(…) In Chinese culture, choosing an auspicious name for a new member of the family is an ancient art. The name not only determines one’s fate and future but also affects the happiness of the entire family and surrounding community. A name is chosen to harmonize various factors such as the metaphorical meaning of the name, the visual aesthetic of the characters, combined with consideration of time and place of birth, and other esoteric elements of Chinese culture like principles of yin-yang.
Due to these delicacies, westerners seeking to translate their given names into Chinese often seek the advice of a native Chinese speaker to guide them through this process.
In mid-2014 Sergei Millian sought out the wisdom of master calligrapher Johnny Lu, a world-renowned artist who has done work for President Barack Obama, the United Nations, and other charitable causes.
According to legend, the sinology professor meditated on the issue for a month, and then produced Sergei’s Chinese name by hand:
赛 天 龙 = Sài Tiàn Long
Sergei has been using this name for official business in China ever since. Several examples can be found in print and digital media.
(…) Sergei’s official Chinese name, given in 2014, is the literal Google translation of the CODE NAME discussed in the October 18, 2016 email by Crossfire FBI team members Lisa Page and Peter Srzok:
