From The Star, Malaysia

From The Star, Malaysia
24 January 2004

Getting a head start
Story by ANDREW SIA KOON SIONG

Chinese names . . . oh, they're so difficult to remember. How will
we do business properly? How can people remember us? Which may
explain why my schoolmates and I dropped our Chinese names after
leaving Little Ol' Seremban.

When we trail-blazed our way to Great Big KL, we reinvented
ourselves as Yvonne, Raymond, Ivan, Sarah and, oh yes, Andrew. Well,
at least we didn't become Fruit Chan - an example of that craze for
hyper-unique names in Hong Kong.

Compared to the faddish acquisition of English names, Chinese names
have a wealth of history and culture stretching back thousands of
years. Great care is often taken to choose auspicious names
following deep-rooted traditions, linguistic rules and horoscope
analysis.

Datuk Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng (left), Malaysia's internationally
acclaimed actress, may have gotten a head start right from birth
with her name "Extremely Famous Jade".

According to Dr Lim Chooi Kwa, associate professor of Chinese
Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), the Mandarin
version of her name is Zi Qiong. Qiong is a very precious type of
jade. But it's the Zi which gives her name that extra zing. It means
purple and draws upon the proverb hong dao fa zi, which means "so
very famous that even red has turned purple".

Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, founder of the Genting corporate empire, is
named after a valuable wood used to make the finest musical
instruments in China. Dr Lim adds that the tree is reputed to be an
abode for a divine bird, the phoenix. So . . . does anyone want to
name their child Cengal Chan or Teak Tan?

As for Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan, the billionaire chief of the Hong
Leong group, his fortunes are as dazzling as the Chan in his name -
"Big-Fire-Mountain" - meaning, you guessed it, "Hugely Bright".

However, the naming process didn't quite turn out right for Wong
Choon Han, Malaysia's top badminton player.

"Han refers to an ancient pen made from feathers," explains Dr
Lim. "Perhaps, when he was named, it was hoped that he would be a
literary person. But looks like he has made use of feathers
differently . . . as a shuttlecock!"

Surnames

Chinese names are usually composed of three characters. The first
character is the surname or family name while the other two are
personal names.

There are about 500 relatively common surnames in Malaysia,
according to Russell Jones in his book Chinese Names. Some of them
are derived from China's centuries of history, such as those drawn
from dynasties (Tang), old feudal territories (Chin) and even small
villages (Pang).

Chinese writing was standardised when China was unified under the
Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. However, the pronunciation
still varies according to dialect.

For instance, the common surname "Chang" (nowadays spelt in Pinyin
as Zhang) in Mandarin (Md), is pronounced as Cheong in Cantonese
(Ct), Chong in Hakka (Ha), Chiang in Hainanese (Hn), Teoh in Hokkien
(Hk) and Teo in Teochew (Te).

Chen (Md), the name of an ancient Chinese state, is the same surname
as Chan (Ct), Tan (Hk, Te and Hn), Ting in Foochow (Fc) and Jin in
Korean. My own surname, which means "thank you", is pronounced as
Sia (Fc), Seah (Hk), Xie (Md), Cheah (Ct) or even Ta in Vietnamese.
(Korean and Vietnamese were once written using Chinese characters.)

The surname Wong in Cantonese may mean either "king" (Ong - Hk,
Heng - Te) or "yellow". Even within Hokkien, there are sub-dialects.
Hence, the "yellow" surname is pronounced as Ooi in Chiangchew
Hokkien or Ng in Amoy Hokkien. To cut a long story short, there are
many more Wong's than meet the eye.

There have been calls to standardise all names in Mandarin, a
language that transcends all dialect groups.

"At one time, all students in Singapore had to write their names in
Pinyin at school," recalls Dr Gong Wei Ai, associate professor of
Chinese Studies at Universiti Malaya. "My cousins' surnames were no
longer Gong, as pronounced in Foochow. They became Jiang. Mandarin
is good for standardisation, but we also lose our (dialect)
identity."

