Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Chinese Superman 1 & 2

I have to admit... I don't get the joke. Perhaps you can explain for those who are not Chinese people living overseas?

I first thought that Wang Da Zhong (Clark) would meet Wanda Detroit. That would have cause some confusion. Hi my name is Wang Da, nice to meet you Wanda...

I guess I can try to explain it, although I'm not sure I can convey all of the nuances of it.

First of all, nobody (well...nobody that I know anyways) *actually* has a name like Wang Da Zhong.

Basically, a lot of overseas Chinese want their kids to learn how to speak Chinese, so, they send them to Chinese language classes every Saturday mornings.

Now, the curriculum is pretty standardized across the nation - at least I think it is, since I attended classes in both Seattle and Houston, and the textbooks were the same.

Obviously, little kids learning Chinese aren't going to know a whole lot of complicated words. So, the star of those Chinese language textbooks is called "Wang Da Zhong". All 3 of the words Wang, Da, and Zhong are pretty easy to write in Chinese.

Pretty much every lesson in those classes are conversations Wang Da Zhong has with other people.

For example, in one lesson he might be talking to his teacher. In another, his big sister. He might be doing various things, as he appears in a variety of situations.

As a result, Wang Da Zhong has gotten pretty infamous. I remember seeing a televised Chinese lesson on some Asian cable TV network, and they even got some Chinese kid to play the part of Wang Da Zhong, lol.

So, if you mention the name Wang Da Zhong to a second-generation Chinese living in the U.S., odds are they will probably know what you are talking about. It's kind of a running joke. Plus the name is just ridiculous

I see. What do Wang, Da, and Zhong mean, though?

Interesting idea. I think it would add a new layer to the LnC love story.

Well, Chinese words lose their meaning when you string them into names. Chinese names are often made up of words that have other meanings. An English equivalent of what I'm trying to say here would be if...let's say you strung together the words "kitchen", "museum", and "yo-yo" and got "John Smith".

But, in case you still wanted to know, "Wang" means "monarch", "Da" means "big" or "great", "Zhong" means "middle".

So the name basically means Emperor Big Belly?