奧觀海

Chinese

		phonetic	to look at; to watch; to observe to look at; to watch; to observe; to behold; Taoist monastery	ocean; sea
trad. (奧觀海)		奧	觀	海
simp. (奥观海)		奥	观	海

Etymology

A pseudo-Chinese name.

The surname is a clipping of 奧巴馬／奥巴马 (Àobāmǎ, “Obama”), and the given name originated from a calligraphy given to Barack Obama during his trip to China in 2009 that contained the following four characters:

觀海聽濤／观海听涛  ―  guānhǎitīngtāo  ―  Watching the ocean and listening to the roaring waves

This idiom-like phrase may be interpreted as a pun on the Chinese leadership, with “ocean” (海) referencing 中南海 (Zhōngnánhǎi, “Zhongnanhai; the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China”), and “roaring waves” (濤) referencing 胡錦濤 (Hú Jǐntāo, the Chinese president at the time), making this translate to “watching the central government and listening to President Hu”, something a Chinese ally would do.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Ào Guānhǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄠˋ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ou³ gun¹ hoi²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Ào Guānhǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄠˋ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Ào Guanhǎi
    • Wade–Giles: Ao⁴ Kuan¹-hai³
    • Yale: Àu Gwān-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Aw Guanhae
    • Palladius: Ао Гуаньхай (Ao Guanʹxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀɑʊ̯⁵¹ ku̯än⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ou³ gun¹ hoi²
    • Yale: ou gūn hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ou³ gun¹ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: ou³ gun¹ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ou̯³³ kuːn⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/

Proper noun

奧觀海

1. (neologism, slang, humorous) Barack Obama

See also

• 川建國／川建国 (Chuān Jiànguó)