For instance, if all surnames had been standardised, it would have
been quite impossible for Gong's uncle to have used oral tradition
to trace the family tree back 20 generations right to the Ming
Dynasty.

As many people have strong feelings about being a Khoo (Hk) rather
than a Qiu or a Lau (Ct) instead of a Liu, an increasingly popular
compromise is to retain the dialect surname while using a Mandarin
personal name.

How to choose names

When I meet a stranger of Foochow descent with the name of Sia
Koon .. . I know he or she is most probably a distant cousin of some
sort. Particular generations of a clan often have a pre-determined
middle name, as laid down by an ancestor, according to the verses of
a poem.

For instance, the famous Khoo Kongsi (Clan Association) in Penang
has a list of generation names from the 8th till the 47th generation
of Khoo's. However, as clan ties are loosening up, generation names
are less strictly followed nowadays - which translates into much
greater freedom in choosing personal names. How should it be
exercised?

Like in the old days with names such as Tai Moy (eldest daughter) or
Sam Chai (third son)? Or perhaps one should go for Smooth Prosperity
like Chou Yuen Fatt, the legendary Hong Kong actor. His "Fatt" is
the one found in Kong Hei Fatt Choy, the Cantonese Chinese New Year
(CNY) greeting which means congratulations! May your wealth
increase!"

"Many folks want wealth, luck, fortune and blessings," notes Dr
Gong. "That's why names like Fook (Ct) and Hock (Hk) are very often
heard."

However, those steeped in Chinese culture consider these names to be
a little crude and simple.

"There are other qualities to think of. Money is not everything,"
observes Dr Lim.

In contrast, he considers Jiang Zemin, the former president of
China, to have an excellent name. Ze - Benefits/ Blessings, Min -
The People. Mao Zedong had the same middle name. Combined with Dong,
which means the East, Mao's name meant that he was a "Blessing to
the Orient".

Other prevalent names are drawn from the mythical dragon and
phoenix. The best example is Seng Loong (Successful-Dragon), which
is how movie star Jackie Chan is known in the Chinese-speaking
world. As for the Phoenix, it is pronounced as Fong (Ct) or Hong
(Hk).

"It's a very common name for girls. Right here, right now," Lim
points to the Utar cafeteria lunchtime crowd, "I'm sure there are
some Fongs or Hongs."

Another widespread female name is that of jade, pronounced as Yoke
(Ct) or Gaik (Hk). Then there are the pine (song) and plum (mei)
trees which can endure harsh winters.

"Parents hope their children will have similar endurance and will-
power," says Dr Lim. "That's why they make popular names."

Lofty names, lousy names

According to the book Best Chinese Names by Liu Xiaoyan, a name
should have a good meaning without being too simplistic. For
instance if, say, the Jiang parents wish their child to have moral
integrity, the name Jiang Zhengzhi or Honest Jiang would be too
blunt.

"A good name should be refined and subtle," underlines Liu who
instead recommends something like Jiang Boyang or Jiang of Cypress-
Fame, as that tree symbolises moral uprightness.

Dr Gong offers the example of Chen Kaige, the famous award-winning
film director from China who has certainly lived up to his
name: "Song of Triumph".

Names can also be associated with idioms. For example, Liu points
out that a baby with the surname An can have the name An Rushi,
which alludes to the saying an ru pan shi (firm as a rock).

Several historical examples are found in the book Chinese Personal
Names by Ning Yegao and Ning Yun. Try Zhu Rihui (Splendour of the
Sun), a Ming Dynasty doctor; or the Qing Dynasty's Yuan Jinglan
(Tower of Apricot Flowers in Spring Rain).


Or how about the sublime Wang Zhaowen - Hearing the Tao in the
Morning. Indeed, if a man does just that, the Analects of Confucius
states that "he may die in the evening without regret".

However, care must be taken with certain surnames. The Hokkien "Goh"
is pronounced as Wu in Mandarin. Unfortunately, that sounds like
another "wu" which means "don't have".

"You may name your child as Tian Cai or Heavenly Talents," reflects
Dr Lim. "But if you say Wu Tian Cai, it all comes to nought."

