<ol>
<li><p>According to this: <a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/Co.%2CLtd./2133872" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://baike.baidu.com/item/Co.%2CLtd./2133872</a>, seems like Co Ltd can be used for 有限公司 and 股份有限公司. I don't remember if I have seen LLC used in China. I think it's rare.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Usually big companies pick their English names carefully. I think the main consideration here is better internationalization. Pinyin is meaningless for westerners and hard to remember. It could even take a native speaker a while to figure out what exactly the Pinyin says. It is better to choose a name that:</p>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Reflects the main meaning of the Chinese name</li>
<li>Uses meaningful words in English, like Petro</li>
<li>And/or has close pronunciation to the Chinese name</li>
</ul>
<p>And for those western companies which entered China and picked their Chinese names, these principles applied more or less, like 谷歌 for Google.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:11:32.080Z
“uses meaningful words in English, like Petro” makes sense. But from 中国石油天然气 to PetroChina, where is natural gas / 天然气?
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:20:04.540Z
The `petro` in `petrochemical` includes natural gas.
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:35:24.540Z
Thanks @Becky李蓓 for mentioning that petro includes gas. And even if it does not, it's not a problem. It's up to the company to choose the name. Names don't have to be translated literally.
Alvin Cao
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:42:47.047Z
``Petro`` usually stands for ``petroleum``, which is ``石油``. ``Petrochemical`` cannot simply be called as ``petro``. Let's set aside this controversy first. Then, I search ``petrochemical``, I got ``石油化工``. You mentioned petrochemical includes natural gas, that is right, but people cannot translate ``天然气`` to ``petrochemical``, just like ``男孩`` cannot be translated to ``child / children``.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:47:31.947Z
@Bosai LLC is a US concept. I don't think there is a counterpart in Chinese law system. It's not about translation. It's about what LLC really is. I found [this article](http://rossyanglaw.com/site/llc_comparison)(Chinese), it may shed some light. BTW, I'm not a lawyer :).
Alvin Cao
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:54:37.217Z
@Alvin Cao Thank you for providing the link. It really helps a lot. ``Youxian Zeren Gongsi`` is more accurate. And I re-edited the question.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T04:48:17.693Z
@Bosai Many petrochemical companies call themselves "petro" or even "petroleum" though. Some examples from Wikipedia: [Kuwait Petroleum Corporation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_Petroleum_Corporation), [Petrobras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrobras), [Hellenic Petroleum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenic_Petroleum). Others have "oil" in their names but not "gas": [Indian Oil Corporation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Oil_Corporation), [Lukoil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukoil).
范阮煌
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:53:33.290Z
2020-12-12T17:28:35.157Z
2020-12-12T17:28:35.157Z
Alvin Cao
<p>There is a great deal of flexibility in the writing of registered company names.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Geely—浙江吉利控股集团有限公司</p>
<p>Sinopec—中国石油化工集团公司</p>
<p>Tencent—腾讯控股有限公司</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As you can see, these famous companies do not just transliterate their Chinese names into Pinyin, but come up with a more English-sounding name instead.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_country#China" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a> has a page on the entity types for Chinese companies. It would be ambiguous to use abbreviations like YG and GYG, since there is no true distinction between words in Chinese. A lot of Chinese people like to abbreviate “word for word”, like YXGS and GFYXGS for the examples you have brought up.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:22:23.160Z
Geely, Sinopec and Tencent sounds like brand names more, rather than name in registration. Probably China’s authority does not require register companies in Latin alphabet. But these companies still need something formal in international business.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:24:48.343Z
Also, how about entity types?
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:27:22.550Z
“Geely” and “Tencent” are included in the registered names of the respective companies. The Sinopec example is to illustrate how these companies are mentioned as such in English, regardless of their registered name in Chinese.
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:38:03.270Z
Sorry, I mean “Geely” and “Tencent” do not sounds like the **full name** of companies’ registration. For example, Delta Air Lines cannot be a **full name** of companies’ registration. The full name is [Delta Air Lines Inc](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/DAL:US), which has “Inc”. Although the brand name and full name of [Tiffany & Co](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/TIF*:MM) are same, the name itself has a entity suffix “Co”.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:43:53.440Z
This is more a question on the relevant Chinese laws governing the corporate registration / naming of companies. Every country has its own governing laws, and using the position in France or anywhere else is not cogent, all the more so when attempting to reconcile Chinese corporate names with their Latin / Romanized counterparts. Having said this however, I do  feel it is a good question though no definitive answer could be given without considering the local legal position of which I am not an expert on.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:45:12.990Z
Thanks for your reply and re-editing. You probably know Chinese Proficiency Test or HSK, which stands for Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì. You mentioned “word for word”, but HSK is not called HYSPKS.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:49:09.730Z
It’s a colloquial occurrence, so the Chinese themselves won’t use such a representation. Furthermore, China seems to favour English translations over transliterations, especially on the international stage.
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:51:34.113Z
By the way, Geely is officially Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:02:58.460Z
@Axel Tong Thank you for the explanation. I also found out Chinese companies prefer English translations than transliterations. For example, if you click the link of PetroChina, the address is 9 Dongzhimen North Street, rather than Dongzhimen Beidajie 9 Hao (东直门北大街 9 号). They translate 北 and 大街. However, when people refer an address in France and Korea, they still use rue and gil respectively rather than street.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:27:15.390Z
@Wayne Cheah Good perspective. My biggest concern is that how to “ **reconcile** Chinese corporate names with their Latin / Romanized counterparts”. Legal experts are indeed more helpful here. In [United States Federal Acquisition Circular 4.2101 (2)](https://www.acquisition.gov/content/42101-definitions#), 海能达通信 **股份有限公司** is referred as Hytera Communications **Corp** but 杭州海康威视数字技术 **股份有限公司** is referred as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology **Co**. So it is very interesting and confusing.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:10:36.627Z
2020-04-24T02:35:17.413Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Axel Tong
<p>In China, there are two entity types of limited company:</p>

<ol>
<li>有限责任公司 / 有限公司: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/CHMOBZ:CH" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中国移动通信集团 <strong>有限公司</strong> | China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd</a></li>
<li>股份有限公司 / 股份公司: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/857:HK" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中国石油天然气 <strong>股份有限公司</strong> | PetroChina Co Ltd</a></li>
</ol>

<p>Questions:</p>

<ol>
<li>Entity Types:

<ul>
<li>I wonder why they both end in Co Ltd, although they are different in Chinese. <del> How about use LLC/Inc?</del> Just like France’s SARL (= société à responsabilité limitée), can China’s companies use YG (= Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) and GYG (= Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī)?</li>
<li>How to <strong>reconcile</strong> company names with their Latin counterparts”. Legal experts are indeed more helpful here. In <a href="https://www.acquisition.gov/content/42101-definitions#" rel="nofollow noreferrer">United States Federal Acquisition Circular 4.2101 (2)</a>, 海能达通信 <strong>股份有限公司</strong> is referred as Hytera Communications <strong>Corp</strong> but 杭州海康威视数字技术 <strong>股份有限公司</strong> is referred as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology <strong>Co</strong>. Why they are different?</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Besides, how does 中国石油天然气 become PetroChina? Where is “Natural Gas”? I know it is a brand name, but do they have such flexibility in writing registration name in Latin alphabet?</li>
</ol>

