Chinese translations of Western celebrity names

[GeneChing]

Gotta luv this:

That's What Xu Said (http://xuhulk.tumblr.com/post/111117955776/i-went-spelunking-on-the-chinese-internet-today)
KITTY 2015-02-15
I went spelunking on the Chinese internet today. What started off as an innocuous search for Chinese Nicki Minaj fans quickly turned into a hunt for the ingenious, hilarious, and often slightly insulting nicknames created by Chinese fans for the American pop stars whose names they can’t pronounce.

After an inappropriate amount of time on Weibo and the Chinese equivalent of Yahoo Answers, I present the greatest of my findings:

Nicki Minaj - 麻辣鸡 (má là ji): a slant transliteration of “Minaj”. Means spicy chicken (ma la is a spice combo commonly used in Sichuan cooking).

Taylor Swift - 霉霉 (méi méi): derived from 小霉女 which is itself a pun on “pretty young lady”, but replacing the word for “pretty” (美/mei) with an abbreviated version of “unlucky” (倒霉). Chinese fans gave her the nickname after a string of her singles failed to make it to the top of the Billboard 100.

Justin Bieber - 碧波姐姐 (bī buó jie jie) - Sister “Bi buo”, a hyper-feminine transliteration of Bieber; more commonly 凉凉 (líang líang) which I can’t figure out at all.

Drake - 公鸭 (gōng yā): Literally “male duck”, as in the definition of a “drake”. I laughed out loud when I finally figured this one out.

Kanye West - 侃爷 (kǎn yé): a transliteration of Kanye. In Beijing dialect, this means someone who brags a lot with no actions to follow it up. (I actually love Kanye, but this is still **** good wordplay.)

[GeneChing]

I may just have to split this off into its own indie thread soon.


Left Behind (末日迷踪)
Distribution: China Film Group Corporation (中国电影股份有限公司)
CFI Score: 2/10 (http://chinafilminsider.com/on-screen-china-left-behind-and-saint-seiya/)

http://i0.wp.com/chinafilminsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/PastedGraphic-7.jpg?w=1000

This Nicholas Cage-led clunker grossed just $14 million (on an estimated $16 million budget) from its North American run in late 2014, and while that alone doesn’t necessarily doom its prospects for a healthy Chinese run, its shockingly bad 2% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t bode well as Chinese moviegoers are increasingly getting their movie buzz from overseas.

Cage (凯奇大叔 or “Uncle Cage”) is a well-known entity in China, but just like in the West, Chinese moviegoers are seriously questioning his choice of roles. After Stolen made just $6.5 million in its 2013 Chinese run, some fans starting calling him “The King of Crappy Movies” (烂片之王). Add this one to the crapper.

[GeneChing]

...these are originally from the Chinglish (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66588-Chinglish) thread. But there's enough here to start an indie thread now. :)


5/6/16 9:45 AM
The Chinese already have an amazing nickname for Donald Trump (http://fusion.net/story/299473/chinese-name-for-donald-trump/)

http://i2.wp.com/fusion.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GettyImages-528525602.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&quality=80&strip=all
Getty Images

Rob Wile

Among other things, Donald Trump has promised to stop China from “raping” the U.S. if elected.

“We’re like the piggy bank that’s being robbed,” he said this week. “We have the cards. We have a lot of power with China.”

Now that Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee, China is debating what this all means.

In the course of doing so, they’ve come up with an amazing nickname for the candidate:

Breaking bed.

XPatNation.com recently explained:


In China’s social media, Trump is transliterated into “Chuan-pu” or “Tang-Chuang-Po,” both of which sound funny and disrespectful in Mandarin. The former literally means “Sichuan-style Mandarin” and the latter “Donald Breaking Bed.” Chinese internet users gave Trump these nicknames mostly because they believed that Trump was just a joke and had absolutely no chance of getting elected.

This week, the Global Times, the English language website run by the People’s Daily, asked eight Chinese scholars to comment on how a Trump victory would affect the country’s relationship with the U.S.

Most doubt he can win, and dismiss his anti-China rhetoric as electioneering.

