Dr Hermes Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Hi everyone, I'm wondering about this. A quick Google says that "Hai Tien" means either "Heavenly Ocean" or (with the name Hai Tien Lo) "Stairway To Heaven." I wouldn't put it past Bruce to incorporate a Led Zeppelin reference as an in-joke, since he loved puns. But does the name have a meaning to Chinese people that may not be obvious to everyone else? As an example, "Rocky" could be translated literally as made of rock, or maybe something difficult to endure. But to most English-speaking people, it likely brings to mind the boxer from the Sylvester Stallone movies. Does Hai Tien carry any such connotatiions? I'd appreciate any enlightenment on this point. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted June 24, 2022 Member Share Posted June 24, 2022 In Chinese culture, the dragon represents Heaven whereas the tiger represents Earth. With Bruce dressed to be the once-titular Yellow-Faced Tiger, he may have wanted to symbolize the Yin-Yang (his production company logo for Concord) with the Heaven and Earth concept. To be sure, I copied and pasted James Tien's surname (田) into a translate service and it came up as field. Coupled with Hai (海), the name in full can also mean ocean field. With Bruce dressed in a yellow suit, the combination of yellow and field could symbolize Golden Harvest. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Hermes Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 Oh, that's interesting. Thank you. From what little I know, it seems Chinese is more open to context for interpretation than what English speakers are used to. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted June 24, 2022 Member Share Posted June 24, 2022 Tell me about it! Below is a glossary of Cantonese slang where you can find phrases related to Heaven, Earth, tiger, etc. https://sites.google.com/site/hkcantonesedict/home 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.