Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Pronunciations.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I was able to get a number of them from here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f0LMFxs91A&feature=autoplay&list=PLBEBA6921B0F7BF61&lf=results_video&playnext=12

Notes:
All of the "ao"s are pronounced like "aow" with an ow, like ouch.

Han is said like Hahn. IE not "HANd" more like "Lawn" with an H

Name:
Cao Cao.
How I'd have said it before I learned how. "Cayo Cayo"
How it sounds to me like they are saying it in the video "Tsaow Tsaow"

Yuan (correct) Shao
me: Shayo
Correct: Shaow

He Jin
me: Hee Gin
Game: Huh Gin

Sun Jian
me: "Sun Jane"
Correct: Soon Gin

Liu Bei
Me: Lieyou Beeeye
Correct "Leeyou Bay"

Daio Chan
me: "Dieoh"
correct "Deeaow"

Sun Ce
me: "Sea"
game: "Tsue"

Liu Zhang
me: Zhang
Game: Zang

Liu Biao
me: Bayoh
Correct: Beeaow

Sun Quan
me: Quan
Correct: Chwen

Zunge Liang
me: Zunge (like Lunge) Ling
Correct: Zhoogoo Leeyang

Cao Pi
me: Pie
Correct: Pee

Wei
me: Weeeye
correct: Way

Lu Xun
me: Loo Zun
Correct: Loo Shun

Liu Chan
me: Chan
correct: Chin

Xiahou Yuan
me: Ziwho
correct: Shaohoi


Given the above, anything else I should know?

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Summary of the story:
So the Han dynasty collapsed. A bunch of babies became Emperors, literally, and power struggles broke out betwee the "guardians" of the kids. The kids, some of them anyway, turned to the Senior Bureaucrats (people who proved their loyalty by lobbing off their private parts) who then began to abuse their newfound power. So a bunch of starving poor overtaxed people rebelled and put on yellow bandannas. He Jin was hired to put down the Rebels, and did, and for that the eunuchs decided to kill him, as to hog the power for themselves. So Dong Zhou took advantage of this to become dictator of Capital area, he put a new Emperor on the throne who was his lapdog. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, generals of He Jin, did not like this so they went to war with Dong Zhou. Dong Zhou however was done in by Lu Bu, who went on to lose all his land while Cao Cao took much of it over. Cao Cao then went to war with Yuan Shao and took his land too, making Cao Cao very strong. Liu Bei, from the Imperial family, started to gather his own forces with the intent of bringing the fallen dynasty back - with him as Emperor of course. Meanwhile, the Sun family was rising it's own force, and the three eventually created their own strong kingdoms. Cao Cao died and passed his kingdom to his son, etc, but one of his Advisors rose up, and eventually was able to unite all of China

The end.
 

[ilikeverin]

Based on your very, very, very English-inspired pronunciations, you should probably learn Pinyin

[Marokai Backbeat]

I'm surprised you actually struggled with some of those pronunciations. Then again, my first exposure to the Three Kingdoms was through video games, so I had the luxury of voice from the get-go.

[angus]

you should probably learn Pinyin

pronounced, of course, as "peen-eeen"

I was never crazy about that pin yin transliteration system, but you're right that he should learn it, since that's the way the chinese like to spell things. 

Also, you might as well give up trying to say things right in chinese.  It's very much like Klingon.  If you don't learn it in the first few years of life, you'll never be able to say it right.

[The Mikado]

I don't have the familiarity with the RotTK as I wish I did.  Everything I've seen about it seems fascinating.

[patrick1]

I guess this is a good thread to ask if I should devote the time to seeing the movie Red Cliff.  Ive been meaning to check it out.

[Gustaf]

I have been to one of the old capitol cities. It did seem like a fascinating story.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

I don't have the familiarity with the RotTK as I wish I did.  Everything I've seen about it seems fascinating.

You can read it for free here: http://threekingdoms.com/

It's not as nearly as good as the book version though: the English is more modernized, some names are changed to avoid confusion, and it omits a few scenes that had left me tingly after reading them.

[anvi]

you should probably learn Pinyin

pronounced, of course, as "peen-eeen"

I was never crazy about that pin yin transliteration system, but you're right that he should learn it, since that's the way the chinese like to spell things. 

Also, you might as well give up trying to say things right in chinese.  It's very much like Klingon.  If you don't learn it in the first few years of life, you'll never be able to say it right.

It is challenge to learn.  But I'd like to think I got it down reasonably well. 
I actually like pinyin more than Wade-Giles, but that might be because I was already used to the pronunciation before I learned pinyin.