Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[coopoo]

Dear all

There's a Chinese football player for Manchester United in England. His family name is Dong, and his given name is Fangzhuo. If speaking Chinese, we would put family the name before the given name.

Although the articles and news about Dong would put Dong before Fangzhuo, this Chinese name in the squad list along with other players, British or not, is Fangzhuo Dong. Other Chinese players in England have the same situation in names. That confuses me and I'm not sure where is the line.

If there's actually a function or rule that tells you which way to follow in certain circumstances? Should I bring up the given names first, as the western people would do. Or, should I say the names in its original way.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,
Chiu

[CP]

Most Westerners realilze that the Chinese way is to give surname first, given name second, just the opposite of the Western way. So it is fine to introduce someone that way. You can help your friends out by introducing people in such a way as to tell them how the name is being presented and how the person likes to be addressed. This is especially important since some Chinese are called by their family names even by close friends.

"Hey, Chuck, I'd like you to meet my friend, Dong Fangzhuo. I've known the Dong family since I was five. Dong, this is Charles Brown, but you can call him Chuck."
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Lorikeet]

Hmm. Names are an interesting topic. I am sorry to disagree with you, CP, but I don't think that most Americans are aware that many other languages/cultures present their names differently. We tend to call people by their given (first) names or by Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. and their family (last) name. If I am in China, I am not going to tell you my given name first, because everyone will be confused about which name is which then. Part of learning the culture is learning how to present your name, and what to call people.

[CP]

Yes, on second thoughts, I probably give Westerners too much credit for knowing that.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[coopoo]

Thanks again. But what if I am writing an essay or a paper in English, should I write the Chinese names in the western way?

Cheers,
Chiu

[buddhaheart]

We use first name first and family name last in all official documents here. This is to avoid confusion. Fangzhuo would be considered the 1st name and Dong the last. Fangzhuo Dong would be your official name. You would write it that way in your school paper, in an exam or other documents. People would call you Fang or Fang Zhuo. You may sometimes write your last name first thus: Dong, Fangzhuo or Dong Fangzhuo.

[coopoo]

Lovely. Thank you very much.