Usually it makes lengthy overseas names simpler to recollect whereas giving them some type of Chinese language which means.
For example, Ryan Gosling is nicknamed “Normal Gao” as a result of in Mandarin his surname is pronounced gao si ling and si ling means a commanding officer.
The Chinese language web went right into a meltdown about US singer Katy Perry being referred to as “Fruit Sister”, or shui guo jie, as a consequence of her penchant for fruit-styled costumes.
One more reason for the craze is to permit netizens to share their widespread curiosity in films rapidly and simply on social media.
It will also be linked to the looks and stand-out attribute of the superstar, a Chinese language homonym of their English identify or with the roles they play in a film.
Nevertheless, the overriding motivation behind the expansion in nicknaming Western stars is that it’s a technique to categorical endearment.
Listed here are a couple of different nicknames and the tales behind them:
Woman Gaga bie bie – “floor beetle”
This one has nothing to do with Woman Gaga’s identify. It stems from the outlandish method she dressed earlier than she hit the large time. In Mandarin, a floor beetle known as a tu bie or bie bie and refers to somebody who attire rustically or distinctively.
Timothée Chalamet tian cha – “candy tea”
The pronunciation of Timothée Chalamet is much like tian cha in Chinese language, which suggests candy tea.
Billie Eilish bili – “inexperienced pear’’
The pronunciation of Billie is much like bili in Mandarin, which suggests inexperienced pear.
Tom Cruise a tang ge – “brother Tom”
Tom feels like tang in Mandarin, a hyperlink latched onto by a TV information anchor in China whose use of it led to the nickname changing into widespread.
Britney Spears xiao tian tian – “little sweetie”
For Chinese language followers, Britney Spears seems to be very pretty and candy. Additionally, “candy” is pronounced tian in Mandarin.
Jessica Chastain lao mo jie – “woman mannequin employee”
In Mandarin, the time period lao mo is used to reward a hardworking individual. Chastain earned the dignity as a result of Chinese language individuals recognised the arduous work she put in making seven films in a yr.
Jennifer Lawrence da biao jie – “large cousin”
A netizen who appreciated Lawrence very a lot described the actress as a giant cousin of hers, and steadily the identify caught and ultimately started trending on mainland social media.
Chris Hemsworth chui ge – “hammer brother”
Within the film Thor by which Hemsworth performs the main character whose weapon of alternative is a hammer. This and Hemsworth’s bravery and physique led to the nickname.
Selena Gomez wa wa lian – “child face”
This identify derives from the singer’s child face and woman subsequent door smile. Additionally, in Mandarin Selena sounds much like sha lian na which suggests “foolish face”.
Ryan Reynolds xiao jian jian – “little cheeky cheeky”
Chinese language followers of his Deadpool film have dubbed him “little jianjian,” as a result of the character he depicts within the movie seems to mock and snicker within the face of the world.
Scarlett Johansson shui jiao – “soup dumpling”
The identify stems from her first journey to China in 2011 when she ate a scalding dish of soup dumplings in China and burned her tongue.
Benedict Cumberbatch juan fu – “curly blessing”
His trademark coiffure as Sherlock Holmes led to Cumberbatch being referred to as “curly blessing” or juan fu. In Mandarin, juan means curly, and fu represents the Chinese language identify of Holmes, symbolising happiness or blessing.