bryce1 10 Report post Posted September 12, 2010 大家好, I am wondering about the pronunciation of the character 燕. My dictionary gives this as yan1 and yan4. As a surname, I know that it is read yan1, but how about as a given name? I am assuming it is read yan4, but am not sure. Example: 董燕妮 (a singer's name I came across when listening to music) Usually I can look it up on Wikipedia, but this one is not popular enough! Would a 燕 in someone's given name (almost) always be read in the same way or would it depend on the person? Thank you in advance for your help! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hofmann 682 Report post Posted September 12, 2010 燕 yan1 is a state name, which is the surname. In given names, it is more likely that they were thinking about the swallow 燕 yan4. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bryce1 10 Report post Posted September 12, 2010 Thanks for the confirmation, Hofmann! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites