How
to
Write
Chinese
Names
in
English:
A
Brief
Guide As
China
continues
to
gain
global
prominence,
many
non-Chinese
speakers
are
encountering
Chinese
names
more
frequently
than
ever
before.
However,
writing
Chinese
names
in
English
can
be
a
challenging
task,
as
the
two
languages
have
vastly
different
writing
systems.
In
this
brief
guide,
we
will
explore
some
common
rules
for
writing
Chinese
names
in
English. The
first
and
most
important
rule
is
to
respect
the
individual's
preference
for
how
their
name
is
written.
Many
Chinese
people
choose
to
adopt
a
Western-style
name
or
spelling
for
convenience,
and
others
prefer
to （阅读更多 十二星座的性格和命运常识请关注 :小星座网,wWW.xIAoxINgzuO.CC』」
use
their
original
Chinese
name.
Always
ask
how
the
person
would
like
their
name
to
be
written
and
use
it
accordingly. If
the
person
prefers
to
use
their
original
Chinese
name,
there
are
several
general
rules
for
transliterating
Chinese
characters
into
English.
First,
the
family
name
comes
before
the
given
name,
which
is
the
opposite
of
Western
naming
conventions.
For
example,
the
Chinese
name
"张三"
would
be
written
as
"Zhang
San"
in
English. When
transliterating
the
Chinese
characters
themselves,
there
are
several
systems
available,
but
the
most
common
is
the
Hanyu
Pinyin
system.
This
system
uses
a
combination
of
letters
and
diacritic
marks
to
indicate
the
pronunciation
of
each
character.
For
example,
the
name
"李娜"
would
be
written
as
"Li
Na"
in
Pinyin. It
is
also
important
to
note
that
there
may
be
variations
in
the
spelling
of
Chinese
names
in
English,
depending
on
the
person's
dialect
and
the
preferences
of
the
individual
or
organization
writing
the
name.
For
example,
the
official
spelling
of
the
name
of
the
Chinese
city
commonly
known
as
"Beijing"
is
actually
"Běijīng"
in
Pinyin. In
conclusion,
writing
Chinese
names
in
English
requires
sensitivity
to
individual
preferences
and
an
understanding
of
the
different
naming
conventions
and
transliteration
systems
in
use.
By
following
these
guidelines,
we
can
ensure
that
we
accurately
and
respectfully
represent
the
names
of
our
Chinese
friends,
colleagues,
and
acquaintances.