<hr>

<p>PS I found an Amazon seller called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/sp?seller=A18RBPUURAK8QM" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shenzhen Shi Chengxinqi Keji <strong>Youxian Gongsi</strong></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:09:57.463Z
Generally it's best to stick to just one question.  Would it be possible to [edit] to highlight which is the main question please?
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:17:31.223Z
@Becky 李蓓 Thanks, but I think it is fine to ask two questions together and they are equally important.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:40:22.320Z
According to Wikipedia LLC is a US-specific term; other Anglophone countries usually use Ltd Therefore 有限公司 = Ltd seems like a good translation to me.
Interestingly, in Vietnam, the equivalent of 股份有限公司, _công ty cổ phần_ (公司股份), is translated as Joint-Stock Company (JSC).
范阮煌
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T03:51:07.707Z
Thank you @范阮煌. You are right, LLC is a US-specific term. Actually, LLC is more like Pty Ltd in Australia (rather than Ltd in Australia), is more like Ltd in the United Kingdom (rather than plc in the United Kingdom). Also, thank you providing example of _công ty cổ phần_ Joint-Stock Company.
Bósài
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-12T23:22:01.337Z
"Latin counterparts"? For a moment I thought you were asking about Latin. If you were just asking about English, this wording is really confusing.
Betty
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-12T23:48:27.977Z
@Betty I mean in Latin alphabet (A-Z, a-z). English, French and many other languages use Latin alphabet.
Bósài
<translation><transliteration>
Entity types and names of China’s companies in Latin alphabet
# Entity types and names of China’s companies in Latin alphabet

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-24)

In China, there are two entity types of limited company:

1. 有限责任公司 / 有限公司: [中国移动通信集团 **有限公司** | China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/CHMOBZ:CH)
2. 股份有限公司 / 股份公司: [中国石油天然气 **股份有限公司** | PetroChina Co Ltd](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/857:HK)

Questions:

1. Entity Types:
   * I wonder why they both end in Co Ltd, although they are different in Chinese.  ~~How about use LLC/Inc?~~ Just like France’s SARL (= société à responsabilité limitée), can China’s companies use YG (= Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) and GYG (= Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī)?
   * How to **reconcile** company names with their Latin counterparts”. Legal experts are indeed more helpful here. In [United States Federal Acquisition Circular 4.2101 (2)](https://www.acquisition.gov/content/42101-definitions#), 海能达通信 **股份有限公司** is referred as Hytera Communications **Corp** but 杭州海康威视数字技术 **股份有限公司** is referred as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology **Co**. Why they are different?
2. Besides, how does 中国石油天然气 become PetroChina? Where is “Natural Gas”? I know it is a brand name, but do they have such flexibility in writing registration name in Latin alphabet?

---

PS I found an Amazon seller called [Shenzhen Shi Chengxinqi Keji **Youxian Gongsi**](https://www.amazon.com/sp?seller=A18RBPUURAK8QM)

**Tags:** translation, transliteration

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Generally it's best to stick to just one question.  Would it be possible to [edit] to highlight which is the main question please?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Thanks, but I think it is fine to ask two questions together and they are equally important.  
> **username_2**: According to Wikipedia LLC is a US-specific term; other Anglophone countries usually use Ltd Therefore 有限公司 = Ltd seems like a good translation to me. Interestingly, in Vietnam, the equivalent of 股份有限公司, _công ty cổ phần_ (公司股份), is translated as Joint-Stock Company (JSC).  
> **username_0**: Thank you @username_2. You are right, LLC is a US-specific term. Actually, LLC is more like Pty Ltd in Australia (rather than Ltd in Australia), is more like Ltd in the United Kingdom (rather than plc in the United Kingdom). Also, thank you providing example of _công ty cổ phần_ Joint-Stock Company.  
> **username_3**: "Latin counterparts"? For a moment I thought you were asking about Latin. If you were just asking about English, this wording is really confusing.  
> **username_0**: @username_3 I mean in Latin alphabet (A-Z, a-z). English, French and many other languages use Latin alphabet.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-04-24. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

1. According to this: <https://baike.baidu.com/item/Co.%2CLtd./2133872>, seems like Co Ltd can be used for 有限公司 and 股份有限公司. I don't remember if I have seen LLC used in China. I think it's rare.
2. Usually big companies pick their English names carefully. I think the main consideration here is better internationalization. Pinyin is meaningless for westerners and hard to remember. It could even take a native speaker a while to figure out what exactly the Pinyin says. It is better to choose a name that:

* Reflects the main meaning of the Chinese name
* Uses meaningful words in English, like Petro
* And/or has close pronunciation to the Chinese name

