posted by tigntaz on July 3, 2015 | 26 comments
Help, been trying to figure out the best way to spell my new daughters name. In english "Jade Phoenix". What would be the best way in Pinyin to say it in chinese. We have been told so many thing: Yu Feng, Yu Huang, Yu Fenghuang, Feicui fenghuang. How can we spell it and say it so that it is understood correctly? thanks for your help
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Xiao Hu on July 3, 2015 | reply
Hello Tigntaz,

If you want it to sound like an authentic Chinese name, you have to use one character for Jade and one single character for Phoenix. If you want the name to be taken seriously,the only logical choice here would be 玉凤(鳯), because the other options honestly don't sound like real names. The only thing is, it sounds like the name of a peasant from the countryside. A word to the wise on this, names that include 翡翠, 鳯,凰,花,or the like as it's kind of been overused in the past and present day Chinese may think it a bit 俗氣...

Best to check out another series of dialogues from this site titled, "The Northeasterner"

http://popupchinese.com/lessons/intermediate/the-northeasterner

http://popupchinese.com/lessons/advanced/the-northeasterner-part-ii

Actually, I miss the misadventures of old 王翠花.
tigntaz on July 3, 2015 | reply
Thanks Xiao for your insite. So bottom line 玉凤 (Yu Feng) is best and 玉鳯 (Yu Fong) is another option?

Thanks

Geoff
Xiao Hu on July 22, 2015 | reply
@tigntaz,

Sorry, things veered a little off topic there. Yes, the best translation would be 玉鳳. As I said, the others just wouldn't sound natural to Chinese speakers.

And yes, I would advocate for the traditional form as the simplified is incomplete due to the lack of the bird component.

And the pronunciation could be either Yu Feng or Yu Fong, depending on your preference.

Xiao Hu on July 19, 2015 | reply
@tigntaz,

In my opinion, the only option would be 玉鳳 because in the simplification process, anytime there was a difficult form to simplify to try and get each character under their arbitrary "ten strokes or less" goal, they often just got lazy. Beyond that, those simplifying the forms were often incentivized to reduce each form to the MINIMUM possible number of strokes, at ALL COSTS! "Why have ten strokes when you can have nine? Why have five strokes when you can have four?", was the warped thinking of the day!

If they had simplified 鳳 using the simplified form of 鸟, plus the 一 on top of its head, the entire character would be comprised of NINE strokes. One stroke UNDER the proposed goal!

But some bureaucrat is his INFINITE wisdom decided it was better to use a 又 to replace the bird component, since it was an EASY "fix", and took no thought or creativity! Regardless of whether it's 雚 or 丵 or 鳥, in the simplification process, they ALL become 又!

Let's not put any consideration or value whatsoever on things like, etymology, semantic meaning, beauty, grace or the original language system at the foundation of Chinese characters!

So this magnificent, legendary bird of Chinese lore has been reduced to this laughable form of 凤, completely severing the character from its roots, namely that of portraying a stately magnificent avian creature, all in a vain, subjective, arbitrary, egomaniacal, autocratic, narcissistic, hegemonic move to "Westernize" the Chinese language.

Not OK in my book.

Therefore, I believe we should all 對簡體字 say NO!

Rant over.

Peace out!

小虎
kawngra.zau on July 21, 2015 | reply
hello
tigntaz on March 27, 2021 | reply
Hi how would the traditional form for the names:

Fei Long (Flying Dragon)

Huo Long (Fire Dragon)

Be written in traditional Chinese.

Thanks for your help!

Geoff