This is how you would write "Ian". There are over 5,000 symbols that represent syllables in Chinese. She explained the way his name is written is actually the symbol that represents the sound "e" and the symbol that represents the sound "n".
Here, she showed the slightest difference in the sign makes the sign mean something entirely different. The sign on the left means "loyalty", and the sign on the right, she said, means something to do with the earth, the ground. She was unsure of the English translation. Just the slight extension of the top vertical line makes a great difference. Jo-Lin showed us how important it is to be precise when writing the symbols.
She told Ian he is very lucky - children in China go to school from 7 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, and then there are after school study programs until 9 at night. What long days!
Michael said...
There are no characters to represent "Michael," only the sounds "My" and "Ko." That is how I arrived at "Unko - Miko" as an approximation of Ian's pronunciation - it was a nod to the lack of direct Chinese translation.
Serena said... Son of a gun. I had no idea. I found the entire conversation with Jo-Lin riveting. She spent a great deal of time speaking with us, repeating some of the things we said and asking many questions. When she returns to China, her husband is going to Australia for a period of time. She plans to take what she has learned here back to him, and to speak only English in their home until he leaves so he may learn as much as possible. The thought occurred to me that American English isn't always the best example to follow. :)
Michael said...
>children in China go to school from 7 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, and then there are after school study programs until 9 at night...
That's why they kick our fat American asses in math and science.
Serena said... You betcha! And we have the nerve to complain about it - from our lazee-boys, of course.
