Fake Chinese Etymologies

In the Anglophone, or English-speaking world, there are some really weird fake Chinese etymologies.

1. "quick little fellows" - This term refers to chopsticks. The assumption is that the Chinese word for chopsticks is 快子, even though the real word is 筷子. 快 is the phonetic component of 筷. 筷 means chopsticks; 子 is a suffix for small objects or a general diminutive suffix.
2. "swallowing clouds" - This term refers to wonton. The term is used on a wonton box. The assumption is that wonton is 云吞. Chinese is a topic-prominent, SVO language. So, using Chinese grammar to analyze the expression, that would mean "[The/a] cloud(s) swallow(s)". I suppose that would make it "swallowing clouds"? Anyway, an alternative term is 馄饨. Just take it as a word. Don't read the components and make your own meaning.
3. "General Tso's chicken" - This term refers to a dish that consists of fried chicken in a sweet, tangy sauce, popularly associated with Chinese-American cuisine. The assumption is that General Tso, a famous general in China, loved to eat a specific type of chicken dish, and this chicken dish is now being served in American restaurants. While General Tso really did exist in China, he never really ate this dish.
4. Amy Tan's Chinese name - Amy Tan's Chinese name is 谭恩美. The Internet (some sources) says that her name means "Blessing of America". 谭恩美 is just a person's name. The parents may choose 恩美, probably because they think their daughter is a blessing in America. They are Christians, after all. 吴承恩 is the author of 西游记 (Journey to the West). This guy has the 恩 character as well. Only his mommy and daddy (or anybody who named him) would know the reason for the naming. Other people could make guesses, but only the person who chose the name knew the reason. 美 may be an abbreviation for 美国, but it also means "beautiful" or "great".

submitted by /u/Caulisoup
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