“Many of Trump’s speeches against China are mere claptrap,” said Zhao Minghao, a research fellow at the Charhar Institute and an adjunct fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. “Trump said the U.S. is ‘going to lose $500 billion in terms of trade’ to China. The figure isn’t correct. The U.S. trade deficit last year was $366 billion with China…If the U.S. uses radical trade polices against China, this will not only hurt the interests of U.S. consumers and enterprises, but also impair the whole global trade system.”

Jia Qingguo, the dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, said he does not view Trump as being able to win over “mainstream” voters. But if he does manage to win, the Chinese could warm to him.

“It seems that Chinese citizens prefer Trump to Clinton,” he said. “This is understandable as the latter has criticized China a number of times over the cyber security, human rights and so forth. Trump, on the other hand, is a mystery to Chinese. Although he has expressed dissatisfaction with the current U.S. China policies, he looks forward to strengthening ties with China as well.”

[GeneChing]

Not a celebrity, a product. And a spot on translation. :p


BLACKOUT IN A CAN
http://qz.com/766046/caffeinated-alcohol-four-loko-is-back-but-this-time-in-china-where-it-is-called-lose-virginity-liquor/

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/four-loko-us-1-e1472106821701.jpg?w=3200
It's back. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

WRITTEN BY Echo Huang Yinyin
OBSESSION Life as Laboratory
August 25, 2016

The dangerous blend of stimulants and alcohol, Four Loko, is making a comeback—in China.
While drink’s popularity in the US waned after a series of hospitalizations and other incidents, it is now being offered on China’s giant online shopping portals Alibaba and JD.com, where it is being advertised as “blackout in a can.”
Four Loko’s new Chinese users refer to it online as shi shen jiu, or “lose virginity liquor.”
Already, some imbibers are running into trouble. Four twenty-something Chinese girls in Nanjing, an eastern city near Shanghai, wanted to try the drink, local police reported (link in Chinese, registration required). After three of them consumed six cans they sneaked into a karaoke bar, they passed out and were robbed, police said.
First manufactured in the US about a decade ago, Four Loko is made by Phusion Projects of Chicago. The US Food and Drug Administration warned the company in November 2010 that the beverage’s mixture of alcohol with caffeine could be hazardous to users. The “Four” in the name stands for caffeine, alcohol, the Brazilian stimulant guarana, and the animal-derived stimulant taurine (which is also used in energy drinks like Red Bull). The alcohol is malt liquor.
More than a dozen states in US have banned Four Loko since then, including Washington, where nine university students were hospitalized after consuming Four Loko and vodka in October of 2010. Parents of a 20-year-old Florida man who had been drinking the alcoholic beverage for 30 hours say it caused their son to commit suicide in November, 2010. Phusion pledged to remove the caffeine in the US, and the product is still available in many states.
The company is apparently relying on Alibaba and JD.com to make inroads in China—there are dozens of sellers offering it on Alibaba’s Taobao, and on JD.com. It even has its own flagship store on Tmall, the online shopping platform for brands owned by Alibaba.

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/four-loko-tmall-flagship.png?w=940
On sale now on Tmall.

Products vary from platform to platform. On Tmall, what’s for sale is a “new” version that says it is a caffeine-free, 14% alcoholic ****tail.
But most Four Loko products listed on Taobao say ingredients include 12% alcohol, caffeine, and amino acids commonly used for “alertness”—all in eight fruity flavors.

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/four-loko-ingredients.png?w=640
Four Loko still has caffeine in China.

The prices vary from 29 yuan ($4.4) per can on Taobao to 100 yuan ($15) on Tmall. Though Taobao is notorious for fakes, over 10,000 people have bought the products.
Consuming a standard 695 ml can would be equal to drinking six beers or five glasses of 45 proof whisky, according to Four Loko’s Tmall homepage. It is also being sold through liquor distribution agents (link in Chinese, registration required), one who calls it ‘beer,’ even though most beers sold in China contain 4% to 8% alcohol.
No domestic manufactures are producing the liquor, state media outlet Xinhua (link in Chines, registration required) reports. Chinese consumers are already starting to ask questions about the drink. One commented online (link in Chinese, registration required) “Why is it banned in US but trendy now in China? Where is the Chinese FDA?”

