Meet Wangzi and Xiao Mai

You may know us as Chip and Mallary, but if you came to China and asked around for us, we might be hard to find. We recommend you using our Chinese names or nicknames.

Chip's formal name is 王子 (Wángzǐ) which means prince. This name was given to him by our Qufu students we think because his given name is Charles which reminded them of Prince Charles. At the time, we were led to believe this was actually a real name. Based on the way people laugh when he introduces himself, we‘re pretty sure it's not, but it is too much trouble to change now. Chip's name being Prince means Mallary is sometimes called 公主(Gōngzhǔ--princess) which she really doesn't mind.

WangZi 王子Cookies
(Do you see the characters on the package?)

Chip had a nickname before he was Wángzǐ, also given to him by Qufu students. This was Shu Tiao 数条　 (meaning French fry) as this was how they translated "Chip" and got a real kick out of it. This is still the name he uses on renren (China's facebook) but would 0bviously be an even more embarrassing name than Prince. On renren he does use the family name "Wang" which without the "Zi" means king. Google chrome's English translation: King French Fry.

Mallary's name was also given to her by Qufu students last year. All the students called her 小麦（Xiǎomài）meaning "little wheat." They thought the "Mai" sounded like Mallary and I love whole grains, so the nickname stuck. But then I needed a real name. Mai is a family name in China (not nearly as common as Wang) and women do not take their husband's name when they marry, so I kept the Mai.

In a wheat field in Qufu

At Asbury college, Chip and I were in the Vessel Class (2005). Chinese names are rich with meaning, so I decided I wanted to have a name that meant vessel of mercy. I asked a believing student to help me with the translation. She came up with Huái Ēn. Huai 怀　means to cherish, carry, or hold dear. En 恩　 means grace or mercy. It took me awhile to get used to the name because I didn't like the way the Mai and Huai rhymed, but I like the meaning and it gives me an opportunity to share when people ask about the meaning. 麦怀恩 is usually how I introduce myself, but I always tell people they can call me 小麦 since it's a bit easier to remember. And the same goes for you. You can call us Chip and Mallary or you can give Chinese a whirl.