chinese language question. regarding names.
Posted:
Sat Jun 07, 2008 12:27 amby ninepalace
in about 95% of cases in the english language it is possible to tell if someone is male or female based on their first name.
is it like this in chinese as well? if so, what percentage?
Re: chinese language question. regarding names.
Posted:
Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:19 amby gryphonz
Not that bad, although it's easier if you can read the names, cos so many words sound the same.
Re: chinese language question. regarding names.
Posted:
Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:00 amby Darth Rock&Roll
hmm, I think there are definitely feminine and masculine name forms.
men don't often have names like Mei for instance and women don't often have names like Wai.
usually there are 2 names that go as the first name and the surname in front of those.
anyway, here nor there, I am not that well versed, but I do think there is a tendency for feminine and masculine naming.
Re: chinese language question. regarding names.
Posted:
Sat Jun 07, 2008 7:53 pmby nianfong
I disagree that it's 95% of the case for english. Look at names like Jamie, Robin, Pat, Max, Jesse, sam.
I've known girls with somewhat masculine names like 凱華, but the thing is, hua2 in the original meaning means "flower", although nowadays it's used to mean "chinese". while the kai3 is very much a masculine name.
I've also known guys with feminine names, having 雪 (snow) in their names.
though in general you can tell--if a name is about delicacy, beauty, grace, etc, it's usually more feminine. If the name is about strength, honesty, etc, it's usually more masculine.
-Fong