[GeneChing]

...even though we loathe to celebrate them. :rolleyes:


For SF candidates, Chinese name can spell edge at poll (http://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/For-SF-candidates-Chinese-name-can-spell-edge-at-9191703.php)
By Emily Green August 29, 2016 Updated: August 29, 2016 7:19pm

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/51/26/00/10838048/3/920x920.jpg
State Senate candidate Scott Wiener campaigns in Chinatown with an inflatable giraffe, after the 6-foot, 7-inch supervisor was bestowed the nickname by city power broker Rose Pak. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

For political candidates, it helps to be bold, majestic, charitable and tall.

That’s the meaning of Scott Wiener’s name in Chinese — one the 6-foot, 7-inch San Francisco supervisor is relying on in his campaign for state Senate.

Tom Temprano, a candidate for City College Board, also went grand. His given name in Chinese, Panlong, means “hoping for the dragon.”

“Chinese believe their emperors are offspring of the dragon. So lots of people like to use the word ‘dragon’ in their names, because it hints leadership and the destined leader,” said Serenity Pang, who translated the names of sitting and aspiring politicians for The Chronicle.

Every candidate for political office in San Francisco has to have a Chinese name on the ballot, under the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires ballots and other election information be translated when a significant percentage of voting-age citizens speak limited English. The process of picking that name can involve a mix of guile, art and transliteration as the candidates seek to exploit any possible advantage with the Chinese electorate.

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/51/30/06/10846605/3/920x1240.jpg
Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Aaron Peskin embraced his image in Chinatown as “the bearded man” in his successful re-election for supervisor.

For good reason.

There are approximately 144,000 Chinese speakers in San Francisco, or roughly 17 percent of the city’s population, according to 2014 census data analyzed by the San Francisco Planning Department. Of that population, 94,000, or 65 percent, speak and read limited English. Those with limited English skills are just as likely, if not more so, to know political candidates by their Chinese names as by their English ones. While a name obviously isn’t the only factor those voters rely on, it can be important.

Not all Chinese speakers are citizens and can vote, of course. Yet their sheer number influences city politics.

Wiener said that when he first ran for political office 12 years ago, he was advised to pick his own Chinese name instead of leaving it to the Department of Elections, which contracts with a company to provide straight transliterations for candidates who don’t provide their own.

“You want to have a good and thoughtful name,” said Wiener, or “Wei Shangao” (in Chinese the surname is written first).

Done well, transliteration can be a work of art. While Chinese characters may sound similar to those who don’t speak Chinese, they can in fact mean different things. And done poorly, transliteration can produce a meaningless jumble of words. Attempting to re-create in Chinese the name Emily, for example, can translate to either “artemisia, rice and stand” or “love, beauty and white jasmine.”

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/51/30/06/10846597/3/460x1240.jpg
Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Community
College Board candidate Tom Temprano speaks with the Chronicle Editorial Board on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 in San Francisco, Calif.

So far, the newcomers to the political scene appear to have selected Chinese names that echo their English names, albeit with some flair.

District Seven supervisorial candidate Ben Matranga’sgiven name in Chinese, Chengbin, translates to “honesty and refined” while his surname, Ma, means “horse.” Pang said it’s a good Chinese name because when spoken it sounds similar to his name and also because there is no hint that the name comes from a “Westerner.”

Marjan Philhour, a candidate for District One supervisor, only used her given name to create a Chinese name. Mai Zhen translates to “taking a big stride” and “treasure.”

And in District Nine, candidate Hillary Ronen went with a name, Lu Kaili, that sounds like a Chinese girl’s name with a Western hint, Pang said. “Kind of like ‘Siri.’”

As long as candidates in San Francisco have had to pick Chinese names, since the mid-1970s, they have tried to use the process to their advantage. Some went to extremes.

Perhaps the most infamous example is Michael Nava, who ran for San Francisco Superior Court judge in 2010. His chosen given name, Zhengping, translates to “correct and fair” — tailor-made for someone running for judge. And his surname, Li, made him recognizable to Chinese voters. (Nava still lost the election).

