The Naming Ceremony

I have successfully arrived in China, surpassed jet lag and started to make Chinese friends. Unfortunately no one knows what to call me. I need a Chinese identity! Taking on a Chinese name as a foreigner is very common and an almost necessary practice- no Chinese will remember your strange and ridiculous western name. Additionally introducing yourself by a Chinese name shows that you are making an effort, and locals will really appreciate it.

Unlike western names, Chinese names are constructed in a different order- last, middle, first- and with an emphasis desirable personal values and qualities such as elegance, hard work, and beauty instead of just attractive sounds- like the names Zan or Julia. If you are a foreigner, receiving a Chinese name is a special privilege that is often facilitated by a close Chinese friend or language teacher. Your western name will be evaluated according to its sounds and meaning so that your new Chinese name may resemble your western one- yet often with a twist- you can ask your teacher/friend to update the content of your name to express traits you admire such as intelligence, speed, loyalty, grace.

My own (impromptu) naming ceremony took place during recent trip with Julia’s language school to the 13 Ming Dynasty Tombs outside of Beijing. As the group meandered through shady courtyards, beautifully restored ceremonial halls and of course the mausoleums, Julia’s friends realized I was nameless. Shocked, they quickly ushered the language teachers in my direction. 

Giddy to have yet another befuddled American to brand with a Chinese identity, the teachers asked about my name and its meaning. I told them that ‘Zan’ in Urdu means ‘woman’ (after further research I don’t think this definition is not true- oops!). The teachers thought about my statement and spent a few long moments being confused, but then began hysterically laughing at me. Apparently they thought I had translated ‘Zan’ into Chinese, but what I had said made no sense. In Chinese the word pronounced ‘women’ 我们 means ‘us’ and therefore I was telling them that my name meant ‘us’-  which seemed incoherent and bizarre. Awkwardly we moved on to my formal name, Alessandra, for inspiration instead. After some deliberation and sly glances the teachers honored me with my very own Chinese name- too bad I cant remember how to pronounce it ! Here it is:

司爱娴

Pinyin:

sī àixián

(Pinyin is the Romanization of Chinese characters)

Pronunciation:

sī  as in the ‘si’ of sir

ài as in “I”

xián as in “shii-en”

(my personal phonetic interpretation)

Meaning:

sī means ‘to take charge of’ or ‘to manage’

ài means ‘love’

xián means ‘elegant’ and ‘refined’

Order:

sī is my surname and resembles my English last name Schmidt

àixián is my first name and resembles my English first name Alessandra

As you can see, my Chinese name was created to loosely allude to sounds of my American name but is also considered to be a good name because it represents personal qualities that have positive connotations in Chinese culture. In contrast to Western names, which are often pretty straightforward and meaningless, my Chinese name seems a bit over the top and romantic. But here in China it is a very attractive and desirable combination. 
Hey, I’ll take it! 
So now it’s official, you may call me 司爱娴 。