the exact meaning and origins of the name 'Melinda' are hard to pinpoint (from the extensive research i've done...ok, just a few websites). some sites say greek origin, others say english, some say latin. quite a few sites say that it has no real meaning but is just a mixture of 'mel' and 'linda' or maybe a variation on 'melanie' or 'melissa'. although i did find one site that said in greek it means 'one who is gentle'.
i like that last definition cause it sort of fits in with my chinese name： 梅淑缘(mei2 shu1 yuan2). in order to let people know what characters each chinese word is, you have to put it in context so i've gotten used to rattling off “梅花的梅， 淑女的淑， 缘分的缘” ('mei2' as in the plum flower, 'shu1' as in beautiful and refined lady, 'yuan2' as in destiny/fate which brings people together). and whenever i write my name, locals marvel and say 'wow you write chinese characters really well'. i laugh and say 'they are about the only three characters i CAN write!'
this was the name given to me at birth and i've always loved the sound and meaning of it. and since i started studying chinese, i have been amused by the closeness of the (supposed) meanings of 'melinda' and 淑 (shu1 = refined/feminine). if you've seen me down a bowl of noodles, you'll know that these definitions don't quite describe me fully!
getting a T name is another story though. i've had 2 names suggested to me: 'mei toc mtso' (meaning flower and sea) and 'gar ma tso' (star and sea) but later discovered that with both names i have other (foreign) friends who have already taken these names. so the search continues...
any thoughts on names and their meanings? how do you feel about your name? any T speakers out there who would like to suggest a new name for me?
1 comment:
Wah, first you want name for your car, now you want name for yourself. How about just translating Hiro into T?
Do I get another chocolate bar?
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