I'm 100% sure no one in China will ever call Yao Ming "Yao", as in Chinese. I'm 99% sure his lover will never call Yao Ming "Ming". (unless she's one of those literature geek types) They are not customs. It sometimes happens when the names sounds catchy. That's all. Yao could be called big Yao, small Yao or old Yao if you are close to him.
In general, Chinese don't call each other by first name. It usually only happens between two people who are in love, as someone mentioned early. The other situation is older people calling kids, say parents calling children. Normally, people either go by full name, or call Xiao (little) Yao, or Lao (old) Yao, depends on the age difference between Yao and the person calling him. However, there is a tradition in Chinese basketball world where people always add a "Da" (big) in front of big guys' last name. So most people who know Yao always call him "Da Yao". My friends always call me "Da Zhou".
I've got a workmate who speaks cantonese and he reckons they just add 'Ah' to their given name e.g Chow Yun Fat would be referred to as Ah Fat but his nickname is Fat Ji (Ji = Boy). So Yao would be called 'Ah Ming', supposedly?
I speak cantonese too, and your workmate is correct. I think in general chinese people like two syllable name... so you would just call Yao Ming Yao Ming since his name already have two syllables. There is really no definite rule... just whatever sound smooth.
Nah, only people from specific regions do that, Canton & Hongkong are two of them. If you call people that way in Beijing, which is where I was from, you would be considered a phony.
so, let me see if i have this straight.. Yao Ming is how you would say it properly in China right.. but in USA his name is Ming Yao? Like on an application under first name he would put Ming and last name he would put Yao?
$14.95 @ Costco can't beat the price for instant access. I've read the intro and the 1st chapter. INTERESTING read.
Cool. This book is already available at my local library. I'll go pick it up today. What. Don't look at me like that. Yao's rich enough. And I'm not.
Here's the vid link for the today show appearance: http://video.msn.com/video/p.htm?t=1&i=d31db03d-1d37-4050-9247-98e31805fa6d Yao's english is excellent. I don't know if he knew what questions roker would ask, but if not then he really did a good job of thinking on his feet. And can somebody throw a bone at Bucher. Ask him about the collaboration or something, because it's borderline embarrassing to have him pushed off to the side in all these interviews.
Actually, I heard "Da Yao" is what people call Yao Ming's Dad. "Yao Ming" is what people usually call him. We would have no idea what his family would call him.
Tall Rocket is the center of attention By ANDREW GUY JR. Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ae/tv/2817797 NEW YORK - Want to test your popularity? Get booked on the Today show. Then, make sure you're interviewed outside the studio in Rockefeller Center, where tourists gather, waving illegible posters in hopes that a relative in Utah will see that they're having fun in New York. Judging from the crowd's reaction Monday, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is, indeed, a popular man. Not just because he's just published the story of his life, Yao: A Life in Two Worlds (Miramax, $22.95), and is on a New York media junket. Not just because he's 7 feet, 6 inches tall. But because he's, well, Yao. Yao emerged from inside the studio (ducking), walked into the courtyard, and took his place next to weatherman Al Roker. "Al is over there with the weather, and all I can say is, 'Wow!' " anchor Matt Lauer said into the camera. "Actually, the best word would be Yao," Roker quipped. This is a place for celebrity watching, where brave souls get in line at 5 a.m. even though the show starts at 7. These are star-watchers, so they'd scream for anybody. But there are screams, and there are screams. Will Smith was out first and got a good scream. Yao did, too. But Carson Pressley, of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, got a slight scream. Not a squeak, but certainly not the full-on roar received by Smith and Yao. "Who's he?" one woman asked a friend. "I don't know," she said. "Queer Guy for the Straight Eye Guy, or something?"
Here's the clip.... Scroll down-then click LAUNCH -(by Yao's picture) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6090546/
Direct url to the Yao/Roker clip: mms://a579.v12430.c1243.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/579/1243/127407977410000000/ak-msnbc.msnbc.com/video/100/tdy_roker_yaoming_040927.asf Copy/paste the entire url into your browser, or better yet, use NetTransport (haven't tried it with FlashGet but I assume it works in that too).
Thank you very much...i was struggling w/ the software update before this. My god, that woman was annoying.......
