3 Introducing oneself
In this section, you will learn about Chinese names, how Chinese people address each other and how profession titles are used.
When a Chinese name is given in full, the family name always precedes the given name. To take the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping as an example, the family name 邓 Dèng goes before the given name 小平 Xiǎopíng.
It is very common for Chinese people to address each other by their full names, even amongst friends or family. The most common Chinese family names have only one character. Chinese given names typically consist of two characters.
The titles 先生 xiānsheng (Mr), 小姐 xiăojie (Miss) and 女士 nǚshì (Madam) are popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and since the 1980s have been catching on in mainland China, too, especially in the business sector. They tend to be used on formal occasions when you are unsure of another person’s position or profession. The term 太太 tàitai (Mrs) is also used to address a married foreign woman but is not an appropriate way to address a married Chinese woman because Chinese women do not change their family names after marriage.
To say ‘My name is’ you say: Wŏ jiào… 我叫...
To ask a person’s name you can say:
- Nĭ jiào shénme? 你叫什么?
or:
- Nĭ jiào shénme míngzi? 你叫什么名字?
Practice these expressions a few times to consolidate it and then move on to Activity 7.
Activity 7 Names
a.
a) Wang Xiaoying
b.
b) Wang Jing
c.
c) Li Xiaoying
The correct answer is c.
a.
a) Wang Xiaoying
b.
b) Wang Jing
c.
c) Li Xiaoying
The correct answer is b.