HSK 2 · Story · 219 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-to-get-a-chinese-name

我的中国名字

How I got my Chinese name

Name: ________________ Date: ________

艾米àimǐ在zài北京běijīng学xué中文zhōngwén。大家dàjiā都dōu叫jiào她tā艾米àimǐ，可是kěshì她tā想要xiǎngyào一个yígè中国zhōngguó名字míngzi。

她tā问wèn同学tóngxué们men：“你们nǐmen帮bāng我wǒ想xiǎng一个yígè中国zhōngguó名字míngzi，好hǎo吗ma？”

一个yígè男nán同学tóngxué看kàn了le看kàn她tā：“你nǐ很hěn高gāo，就jiù叫jiào‘高高gāogāo’吧ba！”

一yí个gè女nǚ同学tóngxué说shuō：“不好bùhǎo，不好bùhǎo。你nǐ天天tiāntiān喝茶hēchá，叫jiào‘茶chá茶chá’！”

楼下lóuxià饭馆fànguǎn的de老板láobǎn也yě笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“你nǐ天天tiāntiān来lái吃chī米饭mǐfàn，叫jiào‘米饭mǐfàn’吧ba！”

楼上lóushàng的de小朋友xiǎopéngyou说shuō：“姐姐jiějie爱ài笑xiào，叫jiào‘笑笑xiàoxiao’！”

高高gāogāo、茶chá茶chá、米饭mǐfàn、笑笑xiàoxiao……那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，艾米àimǐ一直yìzhí在zài想xiǎng。

第二天dì’èrtiān，她tā在zài本子běnzi上shàng写xiě了le两liǎng个gè大字dàzì。同学tóngxué们men看kàn了le看kàn：“高兴gāoxìng？”

“对duì！我wǒ很hěn高gāo，也yě很hěn爱ài笑xiào。我wǒ就jiù叫jiào高兴gāoxìng！”

老师lǎoshī来lái了le。大家dàjiā说shuō：“老师lǎoshī，她tā有yǒu中国zhōngguó名字míngzi了le，叫jiào高兴gāoxìng！”

老师lǎoshī笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“你好níhǎo，高兴gāoxìng。认识rènshi你nǐ，我wǒ很hěn高兴gāoxìng！”

艾米àimǐ说shuō：“老师lǎoshī，我wǒ也yě很hěn高兴gāoxìng……不bú对duì，我wǒ是shì高兴gāoxìng！”

Key words

Amy was studying Chinese in Beijing. Everyone called her Amy, but she wanted a Chinese name.

She asked her classmates, “Can you help me think of a Chinese name?”

One boy looked her up and down. “You’re tall, so you can be ‘Gaogao’!”

One girl said, “No, no. You drink tea every day, so be ‘Chacha’!”

The owner of the restaurant downstairs laughed and said, “You come and eat rice every day, so be ‘Rice’!”

The little kid upstairs said, “Big sister laughs a lot, so call her ‘Xiaoxiao’!”

Gaogao, Chacha, Rice, Xiaoxiao… That evening, Amy kept thinking it over.

The next day, she wrote two big characters in her notebook. Her classmates looked at it. “Gaoxing?”

“Yes! I’m tall, and I love to laugh. So my name is Gaoxing, ‘Happy’!”

The teacher came in. Everyone said, “Teacher, she has a Chinese name now. It’s Gaoxing!”

The teacher smiled and said, “Hello, Gaoxing. I’m very happy to meet you!”

Amy said, “Teacher, I’m very happy too… No, wait. I am Happy!”