A new student turned up one day to join the evening classes. As he was not a beginner, I had to assess him so that he could be placed in the appropriate grade, so I went through the usual list of questions, starting with personal information.
I asked him: nǐ xìng shénme / “you surnamed what” / What is your surname?
(“shénme" is often pronounced “shěme” as a shortcut.)
I heard him say: wǒ xìng shěme / “I surnamed what” / What is my surname?
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of his answer: was he trying to check that he’d heard me correctly? There was no other explanation for his reply.
So, I decided to confirm my question: nǐ xìng shénme.
Back came the same answer from him.
This went on for a few more times, and I was starting to think he’d gone mad, not knowing his own surname.
It then emerged that his surname was Shama’a.
(London, 1990s)
The Lebanese surname "Shama'a" (شمعة) is of Arabic origin, meaning "candle" and is a metonymic occupational name for someone who makes or sells candles.
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