Good Characters, Inc. Blog

The 1984 Olympics almost didn’t happen. Four years earlier, the United States did not send a delegation to the games held in Moscow. The Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan, and U.S. president Jimmy Carter would not permit the United States to participate in the Olympics unless the Soviets withdrew their troops. When the Soviets refused, the United States and 61 other countries boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics. In retaliation, the Soviet Union announced a boycott of the 1984 Olympics, scheduled for Los Angeles. Citing security concerns, the Soviets said 100 other nations had agreed to join in the protest.

Peter Ueberroth, head of the Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee, looked at the names of the boycotting countries. The first one on the list was China. The People’s Republic of China had never sent a team to an Olympics. Ueberroth felt that if he could persuade China to change its mind, other countries might follow suit. He sent Charles Lee, an American who spoke Mandarin fluently, to ask the Communist nation to go against the very powerful Soviet Union.

When Lee came back with China’s positive response, Ueberroth breathed a huge sigh of relief. “It changed the whole face of the Games,” he said. It shifted the focus from politics to athletics. He firmly believes that China’s decision kept the event alive not only for that year, but for all the years to come. In 1984, only 14 countries stayed away. Ueberroth is convinced that China saved the Olympics.

Related Link:

• Phone call from China transformed ‘84 Games

Among Chinese even more than among Americans, business is very personal. To Chinese, “business” entails building rapport, instilling and gaining trust, and relating person to person. Your name, your personal reputation, is the foundation for all business with Chinese. Chinese do not have business cards; they have name cards.

Because business is so very personal for Chinese, having the right name is of the utmost importance. You can spend hundreds of dollars getting a simple name translation and lose thousands of dollars because the translated name is common and you have no personal connection with your business associates. Or you could spend a little more and get a name that is not a translation, but an identity. We specialize in crafting Chinese names that uniquely communicate your character, your interests, and your abilities. We do not offer business cards; we design name cards. We do not make your name Chinese; we create a Chinese name that says who you are.

Fu-Qin-Jie Kuai-Le

• Fu Qin (pronounced fuu cheen) is a father.
• Jie (pronounced jee-eh) is a festival day or holiday.
• Kuai Le (pronounced kwie-luh) is happiness, joy, pleasure, delight, or rejoicing.

So Father + Day + Happy, pronounced fuu cheen jee-eh kwie luh, Fu Qin Jie Kuai Le is how you say “Happy Father’s Day” in Mandarin Chinese.

If you click on the speaker icon, you will hear exactly how it is pronounced. 

The original symbol for father is a picture of a hand wielding an ax. Think of a father as the provider for the household, working hard with an ax. You can remember this character in its modern form by the “x” shape of the character. X, ax.

Father’s Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide:

• United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, UK: Third Sunday of June
• China and Taiwan: August 8
• Father’s Day from Wikipedia

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“One World, One Dream” is the English slogan of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In Chinese, it is 同一個世界, 同一個夢想 or in Simplified Chinese 同一个世界 同一个梦想 (Tong Yi Ge Shi Jie, Tong Yi Ge Meng Xiang, pronounced toong yee guh shr jee-eh, toong yee guh moong ssee-ahng).

It is literally 同 (same) 一個 (one) 世界 (world), 同 (same) 一個 (one) 夢想 (dream).

Some Chinese have wondered why the character 同 (tong)–meaning alike, equal, or together–is included in the slogan. It seems redundant. Without it, shortening the slogan to 一個世界, 一個夢想, would actually make it easier to pronounce and remember.

一 (yi, one), 一個 (yi ge, one piece), 同一 (tong yi, same one), and 同一個 (tong yi ge, same one piece) can all be used to express the idea of “one.” Why add the 同 (tong, same) character when just 一 (yi, one) will do?

According to the official press release, “In Chinese, the word ‘tongyi’, which means ‘the same,’ is used for the English word ‘One.’ It highlights the theme of ‘the whole Mankind lives in the same world and seeks for the same dream and ideal’.”

According to our speculation and from the brand naming point of view, 同一 (tong yi) was probably chosen because it is unique and brings out an implicit association to a very similar sounding word with a slightly different tone of pronunciation, 統一 (tong yi), meaning to unify, to integrate, or to unite. It makes one think of China’s dream of uniting Taiwan and the mainland.

If 同一 (tong yi) is used to represent “One,” why not 同一 (one) 世界 (world) , 同一 (one) 夢想 (dream)? The possible answer is: Because without the character 個 (ge) in the middle, 同一世界, 同一夢想, sounds too much like 統一世界, 統一夢想, unify the world, unify the dream.

Another explanation could be that 同一 (tong yi) also sounds similar to 同意 (tong yi), meaning to agree, to approve, to consent to, or to say yes. It softens the sound of the slogan and makes it more agreeable, important because it comes from government that is still controversial. 

• 一個世界, 一個夢想 (one world, one dream) is great, but it does not serve a political purpose.
   
• 同一世界, 同一夢想 (same world, same dream) is good, but the unification association might be too obvious.
   
• 同一個世界, 同一個夢想 (same one world, same one dream), the chosen slogan, is not perfect, but it has potential to influence people beyond what it actually says.

A sidenote about the word “dream” in Chinese:

The Chinese slogan used 夢想 (meng xiang), but we think 理想 (li xiang) is more appropriate.

• The dictionary meaning of 夢想 (meng xiang) is to dream of, to hope for (something not attainable), or to have vision of.
   
• The dictionary meaning of 理想 (li xiang) is a dream, an ideal, perfection, desirable, or a cause.