Living in a multi-cultural society, it's not just the cross-dialect
sounds that need to be taken note of. The Gao parents, hoping their
children will be advanced in science and technology (ke xue ji shu)
may choose the name Gao Keji. Alas, the child might face a lifetime
of teasing as his name, in Malay, means "detestable".

As children usually come in two's, three's and four's, how do
parents indicate brotherly and sisterly relationships? One method is
for all siblings to have the same middle name. Or, more
interestingly, why not dismantle the components of a Chinese
character and assign them separately to each child? Hence, the
Thunder Brothers (see illustration).

Even better, as outlined in Best Chinese Names, they can all be
named after a phrase. Consider the powerful trio of Gao Ming Ding,
Gao Ming Qian and Gao Ming Kun who are ready to go forth from their
home to Ding Qian Kun - "Conquer the World".

In stark contrast to these lofty names is the old folk tradition of
nasty names.

"A few decades ago, it was quite common for poor rural folks to name
their boys Ah Kau (dog) and their girls Ah Chow (grass)," recalls
Lim. "They felt if children's names were too good, it would be too
great a burden to bear. Whereas dogs and lalang grow easily."

Other mean names included Ah Ti (pig - Hk), Ngau Chai (baby ox -
Ct), Ah Chau (rotten - Hk) and Ah Chian (mean and worthless - Hk).
According to Jones, the reason for this practice was to protect
children from evil spirits. Upon hearing such awful names, folk
superstition had it that demons would be tricked into believing the
children were not worth their (harmful) attention.

Lim believes that such traditions are dying out as people become
more educated. However, just to make sure that the "dogs" and "pigs"
have been laid to rest, in 1998, the Buddhist Missionary Society of
Malaysia handed over a list of such names (deemed as "tidak elok" or
undesirable) to the National Registration Department. Still, such
names are not banned - parents are merely "advised" to pick more
favourable ones.

Christian and English names

Apart from their English names, those born as Christians (as
compared to those "born again" in later life) would often have
Chinese names such as xian (contribute) or en (blessings).

"If I see anyone with such a name, I think he or she would probably
be a Christian," notes Gong.

With every other urban Chinese - handphone salesmen, hairstylists,
accountants and even journalists - having an English name nowadays,
how can Chinese names regain some ground?

For one, English names have their own meaningful Chinese
equivalents. Mabel becomes Mei Bao (meaning "precious beauty") while
Oliver is Ou Li Wa ("experienced"). Another possibility is to take
the Chinese meaning of one's name and translate it into English. I
once met a diver cum manager called Advance Tan. My own name would
become Auspicious Sia. OK . . . maybe that sounds strange.
Sometimes, East is East and West is West - so let's just leave it at
the boundary
dividing Fruit from Chan.

Patriotic names

Can you celebrate Merdeka in a Chinese name? Yes you can - with
names like Guo Qing (Mandarin) Kok King (Hokkien) or Kwok Heng
(Cantonese).
They all mean the same thing: "Country - Celebrate". Indeed, the
Chinese name for National Day is Guo Qing Ri. "I have some students
with the names Tan Kok King, Lee Kok King and Lim Kok King," relates
Dr Lim Chooi Kwa, associate professor of Chinese Studies at
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar). "When I asked them about their
birthdays, sure enough, they were on Aug 31."

Then there is Foo Kok Keong (left), who was renowned for fighting to
the last drop of sweat when representing Malaysia on the badminton
court. He certainly lived up to his name: Foo-Country-Strong.

Or how about naming your children after local towns? Dr Gong Wei Ai,
associate professor of Chinese Studies at Universiti Malaya, recalls
a couple who named their first child Rou Sheng. The first character
is drawn from Rou Fou, the Chinese name for Johor; while Sheng
means "Born". The second child was named Xi Sheng, after Xi Jia Mo,
the Chinese name for Segamat.

