Cao Xin Li (曹新丽): it's all in a name
I was politely reminded about Chinese names after I had gotten bodybuilder Caó Xīn Lì's name completely reversed. To keep it straight in my mind, and to provide some information for the curious, I thought I would post a mini-lesson. In much of Asia (China, Japan, Korea), people are referred to using their family name. The given name is not used unless the relationship is very familiar.
For example, the name Caó Xīn Lì is in the typical Chinese order. In the Western world, her name would appear as: Xīn-Lì Caó.
Family name: Caó (曹)
Given name: Xīn Lì (新丽)
Fortunately, Japanese can be a little easier for Westerners, with common last names like "Takahashi" and "Satō."
Interestingly, many Asian people have the same difficulties when being introduced to Westerners. For example, if you say "Hello, I am Jacques Bertrand," it is highly likely you would hear "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jacques!" (Your Asian companion would assume that your family name is delivered first).
Unless you are really familiar with how names sound in a language, it takes some effort to find which is the family name vs. given name in the exchange of Eastern and Western names.
For example, the name Caó Xīn Lì is in the typical Chinese order. In the Western world, her name would appear as: Xīn-Lì Caó.
Family name: Caó (曹)
Given name: Xīn Lì (新丽)
Fortunately, Japanese can be a little easier for Westerners, with common last names like "Takahashi" and "Satō."
Interestingly, many Asian people have the same difficulties when being introduced to Westerners. For example, if you say "Hello, I am Jacques Bertrand," it is highly likely you would hear "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jacques!" (Your Asian companion would assume that your family name is delivered first).
Unless you are really familiar with how names sound in a language, it takes some effort to find which is the family name vs. given name in the exchange of Eastern and Western names.
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