Moving to China as a foreigner, one of the most fun or important choices you have to make is choosing your Chinese name. Granted, there're plenty of expats who decide not to bother having one. But for those in any type of business situation in which you are consistently working with Chinese people on a daily basis, having a Chinese name can make all sides feel more comfortable.
🔽 Here are some tips we would like to share with you
Get help from Chinese friends
There are certain guidelines you should follow when choosing your Chinese name. First of all, always have the name you choose verified by at least two different native Chinese people that you trust.
Have them look at the name you've chosen, explain to you what it means, and listen to any suggestions they may have. Alternatively, you can try telling them the name you want (provided your pronunciation is good enough) and have them write down the characters to make sure they match what you had.
Choosing a 'Chinese' Chinese name or
a 'foreigner' Chinese name
There are basically two ways to approach your choice of a Chinese name – deciding on a "Chinese" Chinese name (ie: a name that can be found commonly in China by native Chinese speakers) or choosing a "foreigner" Chinese name (ie: a name that mimics the Western name you already have).
Choose characters with a good meaning
People in China are also very big on names that both sound and mean something beautiful.
For example, 岚 (sounds like Lan) means "mountain mist" and is a popular first name for women. It gives a peaceful, pretty mental image and it easily rolls off the tongue, both of which are desirable traits for a name.
Characters to avoid
Of course, there are a few things you should avoid when choosing a Chinese name. Obviously, don't pick anything with negative associations or things that are considered bad luck.
Such as
四 (sounds like Si) and means "four" (because of its similarity in pronunciation to the word meaning "death")
鬼 (sounds like Gui), which means "ghost".
So as always, run your possible name choice by a Chinese friend!
Telling the difference between
men and women's
When choosing a Chinese name, it may be difficult to decide whether a name is male or female. The following links provide an expansive (but by no means all inclusive) list of female, male, and gender neutral names to choose from (note: all the names listed are surnames).
Tips
If you're going to choose a name from the gender neutral list, you might want to pair it with a name from your appropriate gender list to avoid any confusion! Simply scroll your mouse over the Chinese character to see the English meaning of the name.
Female
http://www.cojak.org/index.php?function=ggn_index
Male
http://www.cojak.org/index.php?function=bgn_index
Gender neutral
http://www.cojak.org/index.php?function=agn_index
Source: echinacity
HACOS,Business Services Solutions Master