An innovative Chinese couple seeking a unique and distinctive name for their baby have arrived at the "@" sign, which in Chinese sounds like "love him" (爱他). Naturally, language officials (yes, those guys have struck again) were not amused.

The unidentified couple were cited by Li Yuming, Vice-Chairman of the National Language Commission (国家语委) as an example of bizarre names that Chinese people were trying to give their children.

In the Report on the Use of the Chinese Language 2006 《2006年中国语言生活状况报告》 jointly announced by the Ministry of Educaiton and the National Language Commission, it was revealed that major changes were happening in the naming of Chinese kids, and one of the key changes was the use of four-character Chinese names.

Of the 23,000 officially recognised Chinese names available, 129 of them account for 87% of the entire population. Other bizarre examples cited by the council were 赵一A (Zhao Yi-A) and 奥斯锐娜王 (Osreena Wang??!).

Also, families of minority ethnic origins also often gave their children non-standardised or totally unrecognised Chinese names. In response, certain autonomous regions such as Xinjiang have come up with standard Chinese names for common Uyghur names. A Naming Law may be announced soon, but some Chinese citizens believe it is their right to name their children however they may wish.

Related links
AP: China Couple Tries Naming Baby 'At' Sign
China News: 中国人姓名结构现极端个性化 给孩子取名叫"@"

Photo from crankymama.