Thread: Nation names ??
View Single Post
  #28  
Old August 16th, 2004, 09:58 AM

deccan deccan is offline
Major
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Solomon Islands
Posts: 1,180
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
deccan is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Nation names ??

Quote:
ywl said:
Tien does sound likes sky or heaven but the right PinYin for that should be Tian. Chi sound like many things but earth... The closest thing I can think of that sounds like Tien Chi is something like the Lake (or Pond) of Heaven. Or the Dynasty of Heaven - if you pronounce Chi in a funny way...
Hmm, closest phonetically is 天气 but I really doubt they wanted the word for weather.

天地 would be meaningful but sounds nowhere close. 天子 meaning "Son of Heaven" might be a good bet.

Quote:
ywl said:
Non-Chinese might not feel it but it actually feels weird for me to have a general called Lui-Bei under you - imaging having one of your knights called King Arthur...
Worst for me was having an eunuch named "Kwan Yin".

Quote:
ywl said:
The three immortals are three of the eight mythical figures in legends, or more exactly fairy tales. The pronounciation there is not Pin Yin though.
Good catch, I didn't know that.

Sorry about the formatting. UBB doesn't like Chinese.
__________________
calltoreason.org
Reply With Quote