Attorney General Kamala Harris, now a candidate for U.S. Senate, also took major liberties with her Chinese name — He Jinli. Her given name, which sounds nothing like Kamala, translates to “intricate and beautiful,” and her surname means “celebrate.”

Some Chinese candidates, who don’t have the benefit of re-creating their name to gain a political advantage, become frustrated, said former supervisor and now state Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma, or Ma Shiyun. Her surname means “horse,” and her given name means “worldly cloud.”

“If you are running against someone and you’re Chinese, you have to use your name. My name sounds masculine. And someone picks out ‘beautiful golden child.’ It’s not really fair,” Ma said.

In 2009 and 2011, legislators in Sacramento passed bills requiring candidates to use phonetic transliterations of their names into a character-based language. Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown vetoed them, saying local jurisdictions should set their own rules.

Of course, even the best-picked names may not ultimately resonate.

The lasting image of Wiener, for example, may be of him as a giraffe.

The image began with Chinatown power broker Rose Pak, who has always introduced him as “the giraffe” during the Chinese New Year’s Parade. Wiener took the nickname one step further. His Chinese campaign posters feature a giraffe on them, and he sometimes brings a blow-up giraffe with him when he campaigns.

Wiener said he was also influenced by Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s decision to embrace the image of himself as “the bearded man” in last year’s race for District Three supervisor after informal polling in Chinatown showed that more people knew him by that moniker than his Chinese name. In the run-up to the election, Peskin’s Chinese-language campaign posters asked people to vote for “the bearded man.”

That said, it’s probably best to play it safe and pick a good name. Just ask District Attorney George Gascón.

Back when he was police chief, he didn’t have to pick a Chinese name because he was appointed — instead of elected — to the position. So the Chinese media transliterated Gascón’s name to Jia Sikang. Unfortunately for Gascón, when spoken aloud, his given name sounded like “pooper” and his surname like “fake.”

In 2011, Gascón announced he was running for district attorney. Perhaps tired of being called pooper, Gascón said he was changing his Chinese name to He Gangqiang. The translation: celebrate, firm and strong.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @emilytgreen

[GeneChing]

Chinese movie names in Chinglish


Box office gold? Hilariously literal film title translations from around the world that will definitely spoil the suspense (including He's a Ghost for The Sixth Sense) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4274262/Movie-translations-better-original.html?ITO=applenews)
Production companies have to translate their films for a global audience
Audiences in China seem to go into a film with the plot spoiled
Classics like Dirty Dancing, Boogie Nights and The Full Monty get a new spin

By Natalie Corner For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 11:29 EDT, 20 March 2017 | UPDATED: 11:33 EDT, 20 March 2017

After a film has wrapped and the actors and crew have left, there's still one important task left for production: translating the finished product so that it will appeal to a global audience.

And it seems that more often than not, by making it culturally appropriate the title of the film can literally get lost in translation.

In places like China and Poland film titles can become so literal that the entire plot is spoiled.

For example, the 1999 supernatural thriller Sixth Sense has one big twist that no audience would see coming - that is unless you watched it in China where it was called (spoiler alert) 'He's a Ghost'.

The late '80s classic Dirty Dancing, with Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, becomes 'Spinning Sex' in Poland, and for Richard Gere and Julia Roberts' iconic movie Pretty Woman, China spoils things once again with the hilarious title, 'I Will Marry a Prostitute to Save Money'.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up the best of the rest...

