# I need a phrase translated into Chinese **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015 "2003-10-01T23:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/1 "2003-10-01T23:21:11Z")
What I’m specifically looking for are the characters. The phrase I want translated is the meaning of my name, which is “trusted son,” which may or may not have a literal translation to Chinese. I’ve asked my sifu, but his English is sketchy at best, and he keeps trying to give me a series of characters that sound like my name when spoken. The word for son I’ve been able to find online, but trusted is proving more elusive. Can anybody help, point to a website, anything? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/2 "2003-10-02T00:00:52Z")
Why not go with “Filial Son?” ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/3 "2003-10-02T01:54:50Z")
xin4ren4 = trust; have confidence in er2zi = son xiao4 = filial If you want the characters, give me an email address and I’ll send you a JPEG. Or is there somewhere I can post it? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/4 "2003-10-02T05:30:01Z")
I am not a expert on Chinese, but I grew up in a Chinese-speaking environment, so I know a little bit about it… of course, feel free correct me if I’m wrong. I think Monty/NoCoolUserName’s suggestion is probably a good one… “xiao zi” basically means “pious son”, or a son that exhibits a high degree of devotion and reverence to his elders, and as far as I know, it’s a semi-commonly used phrase in Chinese. Is that a close enough approximation? If so, you can see the characters here: [http://www.untrue.info/temp/filialson.gif](http://www.untrue.info/temp/filialson.gif) If you would still prefer “trusted son”, the best I could come up with was this: [http://www.untrue.info/temp/trustedson.gif](http://www.untrue.info/temp/trustedson.gif) You might want to show this to your teacher, and ask him to form a better phrase with the same meaning. The image I posted literally says “son that is being trusted”, instead of “trusted son”. It’s much too long and your teacher should be able to condense it into something better from that. BTW, the site I used to do the translation was [WordLingo](http://www.worldlingo.com/wl/Translate). However, as with any machine translation site, you’d want to double-check the results with a human before using it, because they’re not very smart. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/5 "2003-10-02T07:47:52Z")
xin4er2 - sounds like singer xin4zi3 - sounds like a japanese girl’s name xiao4zi3 - bu4xiao4zi3 is used far more often (unfilial son) ren4er2 - can’t think of anything negative at the moment ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/6 "2003-10-02T12:15:49Z")
zi3zhong1 zi = son zhong is loyalty, implying somebody that can be trusted ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/7 "2003-10-02T13:54:28Z")
I think filial son has the closest connotations to what I want, and if it’s a phrase that’s actually used in Chinese, even better. **NoCoolUserName** , are the characters you would send me different from the ones linked to by **nobodyimportant**? If so, my email’s in my profile, it’d be great if you send the characters to me. **Urban Ranger** , you say that zhong “implies” someone that can be trusted. Is it used in that manner in Chinese, or is it really the noun loyalty? By the way, what’s the notation you guys are using? Does the number denote the tone of the syllable? ---
**Author:** ![xejkh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/22d042/32.png) [@xejkh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xejkh)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-phrase-translated-into-chinese/205015/8 "2003-10-02T15:20:18Z")
The notation here are the ones used in Mandarin, therefore 1 = 1st tone = yin, 2 = 2nd tone = yang etc. zi3 zhong1 wouldn’t really make sense. It’s like saying “son loyalty”. zhong1 has connotations of faithfulness and loyalty, like loyalty to your friends, your community, your country, yourself. xiao4 is the set of rules and decorum that you show towards your elders, especially in your family.