Any dialogue in this story introduced with Chinese transliterations is spoken in Mandarin Chinese, and all subsequent dialogue between the same characters can be assumed to be in Mandarin unless otherwise indicated.
The Chinese names in this text are rendered in the pinyin transliteration system, which is standard in mainland China but not phonetic. The meanings and pronunciations of many Chinese characters vary with context, and the following nonexhaustive guidance is solely intended to assist the reader in becoming acquainted with the Chinese names in this novel.
Xiao (小), a common character in given names, means “small” or “young.” It is pronounced, roughly, as “shee-ow” (ɕi̯ɑʊ̯). Zhou (洲) means “continent” and is pronounced, roughly, as “joh” (tʂɤʊ̯). Thus, Victor’s Chinese name, Xiaozhou, sounds like “shee-ow joh.”
Lian (莲) means “lotus” and is pronounced as a diphthong: “lee-enne.” Ying (英) means “brave.” Juliana’s Chinese name, Lianying, sounds like “lee-enne ing” (liɛn iŋ).
Sun (孙) is a common surname that can mean “descendent.” It is pronounced as “swuhn” (su̯ən).
Syllables ending in -ng have a soft, nasal vowel sound. Peng is pronounced “Pung” (fəŋ); Ouyang is pronounced “Oh-yahng” (ɤʊ̯ i̯ɑŋ); Dong has a long o sound and is pronounced “Dohng” (tʊŋ).