trilingual "dance"

From Cantonese to English to Vietnamese, Dance of Passion has never "danced" in three tongues like this before. Someone requested that I translate the character names into Vietnamese, but I couldn't just do that. How boring would it be if I posted an article with only translated Vietnamese names? Actually, it's because I couldn't fully translate everything, so I figured I'd translate the meanings into English and give some Chinese & Vietnamese lessons and insights into the names. Please note that my Cantonese is still weak and I'm still learning (and lots more to learn!), so I apologize if something's inaccurate. Please correct me if you see a mistake! Much thanks to Annisa (my incredibly intelligent electronic little sister) for helping me with the accents on the translated Vietnamese names! (My literacy in Vietnamese is poor...) Thanks to Sus, sehseh, and QuackieChau for contributing additional translations & corrections!

So are you ready to experience Dance of Passion in three languages? If so, let's dance...

火舞黃沙 - Faw Mo Wong Sa - Ho?a Vu~ Hoa`ng Sa

"Faw" means "fire," "mo" is "dance," "wong" is the color "yellow," and "sa" is "sand." Literally, "dancing fire, yellow sands."

閻萬曦(林保怡飾) - Bowie Lam as Yim Man Hei - Die^m Va.n Hy

What's interesting is that "yim" means "village gate," perfect for the clan rivalry in the Dance village. "Man" means "10,000." The "hei" in Bowie's name means "sunlight."

宋東昇(陳豪飾) - Moses Chan as Sung Dung Sing - To/ng Ddo^ng Tha)ng

Unlike the Yims, I'm familiar with the Sungs (their family formed a dynasty once after all) and their translated surname into Vietnamese is "To/ng." "Dung" means "east." "Sing" means "to rise."

焦玉(蔡少芬飾) - Ada Choi as Jiu Yuk - Tie^u Ngo.c

"Yuk" is "jade" and "jiu" means "burned" or "scorched." "Jiu" can also mean "worried and anxious." "A burned jade?" Very intriguing name choice. I believe Ada's character is truly pitiful and not as evil as she appears to be with a history of scars and pain.

家春分(佘詩曼飾) - Charmaine Sheh as Ka Chun Fan - Gia Xua^n Pha^`n

I'm 100% sure that this is Charmaine's character's actual and correct translated Vietnamese name. "Ka" means "family," "chun" is "spring," and "fan" is a "division/share." Only "fragments" of everything? A suitable name for a tragic character!

計明鳳(黎姿飾) - Gigi Lai as Gai Ming Fung - Ke^/ Minh Phu.ng

"Gai" means "to plot/scheme." "Ming" means "bright" while "fung" is a "phoenix." Interesting how Gigi's character's last name means "to scheme." Does this mean we can expect a very conniving and cunning Gigi in this series? The fact that she's an "bright phoenix," I believe, is also symbolic that her character will go through many hardships, but be able to rise up from the flames.

閻國業(鍾景輝飾) - Chung King Fai as Yim Kwok Yip - Die^m Quo^/c Nghie^.p

Not sure about the surname again, but middle and first name are accurate. "Kwok" means "country" and "yip" refers to a "business." Together, "kwok yip" means "national trade/business." Very clever choice for his name because he has to pass on his business to someone who's not his heir because he doesn't have a son.

閻萬天(王賢誌飾) - Vinci Wong as Yim Man Tin - Die^m Va.n Thie^n

Same problem with the "yim," but "man" and "tin" are translated correctly. Like Bowie's character's name, "man" is "ten thousand" while "tin" means "heaven."

宋東陽(黃德斌飾) - Kenny Wong as Sung Dung Yeung - To/ng Ddo^ng Du*o*ng

Pretty much the same name as Moses's character, but again, a problem with translating the first name. "Yeung" can mean a multitude of things, but in this case, I think TVB wants to use the meaning of "masculine." It's an ironic name choice because Kenny's character cannot make Maggie's character pregnant.

舒朗月(卲美琪飾) - Maggie Siu as Sue Long Yuet - Thu* La~ng Nguye^.t

"Sue" means "relaxed" or "open," "long" is "clear" or "bright," and "yuet" means "moon." Basically, Maggie's name means "calm, radiant moon." Can we expect that this "peaceful moon" will unexpectedly take over and overshadow everyone else?

桂蘭(馬海倫飾) - Helen Ma as Gwai Laan - Hue^. Lan

"Gwai laan" is a type of flower; I believe it's an orchid. A very traditional maid's name, but Helen's character is not so sweet or delicate as her name suggests...

閻少虹(陳秀珠飾) - Rebecca Chan as Yim Siu Hung - Die^m Thie^/u Ho^`ng

"Siu" means "less" or "missing" while "hung" is a "rainbow." An "incomplete rainbow?" I wonder what the significance of Rebecca's character name is to her character. Perhaps some regrets or something taken away from her?

茅土(陳鴻烈飾) - Chan Hung Lit as Mau To - Mao Tho^?

"Mau" is a type of grass. "To" means "earth" or "ground."

茅小琴(周家怡飾) - Chow Ga Yi as Mau Siu Kam - Mao Tie^?u Ca^`m

"Siu" is "little" or "small" while "kam" is the name of a Chinese stringed musical instrument.