Meaning of Cho's name + Ginny/Harry/Cho - a long way to go...

[Petra Pan]

No: HPFGUIDX 60962

Brooke, in part:
> I recently went online to find out
> what "cho chang" means in the 
> asian languages.  here's what i
> found:  
> 
> "cho-cho" means butterfly in
> Japanese (I have this on authority - 
> my friend from Tokyo told me)  I
> believe that it also means butterfly 
> in Chinese, although they just say
> "cho"
> 
> "chang" means free or freely (got
> that online, from what seemed like 
> a reliable site - sorry if it's
> wrong)

Hmm...

I've been meaning to ask this for a 
while now since I haven't yet seen a 
satisfactory answer...and surely this 
is as good a time as any...  :)

Would you mind sharing where you got 
some of the translations?  I keep 
reading the "butterfly" translation in 
this fandom but the everyday word for 
butterflies in Chinese is not 
pronounced anything like c-h-o.  Can 
you (or anyone really) point me?

Considering that there are many 
Chinese words that may be romanized 
(to represent the pronunciation of the 
words using the English alphabet) as 
c-h-o or c-h-a-n-g, there really are 
MANY possible meanings for either Cho 
or Chang.  Of course, my assumption 
here that her name is Chinese could be 
totally off but I promise to do my 
best to be more reliable than a 
website.  :)

Now, if Cho's name is indeed Chinese, 
then the most likely possibility (and 
in fact is the word used in the long-
form Chinese translation) for "Cho" is 
"qiu," whose most common usages are in 
denoting:

(1) autumn
(2) harvest time
(3) a year

The word used in the translation for 
"Chang" is simply the very common last 
name, "Zhang."

Having said all that, the thing is, 
how did JKR come to pick the names Cho 
and Chang?

For us to assign meaning is to assume 
that she knew the meanings and fully 
intended them.

She's quite conscientious about 
research but just how much effort did 
JKR put into names in a language she 
probably didn't know?  Here are SOME 
possible scenarios:

a. To serve as first and last names, 
JKR chose two Chinese words for their 
denotation and connotation, then 
romanized them.  She probably had help 
so this scenario has one extra degree 
of separation.  Only with this 
scenario could the etymology of Cho's 
name be insightful.

b. JKR named Cho after a Chinese 
historical, cultural or literary 
figure.

In this case, what the words denote 
and connote are not particularly 
significant.  More important is the 
significance of that figure.  
Hmm...you can say this about ALL the 
names JKR chooses, not just Cho's.

c. JKR randomly picked "Chang" because 
she knows it's a legit last name and 
tacked on "Cho."  In this case, what 
the words denote and connote are not 
at all significant.  All that may 
matter here is a reader's first 
impression/gut reaction to the name.

So...

How do we know which is the closest to 
the truth?  Arguably, JKR's story is 
nudging us toward choosing what is 
right over what is convenient.  This 
is a theme that can resonate on scopes 
of all sizes and importance.  In the 
case of a name not in English that has 
no connotation nor demotion whatsoever 
for the readers of the text in 
English, it's next to impossible to 
pin down just what can be considered 
the 'right' interpretation.

Not that there's anything wrong with 
guessing, as long as it's served up 
with the obligatory grains of salt, 
right?  <g>

As Brooke puts it:
> [Cho's] name doesn't give us much
> else to go on if we're hoping to
> form some predictions about what
> will happen with her

Wouldn't it behoove us to extrapolate 
possibilities for the future from a 
character's actions and words rather  
than from what his/her name may mean?  
After all, not only are there always 
many possible interpretations, we 
simply do not ever know for certain 
while half way through a story whether 
the characters' names are meant to be 
accurate assessments, ironic 
misdirections or just plain examples 
of whimsy on the parents' part.

     *     *     *

Brooke, later:
> I really would like to see Ginny or
> Cho's personality emerge in the 
> next books.  If Harry is suppose to
> "end up" with someone, she will 
> have to be a well developed
> character, and indeed, someone of
> strong character.  Anyone else have
> similar thoughts?

Actually, I'm half hoping that Harry 
will discover in OotP that he will be 
able to keep the Dark Side at bay ONLY 
if he is celibate...for the rest of 
his life.  <evilly a-cackling>  Thus 
he swears off romantic attachments and 
devotes his life to contemplating his 
navel in between suppressing the likes 
of Voldemort.

Nah, I don't believe it either.  <g>  

I must say though, that I'm less than 
fond of the notion that any girl 
(Ginny, Cho, etc.), real or fictional, 
should develop for the sake of (a) 
being worthy (or not) of being hooked 
up or (b) of serving plot points.  For 
the HP books, I fervently hope that 
the influence overall character  
development have over the plot 
development will be greater than the 
vice versa.

I do agree with you, though, that a 
underdeveloped love interest is a 
reason to find a portrayal of a 
romantic relationship unsatisfying.

Petra, yearning for 6 and 7 already...
a
n  :)

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