Chinese people love nicknames and Olympic fans in Beijing have been quick to invent tags for their sporting heroes. Derived from everyday expressions, or invented to reflect an athlete's idiosyncrasies, we reveal the sometimes surprising stories behind the sobriquets.
'Moon Duo': Lin Yue / Huo Liang
The"Moon" nickname is derived from Lin Yue and Huo Liang's names."Yue Liang" means moon in Chinese.
!['Moon Duo' divers Lin Yue(R) and Huo Liang (L) win China's seventh gold of the Beijing Olympics in the Men's 10m Platform event on August 11, 2008. [Photo: Du Yang/Chinanews.com]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20080814/000802c98ccc0a0e2d9d28.jpg "'Moon Duo' divers Lin Yue(R) and Huo Liang (L) win China's seventh gold of the Beijing Olympics in the Men's 10m Platform event on August 11, 2008. [Photo: Du Yang/Chinanews.com]") |
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"Moon Duo" divers Lin Yue(R) and Huo Liang win China's seventh gold of the Beijing Olympics in the Men's 10m Platform event on August 11, 2008. [Photo: Du Yang/Chinanews.com]
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The Moon Duo won gold in their first ever Olympic appearance, wowing spectators with the perfection of their performance in the Men's 10 meter synchronized diving event.
'Microwave oven': Li Nan
Li Nan is a veteran Chinese basketball player. He earned the nickname"microwave oven" because he warms up quickly and is always ready to compete.
The 34 year-old took a full 6 points from two three-point balls in the match against the United States"Dream Team" on August 10. Another 3-point ball by Li Nan took the August 12 game against Spain to a tight finish, though China finally lost out.
![Li Nan [Sina.com]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20080814/000802c98ccc0a0e1fe74f.jpg "Li Nan [Sina.com]")