Okay, here’s the thing: Every Chinese name, when translated literally into English, often has a meaning similar to the style of names in World of Warcraft, like Hellscream, Bloodhoof, Windseeker, Grimtotem, Stormrage, Whisperwind, or Deathwing.
Some of the “Chinese names” you hear get translated into English as “Lillian,” “Vivian,” “Jack,” “Robin,” “Leo,” “Lucy,” “Matthew,” and even “Sunshine/Sunny.” These are all alternative names they’ve chosen for themselves, much like if you, being “Mohammed,” introduced yourself to others as “Dodge.”
If you don’t believe it, look at the Chinese leader’s “English” name on his nameplate—it’s a direct phonetic transcription in Romanized pinyin. If translated by meaning, his surname would be “Xi/习,” and his given name would mean “near/近” and “peace/平” or “calm/平.
In Eastern culture, people generally do not call themselves by other people’s names. For example, names like “Alexander, Aleksandrov, Caesar,Peter,Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Chiang Kai-shek…” This kind of name sounds just as incredible to Chinese people as if someone’s name were “Jesus Christ” or “Yeshua”.
Because you cannot determine whether your life’s “achievements” can be on a par with theirs. The best way is to use a unique name and create your unique “meritorious service” or leave your “unique commemoration” in history.
I’m not kidding. I have a friend whose surname is “Chuan/川” and given name is “Jianguo/建国.” Literally translated, his name means “building-nation.” In the Chinese sense, this implies he’s from an ancestral family/tribe named “Chuan/川,” and his personal name is “Jianguo/建国.”
In China, there are many interesting names. For example, “Weihua/卫华” means safeguarding China. “Weihua/伟华” also means great China. A boy named “Zhang Jun/张军”, his family/clan name is Zhang/张, and his given name is “army/soldiers/military”. For example, the young man in China who set a human record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming event, his name is Kang Zhanle/康展乐. That is, his family/clan name is Kang/康, and his given name is Zhanle/展乐. Literally, it means spreading/unfolding – joy.
Europeans also have naming traditions with similar origins. For instance, “Armstrong”, if broken down by root words, means “arm-strong.”
Similarly, “Johnson” means “son of John,” rooted in religious customs.
However, according to Chinese naming habits, he is likely to be named “Son of the blacksmith(blacksmithson)/Iron ball(铁蛋)” or “Son of the Horse (Horseson)/Horse ball(马蛋)”.
If Americans see a Chinese person named, for example, “Steel-Pillar. Li/李铁柱”; or “Resist-America. Zhao/赵抗美”; or “Defeat-America. Xiao/肖破美”… Presumably, you will laugh so hard that your stomach hurts.
Similarly, if New York is translated literally, it would be a small county town in Henan Province, “新乡”. And Newfoundland would become “新发地”. Um… a vegetable market for people in Beijing?