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Some Chinese nicknames for Rockets players, plus their huge following in China

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Munir Ming, Dec 30, 2009.

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  1. Munir Ming

    Munir Ming Member

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    Someone has asked somewhere about the Chinese nicknames for Rockets players. Here I get some. The translation is always kind of weird. Sorry for that.

    Brooks is called The Little Bu, or the Little Black Bean, as his size is not that big.

    Scola is called Si Karat, as his skill set is as valuable as a four-karat diamond. Si is four in Chinese.

    Lowry is called The little tank, because even though he is not big, he is really strong.

    Von Wafer used to be called Weifu King. Weifu is what Wafer sounds like in Chinese. Weifu King is also a kongfu master in a popular Chinese martial novel.

    Landry is called God Bird, as he always flies high to get a slam dunk.

    Almost every Rockets player has a Chinese nickname. But on other NBA teams, only superstars have Chinese nicknames. It’s very interesting that these Chinese nicknames are only shared by the Chinese fans. The players maybe don’t even know they are called in such way in China.

    For example, Chris Paul is called The Bee King, as Hornets are translated into some kind of bees in Chinese. Tim Duncan is called The Stone Buddha, as he is solid all the time.

    Usually, only superstars on other NBA teams get their Chinese nicknames, but Rockets players do have the privilege to get one even if they are not superstars. What matters is that they are Rockets, definitely the most popular NBA team in China.

    During every game broadcast live on CCTV, the hosts are asking fans to text A (which means you support the host team) or B (which means you support the away team) to a certain number. Most fans always heavily favor rockets every time. It's quite common that like over 90 percent of the fans are for Rockets during many games. Even when playing NBA giants like the Lakers or the Celtics, the Rockets are favored by more than half of the fans.

    The following part is about why Chinese fans are so crazy about Yao and the Rockets. It’s kind of long and boring. If you are not interested, you can just skip.

    The Chinese are really eager for international appreciation and international appreciation is what Yao has exactly brought to his fellow Chinese. Most Chinese have some kind of inferiority complex. Their nation, once a glorious one in history, was humiliated again and again by Western powers in more than a century between 1840 and 1949. After the PRC was founded, there was great animosity between Communist China and the West. Even in the 1980s and 1990s, most Chinese felt they were like the outcast as their country was always negatively covered in Western media.

    Yao has a big and positive image that most Chinese would like Westerners to get of China and the Chinese people. That partly explains why so many Chinese are there for Yao.

    Sure, there are lots of Yao haters in China, but the majority is for him and for his teammates on the Rockets team. Even the bench players are widely recognizable to most Chinese fans.
     
    #1 Munir Ming, Dec 30, 2009
    5 people like this.
  2. NotInMyHouse

    NotInMyHouse Contributing Member

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    Those are some pretty good nicknames. I like 4-carat for Scola. Invaluable skillset and a diamond in the rough, so to speak.
     
    #2 NotInMyHouse, Dec 30, 2009
  3. lpbman

    lpbman Member

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    I have often wondered if people in China can see how good Chuck Hayes is. I figure they aren't as exposed to the hype machine and not as blinded by the flash of hammer dunks and no-look passes. Does porcupine translate into something cool in Chinese?
     
    #3 lpbman, Dec 30, 2009
  4. YaoMac09

    YaoMac09 Member

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    Little black bean, i love it!
     
    #4 YaoMac09, Dec 30, 2009
  5. windz

    windz Member

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    this is a good one...
     
    #5 windz, Dec 30, 2009
  6. Angkor Wat

    Angkor Wat Member

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    Chinese Nicknames > Any nicknames clutchfans come up with. Really though, I've heard some of worst, corniest, uncreative names in the history of nicknames through this board. Keep it up, China.


    And who says China fans only like Yao? They seem to be very loyal to a lot of our players.
     
    #6 Angkor Wat, Dec 30, 2009
  7. speedball

    speedball Contributing Member

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    how does"lazy eye and body" translate? ;)
     
    #7 speedball, Dec 30, 2009
  8. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

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    What is Yao's nickname in China?
     
    #8 MojoMan, Dec 30, 2009
  9. speedball

    speedball Contributing Member

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    T-Mac is called, "She's like the wind"
     
    #9 speedball, Dec 30, 2009
  10. 1010nick

    1010nick Member

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    The little giant

    because at the time he came to us, he is only 24
     
    #10 1010nick, Dec 30, 2009
  11. 1010nick

    1010nick Member

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    Budinger is called " Buding ge" which is " Brother buding" in English and "Buding" means Patch...


    Battier is called " Bat man"

    cook is called " chu zi"

    Dorsey is called something like " big mouth"

    Ariza is called " iron zha" Iron is from the chinese word " forge iron" because Ariza's poor shooting performence
     
    #11 1010nick, Dec 30, 2009
  12. G0 R0CKETS

    G0 R0CKETS Member

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    In Nepal the villagers call Brian Cook 'Kin-tan-tee', which means 'man who is loved by many animals......who love him a lot, too...and so on.'
     
    #12 G0 R0CKETS, Dec 30, 2009
  13. john_l

    john_l Contributing Member

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    What is Yao's Chinese nickname? How about Yi?

     
    #13 john_l, Dec 30, 2009
  14. RoxBeliever

    RoxBeliever Member

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    Thanks for giving us the Chinese nicknames. "God-bird" was my personal favorite.

    It's great to know the fan support of the Chinese. I'm part Chinese myself but based here in the Philippines. When I surf the sina blogs of the Rox players, I know a lot of people are logging on and leaving messages of support.

    How do the Chinese fans view the team ball approach of this year's team? It would be interesting to find out.
     
    #14 RoxBeliever, Dec 30, 2009
  15. bloop

    bloop Member

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    scola's nickname is awesome

    I like AB's nickname also. there's a phrase in the Southwest "jumping bean" and reminds me of that. apt because he's small, fast and has hops

    proud to have the support of knowledgeable (non homer) fans but it's important to note that the way the Rockets have been playing the last 2 years, there's a lot of knowledgeable American fans who appreciates the team as well... although they dont get a lot of national exposure, a lot of true NBA fans love how this team plays
     
    #15 bloop, Dec 30, 2009
  16. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

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    Thanks for the reply.

    What about the Aussie, David Andersen. Does he have a nickname?
     
    #16 MojoMan, Dec 30, 2009
  17. 1010nick

    1010nick Member

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    I forget that Battier has a more popular nickname, " The President"
     
    #17 1010nick, Dec 30, 2009
  18. 1010nick

    1010nick Member

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    I dont think Andersen has a popular nickname, but some fans call him " Australian cannon"
     
    #18 1010nick, Dec 30, 2009
  19. 1010nick

    1010nick Member

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    Yao Ming: The little giant or Big Yao


    YI jianlian: Air Yi or "Ah Lian"
     
    #19 1010nick, Dec 30, 2009
  20. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

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    The TV play-by-play announcer here in Houston, Bill Worrell, refers to Yao as "The Great Wall". That is not a nickname that has been embraced by everyone here in the U.S., but it is a nickname that is not uncommon to hear, and it is a nickname that most NBA fans in the U.S. are familiar with.
     
    #20 MojoMan, Dec 30, 2009
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