- Jess/ˈdʒɛs/
The one I'd rather you use...
- Jessica Ruan/ˈjɛs.ɪ.kə ˈɹu.ɑn/
Though I don't mind this, either!
- 晶晶/jīngjīng/
The one my relatives call me. In Chinese you can turn a name into a nickname just by saying it twice, so 文晶 becomes 晶晶.
- 阮文晶/Ruǎn Wénjīng/
My official name, which means almost no one uses it except Chinese teachers taking attendance.................. and reader, I have not been marked present in years ヽ(´▽`)ノ 🎓
阮 (surname) + 文 (Mom's surname) + 晶 (crystal).
- 阮则灵/Ruǎn Zélíng/
The one nobody calls me but resides in a genealogy book somewhere in Fujian. 则灵 is drawn from the verse 山不在高,有仙则名;水不在深,有龙则灵, translating loosely to "The mountain doesn't have to be tall; as long as it houses an immortal, it'll be famous. The lake doesn't have to be deep; as long as it houses a dragon, it'll be spirited."
I like the meaning, which is that worth is measured by character, not appearance. I got the be spirited part, while my brother got the be famous part.
