ok, let’s see if I can help. I love languages. I love words and phrases. i learn new languages easily. i have never learned any chinese. i have, however, listened to it quite a bit, just to see if any patterns emerge. just as the romans, nicknamed arab communities “barbarians” because when they listened to them speak they continually heard the sound “bar..bar..” When I listen to chinese, I hear the sound “che” or phonetically “shay..shay..” Don’t take that to mean it’s some sort of knock or insult, cause it ain’t. I love listending to chinese being spoken, it’s beautiful.
The “che” or more aptly “shay” sound is very likely what europeans heard and the reason behind the word “che-nese”
My theory is to embrace what we are. Find what speaks to the soul, and run with it. That sounds seem to be very tightly woven into the fabric of the chinese language, so why not build your name around the most integral of phonetics, because I think that one syllable probably speaks to people on a deeper or subconscious level.
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