From Beijing’s official press release, “One World, One Dream” is “simple in expressions, but profound in meaning. It is of China, and also of the world. It conveys the lofty ideal of the people in Beijing as well as in China to share the global community and civilization and to create a bright future hand in hand with the people from the rest of the world. It expresses the firm belief of a great nation, with a long history of 5,000 years and on its way towards modernization, that is committed to peaceful development, harmonious society and people’s happiness. It voices the aspirations of 1.3 billion Chinese people to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful and bright world.”

Obviously, “One Dream” is speaking of an ideal that its creators believe to be obtainable, is it not?

Although 夢想 (meng xiang) and 理想 (li xiang) are both about dreams, the first is more romantic than the second.

Breaking it down, the word 夢想 (meng xiang) is literally 夢 (dream) 想 (think) whereas 理想 (li xiang) is 理 (reason or logic) 想 (think).

Using 夢想 (meng xiang) implies impossible things or things that are not likely to happen. Although it is true that in reality few expect “One World, One Dream” to really happen.

Related:

• The official explanation of “One World, One Dream” from Beijing 2008 Website
   
• In Chinese: 北京奥运会主题口号昨天全球发布
  The news report of Chinese officials announcing and explaining the meaning behind the “One World One Dream” slogan. It said that the Chinese slogan was the collaborative work of a committee after receiving 210,000 name suggestions from the public; the resulting slogan was not created by a single individual.

Common Name–Uncommon Translation

Leon Turner’s name in English is not unusual. Nor is it very distinguished. But a careful translation of his name into Chinese helps him stand out from the crowd.

Turner is a nurse practitioner, a diligent seeker of wisdom who admires Chinese culture and knows that his calling in life is to help ease human pain and suffering. The Chinese name Good Characters selected for him, 唐理昂, (tang li ang) says all that:

唐 (Tang) brings to mind the Tang dynasty, the golden age of Chinese art, poetry, and science. 理 (Li) has to do with reason and logic (Turner’s quest for wisdom) and with putting things in order (his practice of the healing science). It is sometimes used to mean “to heed or respond to someone” (Turner’s desire to respond to human need). 昂 (Ang) means “high, lofty, to lift.” It speaks of Turner’s lofty goal of lifting the health and spirits of others.

Leon Turner–a common name in English; 唐理昂–a one-of-a-kind name in Chinese.

Always learning, a humble person, well respected in her profession . . . can all that be conveyed in a name? In a name that sounds similar in English and Chinese? Good Characters has crafted a Chinese name for Sharon Lynn Sherman that sounds remarkably like her English name and speaks of her personality and success: 學倫琳舒曼 (xue lun lin shu man). It is pronounced shu-eh lwun leen shuu mahn and connotes continual learning (學 and 舒), humility (倫) and grace (曼), and recipient of glowing reports (琳).

Links:

• Her Website: Empirical Point, LLC.
• Reviews for Sherman: Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia

Billie asked us how to say “Mother.” In our Mother’s Day Greeting, we used the term “Mu Qin,” and Billie was used to the term “Ma” or “Ma Ma.” Actually, they are both right! “Mu Qin” is the formal way of addressing a mother and “Ma” or “Ma Ma” is the informal, or casual form of address. Like the English “Mother” and “Mom.” Good question, Billie!

Read this article from Entrepreneur Magazine:

• The Chinese want to do business with individuals–not companies–so cultivating friendships is crucial.
   
• Rather than cutting to the chase, the Chinese prefer  a courtship filled with get-to-know-you banter and big banquets full of mysterious delicacies.
   
• Mike Saxon, author of An American’s Guide to Doing Business in China, warns that a seemingly solid rapport can still be trumped by yuan. “People who go over to China think it’s the China of  centuries ago: Confucius, everybody’s  honorable and whatever–and it’s not! It’s a different culture today,” explains Saxon, who adds that the 36 Stratagems, a collection of Chinese proverbs, is part of the basic Chinese gestalt.
   
• Taking time to forge friendships with Chinese business partner is crucial, says Silas Deane.

For thousands of moms in Sichuan, China, the day after Mother’s Day will be remembered as their worst day ever. On that day, Monday May 12, 2008, a 7.9 earthquake took the lives of their children.

If you know someone who has lost a love one, the most common way to express sympathy is to say, “Qing Jie Ai,” pronounced cheeng jee-eh eye.

Qing (cheeng) means please. Jie Ai (jee-eh eye) means to restrain one’s grief and accept the change.

For anyone interested in numbers and symbolism, this quake, registering nearly 8 on the Richter scale, has a lot that can be talked about. The number 8, traditionally a symbol for prosperity and good luck in the southern part of China, has not been lucky so far for China this year. The quake struck 88 days before the Summer Olympics is scheduled to begin in Beijing; the official start is slated for 08-08-08, at 8 p.m. Some researchers linked the quake to a shift of the Tibetan plateau to the north and east. The day of the quake was the birthday of Lord Buddha in China, which is the eighth day of fourth lunar month. The epicenter was in Sichuan Province, which is, literally, the place of four (si) rivers (chuan).

Mu-Qin-Jie Kuai-Le

Mu Qin (pronounced moo cheen) is a mother.

Jie (pronounced jee-eh) is a festival day or holiday.

Kuai Le (pronounced kwie-luh) is happiness, joy, pleasure, delight, or rejoicing.

So Mother + Day + Happy, pronounced moo cheen jee-eh kwie luh, Mu Qin Jie Kuai Le is how you say “Happy Mother’s Day” in Mandarin Chinese.

A distinct feature of the mother “mu” character is presence of two dots. They are said to represent two nipples of a breast-feeding mother. If you look at the ancient Chinese characters you can see a resemblance between the “mother” and the “female” characters. A female character with two dots becomes the mother character. Picture a mother feeding and embracing a baby in her arms. The bottom part of the ancient characters look like legs in a sitting position. The resemblance is less obvious in the modern character.

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