09/23/2025
Today's story involved quite a bit of Chinese, so before we get started, let's go over some background information.
Many words in English are homophones; i.e they sound identical.
For example for the pronunciation /eɪt/, this can be written as ATE or EIGHT.
When speaking English, speakers can distinguish these two by using the word in context.
"/eɪt/" as in "I JUST ATE LUNCH"
OR
"/eɪt/" as in "THE NUMBER EIGHT"
Many Chinese characters also sound the same; For example, for the sound "TIAN"... this could be written as 田(field) or 甜(sweet). Both characters are pronounced pretty much the same.
Chinese speakers, like in English, can also distinguish these two by using them in context.
e.g.
田地 = TIAN DI = "farmland"
甜味 = TIAN WEI = "sweet flavor"
However, ESPECIALLY with respect to CHINESE SURNAMES, it is an UNWRITTEN RULE that the context you use MUST be in a positive light. You CANNOT try to describe a word in a negative connotation.
Example: if you met someone and they said their name is pronounced "/red/" (which could be RED or READ)
You might ask them "Oh the color RED or book read?"
You CANNOT ASK THEM "Oh you mean TAMPON RED or READ A P***O MAG, READ?"
With that in mind, let's get started ....
