benlehman: (Default)
benlehman ([personal profile] benlehman) wrote2006-04-09 11:55 am

A note

The modern named of the ancient capital of China, where the Terra Cotta warriors are, is pronounced "she-ahn". The tones are both high, and it's a beautiful, sung out word.

It is not, under any circumstances, pronounced "zai-anne." Ever. EVER.

[identity profile] foreign-devilry.livejournal.com 2006-04-09 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
In the surprisingly good comic X-Men 2099, the far-future version of Professor X was this Chinese guru named "Xi'an Chi Xan," obviously invented by someone who didn't understand either 1) Chinese naming practices or 2) pinyin. There was one issue where they clarified that they intended it to be pronounced "Zai-An Chee Zan."