DIRTY DANCING was SPINNING SEX in POLAND

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/02/09/066F75D8000005DC-4274262-image-m-4_1488446720370.jpg
The romance between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey's characters (Johnny and Baby) is part of movie history, but in Poland they decided to really spice things up. Baby comes from a wealthy family and starts an affair with the dancer from the wrong side of the tracks, they end up together and at the end take part in a mega dance finale

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU was A SHREW IN LOVE in POLAND

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/02/11/001CF7D000000258-4274262-image-m-20_1488453590921.jpg
Poland channelled the Shakespeare tale the movie was based on but confusingly made it sound like an animal was involved. Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles play Patrick and Kat. He helps Joseph Gordon Levitt's character 'tame the shrew' so that he can date her sister

BOOGIE NIGHTS was HIS GREAT DEVICE MAKES HIM FAMOUS in CHINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/02/10/00073C4400000258-4274262-image-m-9_1488449808206.jpg
Charting the rise of a porn star, Dirk Diggler, China's translation was extremely literal and right to the point. Mark Wahlberg is Dirk, who shoots to fame because of his large appendage, he enjoys a wild lifestyle but it soon spirals with drugs, parties and a huge ego

THE SIXTH SENSE was HE'S A GHOST in CHINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/02/09/001E1C6600000258-4274262-image-a-5_1488448735992.jpg
China managed to ruin M.Night Shamalayan's film in just three words by revealing the main twist. Haley Joel Osment stars as the child who can see dead people and Bruce Willis is his friend, only he's also dead

NEVER BEEN KISSED was BECAUSE SHE'S UGLY in THE PHILIPPINES

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/02/10/1CBE4D3800000578-4274262-image-a-6_1488449168741.jpg
The Philippines were a little harsh on Drew Barrymore's character in the 1999 teen rom-com in which she goes back to school and falls in love with her teacher

PRETTY WOMAN was I WILL MARRY A PROSTITUTE TO SAVE MONEY in CHINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/02/09/1337655800000514-4274262-image-m-2_1488446311259.jpg
Some of the romance was lost in China's translation of the title of this rom-com classic. Julia Roberts is a prostitute turned classy escort who falls in love with Richard Gere's rich businessman
continued next post

[GeneChing]

GREASE was VASELINE in ARGENTINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/08/16/3DDF54B900000578-4274262-Argentina_s_distributors_opted_to_switch_grease_us ed_on_a_car_fo-a-14_1488989870947.jpg
Argentina's distributors opted to switch grease - used on a car - for Vaseline, which is typically used on the lips. Olivia Newton John and John Travolta fall in love one summer only to return to school and battle high school cliques along with the help of music

THE FULL MONTY was SIX NAKED PIGS in CHINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/09/09/3DDF54C000000578-4274262-China_was_brutally_honest_about_the_six_leads_play ed_by_Robert_C-a-10_1489053597091.jpg
China was brutally honest about the six leads played by Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Hugo Speer, Paul Barber, Tom Wilkinson and Steve Huison. Full Monty is the story of six friends trying to make extra money with a strip show

BAD SANTA was SANTA IS A PERVERT in CZECH REPUBLIC

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/09/09/3DDF54C800000578-4274262-Billy_Bob_Thornton_went_method_for_his_role_as_a_d runk_Santa_and-a-11_1489053597111.jpg
Billy Bob Thornton went method for his role as a drunk Santa, and while it was a pretty descriptive title for most parts of the world, Czech Republic took it one step further. Billy Bob Thornton plays a criminal Santa who teams up with his little helper to steal from charity

FREE WILLY was A VERY POWERFUL WHALE RUNS TO HEAVEN in CHINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/09/09/000E038400000258-4274262-When_it_came_to_naming_Free_Willy_it_appears_the_t ranslators_hav-a-14_1489053597598.jpg
When it came to naming Free Willy, it appears the translators have looked at the poster itself instead of the plot - suggesting the whale dies instead of being set free from captivity

ARMY OF DARKNESS was CAPTAIN SUPERMARKET in JAPAN

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/09/09/3DDF54B200000578-4274262-Bizarrely_the_film_which_is_a_horror_comedy_about_ a_man_who_trav-a-12_1489053597272.jpg
Bizarrely the film - which is a horror comedy about a man who travels back to 1300s England - was changed to Captain Supermarket and Bruce Campbell was surrounded by tins of soup instead of zombies

AS GOOD AS IT GETS was MR CAT POOP in CHINA

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/09/09/0352562E000003E8-4274262-Jack_Nicholson_s_character_in_the_1997_film_is_Mel vin_and_in_Chi-a-13_1489053597315.jpg
Jack Nicholson's character in the 1997 film is Melvin, and in China that sounds similar to the Cantonese word for 'cat poop'. A story about a rude man who hates everyone who softens when he has to look after his neighbour's dog


...and Polandglish, Tagaloglish, Spanglish (that's what they speak in Argentina, right?), Czechglish, & Japanglish.

