# 德特金生 - Can we just call you Jin Sheng? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 20, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261 "2005-04-20T17:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/1 "2005-04-20T17:21:59Z")
‘Our Newest Member’ is 德特金生 Can we just call him/her Jin Sheng? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/2 "2005-04-20T17:29:03Z")
I foresee a name change in the immediate future… ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/3 "2005-04-20T17:33:21Z")
Is that what that translates to? Correct me if I’m wrong, since they’re is a difference in dialects and nuace to the written word in Chinese that one doesn’t see in English, but I believe that says “Johnny L.A. Can [Bite the Wax Tadpole](http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/tadpole.asp)” ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/4 "2005-04-20T22:51:16Z")
I’ve never had a problem with hard to type names. I always copy and paste them anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/5 "2005-04-20T22:52:33Z")
Just looks like boxes to me. Let’s call him “Boxy.” ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/6 "2005-04-20T22:57:08Z")
Don’t you people get it? It’s obviously “four square”, our favorite childhood playground game. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/7 "2005-04-21T00:20:29Z")
I can’t read it properly (in that I don’t know what the sounds are) but the last three characters mean “special”, “gold” and “life” respectively! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/8 "2005-04-21T00:51:43Z")
Okay, even the search function will have nothing to do with it. How the heck did that happen?! ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/9 "2005-04-21T01:31:03Z")
Using Firefox or Internet Explorer, how can I make it so I can actually see those charaters, instead of a string of boxes or question makrs? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/10 "2005-04-21T01:38:03Z")
**Johnny L.A.** , I need to know what it means before I put the characters on the vertical, put it in 72 point, have it enlarged, and then hang it over my dining room buffet. I am **not** joking. The script is so beautiful in the font that prints – and I can’t trust any of you to give me words that are not obscene. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/11 "2005-04-21T01:47:34Z")
> [@wolfstu](#): > > Using Firefox or Internet Explorer, how can I make it so I can actually see those charaters, instead of a string of boxes or question makrs? Firefox: Go to the menu bar and follow the path: View\>Character Encoding\>More\>East Asian\>Chinese Traditional(Big5) It took me a few refreshes for everything to take effect. Internet Explorer: View\>Encoding\>More\>Chinese Traditional(Big5) (I cheated. I found [this](http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=215987) using Google) ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/12 "2005-04-21T03:02:53Z")
> [@Hokkaido Brit](#): > > I can’t read it properly (in that I don’t know what the sounds are) but the last three characters mean “special”, “gold” and “life” respectively! The first one is “toku” “virtue”, which I believe is the same character as in Tokugawa. Tokutoku Kinsei - Virtuous Special Golden Life. Fancy. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/13 "2005-04-21T03:44:28Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Virtuous Special Golden Life. Close. It’s actually translates to “Happy hour special on Michelob Golden” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/14 "2005-04-21T06:47:06Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > **Johnny L.A.** , > I need to know what it means before I put the characters on the vertical, put it in 72 point, have it enlarged, and then hang it over my dining room buffet. > > I am **not** joking. The script is so beautiful in the font that prints – and I can’t trust any of you to give me words that are not obscene. I dunno. I just cut’n’pasted into babelfish. 😉 (BTW, the first character doesn’t display for me.) ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/15 "2005-04-21T10:15:55Z")
If that’s meant to be Chinese rather than ganji, it’s probably an English or other European name forcibly translated to Chinese. Tourist places in Hong Kong have lots of those. 德特 sounds like Ted. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/16 "2005-04-21T12:10:37Z")
I don’t get it. 😕 What’s so hard to prononce about 德特金生? 你好, 德特金生 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/17 "2005-04-21T12:30:59Z")
Well, for one thing, most Han surnames consist of only one character (and syllable). The given names usually have two characters, and sometimes one. A random Chinese name you pick out of a hat would probably consist of three characters. So someone with a four-charactered name would have, to the majority of Chinese speakers, 1. A strange sounding name. 2. An extra syllable. That’s a 33% increase in effort required to pronounce the name! 3. A large red beard. (This is conjecture). ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/18 "2005-04-21T12:48:09Z")
Ah, I see. The thing is, unless we should meet a doperfest, I will never actually have to pronounce it, and can simply cut and paste his name, should I need to say something to him, or compliment a point he made. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/19 "2005-04-21T13:21:56Z")
Where is this guy, anyway? We must have him explain himself! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261/20 "2005-04-21T16:33:56Z")
Well, you want to ask him, his profile is [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?userid=52510), and he just started a topic called [The Origins of “wind” and “wind”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=313012) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-call-you-jin-sheng/300261.md?page=2)