This story is about the Chinese surname Li.
李明明：嗨，你好！
我是李明明，你是谁？
Maria：你好呀，我是Maria，你也可以叫我玛丽亚。
原来你也姓李，我遇见好几个中国人都姓李。
李明明：这是因为李姓是中国前三大姓，目前总共有接近1000万人姓李。
Maria：原来是这样，怪不得我认识这么多姓李的人呢。
李明明：你呢，你姓什么？
Maria：我姓Lockhart。
所以我的全名是Maria Lockhart。
我的姓不那么常见，但是我的名字特别常见。
李明明：好有意思，在中国，姓和名是跟你们反着说的。
而且，在中国，大家都喜欢起独特的名字，人们好像都不太想跟其他人重名。
Maria：我也观察到了这一点。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I, me |
| 是 | shì | am, is, are |
| 李明明 | Lǐ Míngmíng | (person’s name) |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 谁 | shéi / shuí | who |
| 嗨 | hāi | hi |
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello |
| Maria | Maria | (person’s name) |
| 你好呀 | nǐ hǎo ya | hello (more casual, friendly) |
| 你也可以叫我 | nǐ yě kěyǐ jiào wǒ | you can also call me |
| 玛丽亚 | Mǎlìyà | Maria (Chinese transcription) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | it turns out, so, actually |
| 你也姓李 | nǐ yě xìng Lǐ | you also have the surname Li |
| 遇见 | yùjiàn | meet, encounter |
| 好几个 | hǎo jǐ ge | quite a few |
| 中国人 | Zhōngguó rén | Chinese people |
| 姓 | xìng | surname |
| 这是因为 | zhè shì yīnwèi | this is because |
| 李姓 | Lǐ xìng | surname Li |
| 是 | shì | is |
| 中国前三大姓 | Zhōngguó qián sān dà xìng | China’s top three surnames |
| 目前 | mùqián | currently |
| 总共有 | zǒng gòng yǒu | in total have |
| 接近 | jiējìn | nearly, close to |
| 1000万人 | yī qiān wàn rén | 10 million people |
| 你呢 | nǐ ne | how about you? |
| 你姓什么 | nǐ xìng shénme | what is your surname? |
| 我姓 | wǒ xìng | my surname is |
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | so, therefore |
| 我的全名是 | wǒ de quánmíng shì | my full name is |
| 不那么常见 | bù nàme chángjiàn | not so common |
| 但是 | dànshì | but |
| 我的名字 | wǒ de míngzì | my given name |
| 特别常见 | tèbié chángjiàn | especially common |
| 好有意思 | hǎo yǒuyìsi | very interesting |
| 在中国 | zài Zhōngguó | in China |
| 姓和名 | xìng hé míng | surname and given name |
| 是跟你们反着说的 | shì gēn nǐmen fǎn zhe shuō de | is said in reverse from your side |
| 而且 | érqiě | moreover, and also |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone |
| 都 | dōu | all |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuān | like |
| 起 | qǐ | give (a name) |
| 独特的 | dútè de | unique |
| 名字 | míngzì | name |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 好像 | hǎoxiàng | it seems |
| 不太 | bù tài | not very |
| 想 | xiǎng | want |
| 跟其他人 | gēn qítā rén | with other people |
| 重名 | chóng míng | have the same name |
| 我也观察到了这一点 | wǒ yě guānchá dào le zhè yī diǎn | I also noticed this point |
Li Mingming: Hi, hello! I’m Li Mingming. Who are you?
Maria: Hi! I’m Maria. You can also call me Maria. It turns out your surname is Li too. I’ve met several Chinese people with the surname Li.
Li Mingming: That’s because Li is one of the top three surnames in China, with nearly 10 million people having the surname Li.
Maria: Oh, that’s why I know so many people with the surname Li.
Li Mingming: What about you, what’s your surname?
Maria: My surname is Lockhart. So my full name is Maria Lockhart. My surname is not very common, but my first name is quite common.
Li Mingming: That’s interesting. In China, surnames and given names are said in reverse order compared to yours. Also, in China, people like to have unique names, and it seems that no one wants to have the same name as others.
Maria: I’ve noticed that too.