Chinese words in Transcendence

[gc2]

There are a lot of Chinese words in Transcendence, have you ever wondered what they all mean? If you have, read this thread to find out. This list of words is compiled from RC4.

Longzhu
In Chinese, "long" means dragon, and "zhu" means pearl or bead. Therefore, the "sphere" in the English name is redundant. This object is probably better known as a dragon ball.

Shenlong
In Chinese culture, dragon is not the name of a species like in the western world. Instead, it refers to a unique and very powerful creature. Here, "shen" means godly or divine, which is affixed to the word dragon to show reverence.

Tianlong
The "long" here is the same "long" in the previous entries. The "tian" in this word means heavenly, which makes another word to refer to the same creature.

Qianlong
This is the name of a Chinese emperor in the Qing dynasty (1616-1912). He ruled from 1735 to 1796, for a total of 60 years. Here, the "long" does not mean dragon; it means grand. Qianlong was a competent ruler, and a very talented man. He is very well liked by historians and common citizens alike, if for nothing else other than his frequent appearance in Chinese historical dramas. Due to that fact, Qianlong is probably the most well known emperor in modern China.

Peng Lai
This is the name of a municipality in the Shandong province in eastern China. However, when used in works of fiction, Peng Lai often refers the island off the coast, which, as legends have it, is actually a different realm. The island is home to many magical creatures, and a gathering place for powerful Taoists who have somewhat ascended above mortals.

Kunlun
Kunlun is the name of a mountain range in Asia. It starts in Tajikistan and extends for 2000km through western China. The positions of the mountains make them supposedly very receptive of the flow of heavenly energy. Due to that fact, this mountain range is the gathering place of many Taoists and powerful martial artists. Kunlun is a name that shows up very frequently in Chinese fiction.

Qilin
In English, these mythical beasts are usually called kirin, but qilin is the proper Chinese pinyin spelling. These beasts have a lifespan of 2000 years; the males are called "qi", and the females are called "lin". Qilin are regarded as very auspicious beasts. They only appear in the mortal realm in the presence of very wise rulers. Even though they are very powerful, they are very kind and do not harm other living beings.

Tao Tie
This mythical beast is the fifth offspring of the Dragon. It has the body of a ram and the teeth of a tiger. Its defining characteristic is its enormous appetite. When written out in Chinese, both characters contain within them the word "to eat". The Tao Tie ate ceaselessly, and eventually bloated itself to death.

Que Qiao
The word que qiao comes from the Chinese folklore of Niu Lang (Oxen herder) and Zhi Nu (Weaver). Niu Lang was a mortal, and Zhi Nu was a fairy. They fell in love and got married, which angered the heavenly court. They were forcibly separated to the opposite sides of the Silver River (Milky Way). In fact, the galaxy was created for this very purpose. As time went on, the court somewhat regretted its decision, so the two were permitted to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month once every year. They do so by crossing the que qiao, which means magpie bridge. Therefore, on that day, no magpies can be seen in our world because they will all be leaving to build a cosmic bridge that the lovers will cross to reunite. Altair (alpha aquilae) and Vega (alpha lyrae) are known in Chinese as the Niu Lang and Zhi Nu stars respectively.

I'm not very sure of the meanings of the words that follow. What I have written here is speculation. Maybe George can shed some light on their actual meanings.

Zhang Li
This is most likely a person's name, but a very generic one. In fact, it is not clear what the last name is, since Zhang and Li are both very common Chinese family names. Because of that, it's difficult to pin down whose name it is, or if it is a name at all.

Liu Bai
This word means "600", but as the name of a star system, it's rather silly. Although I can't think of anything else it could be.

Li
This is at one point in time the most common Chinese family name. Is it supposed to refer to anyone in particular? If so, who?

Sung
This is actually not a valid spelling in pinyin of any Chinese character. Judging from the pronunciation, it might be the name of a Chinese historical dynasty, which is the Song dynasty (967-1279AD)

Nandao
This word most likely means "southern passage". It is used in the names of geographical locations and administrative regions. By itself, though, it's not possible to tell which place it refers to.

Jiang's Star
Supposedly the star of the system the Sung is indigenous to, and the possessive suggests that it is someone's last name. It could refer to Jiang Wei, a general in the Three Kingdoms era, or Chiang Kai Shek, the president of the Republic of China. However, none of these people seem to fit in with the exploits of the Sung.

Did I miss anything?

[Blitz]

I dunno about that but Chinese names make awesome names.

Anyway, many of these names are related to the Sung slavers, which are themed to be that way. Just the same way as makayev - russian, etc. I think it's got more to do with the theming.

Oh, and great list

[Atarlost]

Sung is the older standard English transliteration of Song. Back when Beijing was transliterated Peking.

Nandao is, according to Wikipedia, a southern broadsword, not a southern passage. Since it's the name of a weapon in the game this is probably the sense it's meant in. This is one I dug up in my work on an alternate weapon set for WE.

Along those lines Hanzo is, unlike all other weapons in the game, as far as I can tell named after a person: a historical Japanese general.

[Xephyr]

Okay, so...

[gc2]

Nandao is, according to Wikipedia, a southern broadsword, not a southern passage. Since it's the name of a weapon in the game this is probably the sense it's meant in. This is one I dug up in my work on an alternate weapon set for WE.

Very good observation, it never occurred to me that the "dao" could mean knife.

Okay, so...

Yes, in fact, when the series is translated to Chinese, it is called "Seven Longzhu".

[Atarlost]

I thought the Chinese was the original and the English was the translation.

[Blitz]

I thought the Chinese was the original and the English was the translation.

I thought the Japanese was the original and the English was the translation.

[Clear Air Turbulence]

Liu Bai
This word means "600", but as the name of a star system, it's rather silly. Although I can't think of anything else it could be.

Liu Bai is a character in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

[Psycholis]

that's lie bei, with an e, and he was the shu-han leader along with his brothers zhang fei and guan yu (the god of war). i should read that again. it's a good book.

[Clear Air Turbulence]

that's lie bei, with an e, and he was the shu-han leader along with his brothers zhang fei and guan yu (the god of war). i should read that again. it's a good book.

The linked article and everywhere I've seen it has it spelled Liu Bei.

[Psycholis]

that's lie bei, with an e, and he was the shu-han leader along with his brothers zhang fei and guan yu (the god of war). i should read that again. it's a good book.

The linked article and everywhere I've seen it has it spelled Liu Bei.

that's because i spelt it wrong. yes, liu bei - not liu bai or lie bei. glad that's cleared up.

[stealthx]

And guess who is the president of "Tong Feng Armory"?