# Chinese Speakers--All Dialects--Meaning of Name. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989 "2003-06-19T19:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/1 "2003-06-19T19:20:18Z")
The name is Minmei, sometimes spelled Minmay. It is a girl’s personal name, but I’ve also seen it as part of a company’s name. No data on the company, I’m afraid. Computer translations do not help, & frustration is giving me the whim-whams. Help please? ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/2 "2003-06-20T07:40:45Z")
The problem is Min and Mei could means different things… Min could mean, depending on its accent: bright, name, the first character of tomorrow (min tian means ‘tomorrow’), life and etc. Mei could mean beautiful, blossoms, younger sister. As it is a personal name, I am betting 'Bright Beauty" or “Bright Blossoms”… ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/3 "2003-06-20T12:49:24Z")
I think I know the company you’re talking about. There’s a Japanese publisher by the name of _Minmei Shôbô_. They mostly publish books on martial arts. They also have an incredibly crappy web site at: [http://www1.mahoroba.ne.jp/~kemorin/minmei/minmei.html](http://www1.mahoroba.ne.jp/~kemorin/minmei/minmei.html) It’s all in Japanese, but if you’re curious about the characters used to write Minmei, look at the first two from the big picture at the top. The company was named after a legendary Chinese martial artist by the name of _Zhou Min Ming_. _Minmei_ is the Japanese pronounciation of the name _Min Ming_. As it turns out, it looks like _Min Ming_, with the exact same characters as above, is used as a female name in China. The characters mean “people” (as in People’s Republic of China) and “bright”. But then, maybe the company you’re talking about isn’t Minmei publishing. In which case forget all of the above. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/4 "2003-06-20T13:59:05Z")
Sorry for the double post… **Bosda** , is [this](http://www.midnightanimation.com/gallery/robotech/unspacy/character/minmei.html) the Minmei in question? If so, her name is **LostCause** ’s suggestion of “bright beauty”. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/5 "2003-06-21T00:01:56Z")
Bosda, without the character, there is no way to give you a personal name. That’s using just one dialect and a standard romanization system. Minmei looks like standard pinyin. Minmay doesn’t map to wade-giles, yale or the older taiwan system. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/6 "2003-06-21T01:19:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jovan \* > \*\*Sorry for the double post… > > **Bosda** , is [this](http://www.midnightanimation.com/gallery/robotech/unspacy/character/minmei.html) the Minmei in question? > > If so, her name is **LostCause** ’s suggestion of “bright beauty”. \*\* Bingo! Now **Polycarp** can name his new kitten! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-speakers-all-dialects-meaning-of-name/182989/7 "2003-06-21T01:23:52Z")
many thanks