Then there is Datuk Wong Ah Jang, Pahang's renowned tycoon and
philanthropist (a road in Kuantan is named after him). Eleven of his
children were named after various places in Pahang: Wong Kuantan,
Wong Bentong, Wong Pahang, Wong Pekan, Wong Bera, Wong Gambang, Wong
Lembing, Wong Lipis, Wong Jelai and Wong Panching.

How's that for patriotism?
+++++++++++++++++++++

Horoscope and Chinese names

So, what kind of name should someone born in the Year of the Monkey
have?

An excellent book for such pointers is Choosing Auspicious Chinese
Names by Dr Evelyn Lip, a Singaporean chartered architect, feng shui
consultant, writer, artist, interior designer and lecturer on
Chinese culture.

She recommends that the Monkey should have names with wood (mu),
mountain (shan) and water (shui) in them. After all, it's quite easy
to see how that creature will be quite happy frolicking in the
mountain forests next to a bubbling brook! This, incidentally, is
also the natural environment for the Tiger.

However, such elements won't work for those born under other animal
signs. Wood (mu), for instance, will "ground" the supernatural
Dragon while mountain (shan) implies that the poor Ox has to work
doubly hard.

What about the Rat? Lip recommends that the characters for rice
grains (mi), beans (dou), rice-field (tian) and wood (mu) be
incorporated into their names. And please, avoid characters like
knife (dao), fire (huo), stone (shi) and carriage/car (che). The
wheels of that last one may just roll over that hapless, scurrying
rodent.


The other major consideration in choosing a person's name is to
balance the Five Elements. These - Wood, Water, Fire, Earth and Gold-
are one of the foundations in Chinese fortune-telling.

According to Lip, the date and time of a person's birth will
determine his "Eight Characters" (Bazi) horoscope. This will in turn
show which of the Five Elements influence his life. The strong point
about Choosing Auspicious Chinese Names is that it provides English-
educated Chinese with comprehensive tables, lists and even lunar
calenders to pinpoint the Bazi, Five Elements etc.

For example, let's say Mr Tian was gifted with a child on March 10,
1943 at 4am. Using the book's tables and lists, we can see that the
baby would have the birth elements of Wood, Water, Fire and Gold in
his Bazi horoscope. Earth is the missing element (from the Five) and
that is precisely what needs to be incorporated into baby Tian's
name to give his life balance and completeness.

But it's not so simple. All Chinese characters are imbued with one
of the Five Elements and the surname Tian itself has a fiery spirit.
So when the Earth element is brought into the baby's name, it must
be done in a way that harmonises with the Fire surname. The
traditional formula recommended by astrologers is Fire-Fire-Earth or
Fire-Earth-Gold.

This is because Fire is deemed to "give birth" to Earth (think of a
volcano) while Gold is "unearthed" from, well, Earth. Heaven forbid
if the name goes Fire-Water-Earth because Water will "extinguish"
Fire and "dissolve" Earth into a muddy mess . . . So, like feng
shui, deciding on names is all common sense!

Most folks would stop at the Five Elements. For those who want to go
even further, Lip explains how to dissect the yin-yang balance (yes,
every Chinese character is either yin or yang!) of their child's
proposed name as well as the numerology associated with the number
of strokes in the characters.

And that's not all. English names can also be transcribed into
Chinese characters and evaluated with the same methods. For
instance, from the extensive list provided, one can see that
Jacqueline can be written as Jie Ge Mei (meaning: very charming).
The three characters are Yin-Yin-Yang and Fire-Wood-Water. It's a
great combo because Water nourishes Wood (trees) while Wood, in
turn, burns to produce Fire.

Why go through all the hassle? According to Dr Lim Chooi Kwa,
associate professor of Chinese Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul
Rahman (Utar), traditionally, most Chinese would have all this
analysis done by the fortune-teller or temple elder.

But for those who want to do some double checking, or perhaps even
some plain old D-I-Y, Lip's book is a useful guide. It may be tough
to juggle the Five Elements, Eight Characters, Yin-Yang and
Numerology on top of the Monkey's needs all at once. But, if you're
a True Believer, nothing may be as important as your child's name. -
By ANDREW SIA