar would be good here as well. I'm sure there must be a classical poem you can borrow two or three characters from, that sound well as a name and that mean 'nobody' for those who understand the allusion. Unfortunately, I don't know much classical Chinese.

[NEMO]

This is a brilliant suggestion! Thank you @Lu!

I don’t know much if anything about Chinese yet. Compared to the English colloquialism “getting my feet wet,” I’d say I’ve really only just arrived at the beach and begun to survey the water from a distance.

 

@Publius you seem well versed in the literary and historical world. Does this help?

[889]

As often pointed out here, a D-I-Y Chinese name is usually a good way not just to get your feet wet but to find yourself way in over your head.

 

You need a native Chinese with a scholarly bent who's familiar with your personality. Usually a Chinese tutor can fill this role.

 

And to repeat what others have said, Chinese like English has very strong conventions for names, and if you're a serious student of Chinese you should seriously observe them. A bad name will affect you. Consider a Chinese who's convinced that "Adolf" would make just a grand name.

 

[NEMO]

@889

That’s why I’m here asking rather than assuming and running with the first thing that Google spits out. If I weren’t taking this seriously, I wouldn’t have bothered asking.

 

To my knowledge, there are few Mandarin speakers, let alone scholars, in my area. So I turned to the internet to find someone who could help. This was the first place I found, so this is where I’m asking. If you cannot help or offer adequate feedback other than stating the obvious, this thread isn’t for you.

 

have a nice day.

[889]

Taking swings at folks who are trying to help here is not a good idea.

 

[NEMO]

@889 I don’t mean to be rude or fight, but it felt like you swung first. If I wasn’t aware of the delicacy of choosing a name, I wouldn’t have turned to this forum. I think that’s pretty obvious. And in trying to school me on the importance of choosing a name, it felt a lot like you were calling me ignorant or stupid. I may not be the brightest person you’ll meet, but I am at least aware of the cultural significance of a name, and I’m fully aware that such significance is amplified for Chinese folks.

I don’t have access to Mandarin speakers. I’ll be learning from books and online resources. Is it the most effective way to learn? Probably not. But I live in a very rural area with very few people let alone non-English speakers. So I’m here to get some help.

I had hoped I would encounter some scholar or at minimum a well versed individual who would be able to help direct me.

I didn’t mean to offend you, but I felt rather offended and belittled by you.

I appreciate any and all help. I do. But it doesn’t feel like help when you tell me what I already know - what can be assumed that I already know - in a moderately derogatory way.

I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I’m genuinely just here in hopes of getting some actual help.

[陳德聰]

I’m not gonna get into what I consider helpful advice and what I consider unhelpful advice, but I think now that you’ve (889 and NEMO) aired it out a bit, if there are additional prickly comments please direct message them to each other.

 

@NEMO What you are describing is not a conventional real name in Chinese, but would make sense as a pen name. Publius’s suggestions of using 吳 or 莫 both speak to me.

 

But I have trouble seeing anything you choose sounding like a name and also achieving what you want without being cheesy as all hell.

 

Consider: 

吳銘 (無名) “anonymous”

莫仁 (莫人) “not person, nobody”

[NEMO]

@陳德聰

In this case, do you think it would be appropriate to forgo a Chinese name and just use Nemo. Or would that be frowned upon in use with native speakers?

[Shelley]

1 hour ago, NEMO said:

But it doesn’t feel like help when you tell me what I already know - what can be assumed that I already know

 

I think and hope that we don't assume anything. We all know the issues that causes.

 

If you had stated clearly that you were aware of the delicacies of choosing a name and that you knew the standard form for names and that you understood the possible connotations then we may have started suggestions from a different place.

 

However you didn't and because you asked for the word Nobody to be treated as a name gave one the impression that you needed a guiding hand from the start.

 

If advice is given that you already know, just read it and pass on to the next post, eventually if you are patient and pleasant someone may come along with the answers you were looking for.

 

I don't think not having a Chinese name would be a problem at all. its not a requirement by anyone I know of. Its just a fun thing students do when they first start to learn Chinese,  I think it gives them a feeling of belonging and participating more in the whole learning Chinese thing.

I think this might be the best solution for you and as time goes on you may find a friend, lecturer or even someone here may come up with a good fit for meaning, sound and convention.

 

I hope your studies go well Nemo, and remember this forum is full of friendly, knowledgeable people who are only too happy to help.

 

 

 

 

 

[NEMO]

You’re right. I should have been more thorough.

thank you.

[Lu]

59 minutes ago, NEMO said:

In this case, do you think it would be appropriate to forgo a Chinese name and just use Nemo. Or would that be frowned upon in use with native speakers?

That is absolutely fine. 'Nemo' is not hard to pronounce for Chinese, so you can just go by that.

[anonymoose]

3 minutes ago, Lu said:

That is absolutely fine. 'Nemo' is not hard to pronounce for Chinese

 

But just be prepared that most people will think you're a fan of cartoon fish.

[NEMO]

15 minutes ago, anonymoose said:

But just be prepared that most people will think you're a fan of cartoon fish.

 

That already happens ?

[Tomsima]

if its any help, my old boss in china went by the name nemo, and everyone in the office used it without any second thought