Hi, looking desperately for ideas on chinese names for a boy. In laws were meant to pick the name but they have come up with a few suggestions that DH and I feel are not suitable/appropriate. I have spoken to a few friends about their suggestions to ensure we were not being unreasonable in saying so.

I think they are not happy now and instead of helping/working with us, they have told us to sort it out ourselves.

So, I am now looking for suggestions / referral to any websites / books that can assist us. I've started with the chinese-english dictionary.

Thanks in advance

Was it the meaning of the names that you are opposed to, or the sound of the names?

My MIL gave us 3 names to choose from for DS (and I guess DD). The names are not on their birth certificate though. MIL used to refer to DS by his Chinese name, but I am not sure if she does now or not. But in choosing DS' name, I went with the meaning that I felt was most important..... wise and honest.

is it tradition for pil to choose names? i cant help you with chinese names but what were the names you have not agreed with them on?

Not an area I'm au fait with but quite like Yang and Tao.

My DS has a chinese middle name which FIL chose. His first name is english. This was a good compromise for us. Good luck with it.

I quite like Nimma and Dawa (sun and moon). But they may be tibetan names.

Were the names chosen by the in laws really that bad?

If you guys are in my situation, with the in laws/parents being from the very traditional Chinese culture, I'd happily go with their suggestions, mainly because they would know what they are doing in regards of harmony/feng shui/lifecycle matching with partner etc. A well chosen Chinese name does an unimaginably huge favour to your child's life. Even if nobody cares in Australia, take your child to any Çhinese speaking country and the locals do judge your child by their names. May I suggest asking for their opinion on what you have decided, and be open to their suggestions as to why/not.

For an example, my mum picked my Chinese name and every single person (whether living in Australia or anywhere in China I go) commented on how well named I am:
The 2 characters go well together and means something positive
first character goes well with the surname and has a separate meaning
second character ditto
The 3 characters together denotes a short story, and even means something when placed backwards!!
The characters also suited the naming traditions of the in law's family and mum also did the modern thing by naming us (daughters) using a new "dynasty line" (I think that's what the tradition''s called) which are normally reserved for boys only.

Wow how interesting. What would your name be if you dont mind me asking. Thanks

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My half bro is half Chinese and his mn is Jian, which I don't think is too bad to cross over into English/Australian.