[GeneChing]

The don't say 'feng shui' in this article, but that's what this is. You'd think there'd be feng shui for websites, right?


What's in a Chinese name? Ancient rites and growing business (http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_new=94926&int_sec=11#.WOJ5zm_yvcs)

http://artdaily.com/imagenes/2017/04/03/china-2.jpg
This picture taken on February 28, 2017 shows fortune-teller Mao Shandong looking on as he waits for customers in his shop in Beijing. In a one-room shop tucked inside a Beijing alley, a bearded 74-year-old fortune-teller in crimson tunic offers what Chinese parents have sought for centuries: an auspicious name for their newborn. But business has been tough lately for Mao Shandong and others in his trade as tech-savvy entrepreneurs have turned the ancient naming tradition into a lucrative online business. WANG Zhao / AFP.

by Yanan Wang

BEIJING (AFP).- In a one-room shop tucked inside a Beijing alley, a bearded 74-year-old fortune-teller in crimson tunic offers what Chinese parents have sought for centuries: an auspicious name for their newborn.

But business has been tough lately for Mao Shandong and others in his trade as tech-savvy entrepreneurs have turned the ancient naming tradition into a lucrative online business.

"We can't make a living these days," lamented Mao.

Chinese have for centuries believed that a well-chosen name can ensure a lifetime of good fortune.

Unlike in English, where one draws from a lexicon of Josephs and Richards, a Chinese name can be created from any combination of two or three characters.

And for many Chinese parents, making the right choice has become even more imperative as they seek to help their children stand out in the world's most populous country.

"Parents care more and more about personal brand," said Zhang Ruxin, the 37-year-old co-founder of the Beijing-based naming service Qimingtong, which essentially means "Clear Naming."

"They realise that the name will follow their child for their entire life, be judged by their employers and have an impact on their values."

Qimingtong operates almost entirely online, with parents filling out web questionnaires and Zhang offering consultation services through the popular messaging app WeChat.

A quick web search reveals more than a hundred such businesses in China, each promising names that will pave the way for future success.

Branding for babies

Zhang founded Qimingtong in late 2014 with her business partner, Chen Jun, after working for two decades as a newspaper reporter while pursuing a hobby helping friends and colleagues name their children.

Qimingtong's software uses an algorithm to compile the best names for a child based on their parents' responses to a personality quiz. It has been used by more than 10,000 people.

Zhang and her employees also help name dozens of newborns every day either via walk-ins or online consultations.

Rates range from 400 yuan ($60) to 10,000 yuan for a private consultation with Zhang.

Liu Qiang, a police officer in central Henan province, and his wife wanted to use a modern naming method that still accounts for "bazi" -- the traditional belief in a destiny determined by one's date of birth.

"Bazi" or "eight characters," refers to the eight digits denoting the year, month, date and hour of birth. It is believed to determine the natural elements present in one's life, such as metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

A name can compensate for the elements that a child lacks.

Liu's son lacked a wood element, so Qimingtong named him "Bailin," combining the characters for cypress tree and a mythical, dragon-like creature from Chinese folklore to create a name which his parents hope will help him forge a unique identity.

"We want him to realise his personal dreams," said Liu, 39.

A colleague called 'Eleven'

Chinese looking to move abroad or work for international companies may also seek help choosing an English name.

At Lindsay Jernigan's first job in Shanghai, she worked alongside Apple, Yoyo and Eleven.

The last co-worker's English name, inspired by a Liverpool footballer's jersey number, regularly caused confusion.

Was the meeting with Eleven, or at 11 am? Was she making a reservation for Eleven, or for 11 people?

While her company was filled with "really smart, driven" professionals, Jernigan, a 27-year-old American, feared their names would hurt their prospects in English-speaking work environments.

Two years ago she founded BestEnglishName.com, which charges 248 yuan for a 30-minute consultation via WeChat.

Some clients request English names that still adhere to "bazi", forcing Jernigan to get creative.

If someone wants a water element, she may suggest "Brook," "Morgan" (a water sprite in Welsh), or "Lindsay," which means "Linden trees by the water."

"Of course you can just get lists of names online, but we're the only ones that truly understand the Chinese mentality," Jernigan said.

"Naming is a way of self-expression. The demand is definitely here."
Not everyone shares her optimism.

Mao said he is ready to abandon his fortune-telling business, even as he scorns his rivals in the naming industry.

"All those websites, they're the scams," he said with a sigh.
"They don't truly understand Chinese tradition."

[GeneChing]

Also FIRST FORUM REVIEW: I enjoyed it. I haven't laughed so hard in a film in a long time. Very entertaining on all levels - and you know how I generally disdain comic book movies. The last few MCU flicks have won me over.


https://qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/screen-shot-2018-05-11-at-3-26-04-pm-e1526023716940.png?w=700&strip=all&quality=75
Avengers: Infinity War trailerMarvel Studios/YouTube


AVENGERS: “GREEN FATTY” AND “IRON CAN” ARE SET TO SMASH CHINA’S BOX-OFFICE RECORDS (https://quartzy.qz.com/1275660/marvels-avengers-infinity-war-set-to-smash-chinas-box-office-records/)
By Zheping Huang May 11, 2018

Marvel’s latest Avengers installment—Avengers: Infinity War—hits theaters in China today (May 11), a few weeks after debuting to massive success elsewhere. The delay won’t hurt the film’s chances judging by early ticket data, the franchise’s earlier success, and the popularity of Marvel characters in what this year has become the world’s biggest movie market.

But those characters, in China, get widely used nicknames in a way not seen elsewhere. Examples:

Captain America: 大奶队长 (Dànǎi duìzhǎng), or “Captain Big Tits.” Sometimes just “Big Tits.”
Spiderman: 小虫 (Xiǎo chóng), or “Little Bug.”
Hulk: 绿胖 (Lǜ pàng), or “Green Fatty.” (On an unrelated note, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is called “Kim Fatty the Third,” and Japanese cartoon character Doraemon is dubbed “Blue Fatty.”)
Thor: 锤哥 (Chuí gē), or “Brother Hammer.”
Iron Man: 铁罐 (Tiě guàn), or “Iron Can.” Fans also call him 妮妮 (Nī nī), a feminine equivalent of similar sounding 尼尼, because Tony Stark’s first name is 托尼 in Chinese (also because Robert Downey Jr.’s last name is 唐尼). They think Stark is cold on the outside and warm on the inside, like some girls.
Black Widow: 寡姐 (Guǎ jiě), or “Sister Widow.”
Hawkeye: 肥啾 (Féi jiū), or “Fat Birdie.”
Avengers: 妇联 (Fùlián), or “Women’s Federation.” The superhero group is officially known as 复仇者联盟 (Fùchóu zhě liánméng) in Chinese, or “Avengers’ Federation.” The shorthand for that is 复联, and 复 is a ****phone for 妇 (women).
Analysts believe Infinity War is poised to become (paywall) the biggest-ever weekend debut in China, with a shot at $200 million or more.

Before its domestic release today, it had already raked in nearly $50 million in presales in China, setting a new all-time record for advance booking. The movie also notched 56.7 million yuan ($9 million) in the midnight box office, edging the previous record held by The Fate of the Furious since April 2017, according to data from Taopiaopiao (link in Chinese), a ticket-booking app.

On Douban, China’s equivalent to IMDb, Infinity War currently holds a rating of 8.6/10, with most reviews being generously positive (link in Chinese). One states, “It’s a combination of the best of all Marvel films: the most tragic Ragnarok, the most hot-blooded Ugandan, the most manly Captain America, and the most desperate Stark.”

Reads another: “There’s no time to pee during the movie.”

THREADS:
Avengers: Infinity War (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69547-Avengers-Infinity-War)
Chinese translations of Western celebrity names (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69495-Chinese-translations-of-Western-celebrity-names)