And for those western companies which entered China and picked their Chinese names, these principles applied more or less, like 谷歌 for Google.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: “uses meaningful words in English, like Petro” makes sense. But from 中国石油天然气 to PetroChina, where is natural gas / 天然气?  
> **username_1**: The `petro` in `petrochemical` includes natural gas.  
> **username_4**: Thanks @Becky李蓓 for mentioning that petro includes gas. And even if it does not, it's not a problem. It's up to the company to choose the name. Names don't have to be translated literally.  
> **username_0**: ``Petro`` usually stands for ``petroleum``, which is ``石油``. ``Petrochemical`` cannot simply be called as ``petro``. Let's set aside this controversy first. Then, I search ``petrochemical``, I got ``石油化工``. You mentioned petrochemical includes natural gas, that is right, but people cannot translate ``天然气`` to ``petrochemical``, just like ``男孩`` cannot be translated to ``child / children``.  
> **username_4**: @Bosai LLC is a US concept. I don't think there is a counterpart in Chinese law system. It's not about translation. It's about what LLC really is. I found [this article](http://rossyanglaw.com/site/llc_comparison)(Chinese), it may shed some light. BTW, I'm not a lawyer :).  
> **username_0**: @username_4 Thank you for providing the link. It really helps a lot. ``Youxian Zeren Gongsi`` is more accurate. And I re-edited the question.  
> **username_2**: @Bosai Many petrochemical companies call themselves "petro" or even "petroleum" though. Some examples from Wikipedia: [Kuwait Petroleum Corporation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_Petroleum_Corporation), [Petrobras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrobras), [Hellenic Petroleum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenic_Petroleum). Others have "oil" in their names but not "gas": [Indian Oil Corporation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Oil_Corporation), [Lukoil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukoil).  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-04-24. Score: 1

There is a great deal of flexibility in the writing of registered company names.

> Geely—浙江吉利控股集团有限公司
>
> Sinopec—中国石油化工集团公司
>
> Tencent—腾讯控股有限公司

As you can see, these famous companies do not just transliterate their Chinese names into Pinyin, but come up with a more English-sounding name instead.

[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_country#China) has a page on the entity types for Chinese companies. It would be ambiguous to use abbreviations like YG and GYG, since there is no true distinction between words in Chinese. A lot of Chinese people like to abbreviate “word for word”, like YXGS and GFYXGS for the examples you have brought up.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Geely, Sinopec and Tencent sounds like brand names more, rather than name in registration. Probably China’s authority does not require register companies in Latin alphabet. But these companies still need something formal in international business.  
> **username_0**: Also, how about entity types?  
> **username_5**: “Geely” and “Tencent” are included in the registered names of the respective companies. The Sinopec example is to illustrate how these companies are mentioned as such in English, regardless of their registered name in Chinese.  
> **username_0**: Sorry, I mean “Geely” and “Tencent” do not sounds like the **full name** of companies’ registration. For example, Delta Air Lines cannot be a **full name** of companies’ registration. The full name is [Delta Air Lines Inc](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/DAL:US), which has “Inc”. Although the brand name and full name of [Tiffany & Co](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/TIF*:MM) are same, the name itself has a entity suffix “Co”.  
> **username_6**: This is more a question on the relevant Chinese laws governing the corporate registration / naming of companies. Every country has its own governing laws, and using the position in France or anywhere else is not cogent, all the more so when attempting to reconcile Chinese corporate names with their Latin / Romanized counterparts. Having said this however, I do  feel it is a good question though no definitive answer could be given without considering the local legal position of which I am not an expert on.  
> **username_0**: Thanks for your reply and re-editing. You probably know Chinese Proficiency Test or HSK, which stands for Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì. You mentioned “word for word”, but HSK is not called HYSPKS.  
> **username_5**: It’s a colloquial occurrence, so the Chinese themselves won’t use such a representation. Furthermore, China seems to favour English translations over transliterations, especially on the international stage.  
> **username_5**: By the way, Geely is officially Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd  
> **username_0**: @username_5 Thank you for the explanation. I also found out Chinese companies prefer English translations than transliterations. For example, if you click the link of PetroChina, the address is 9 Dongzhimen North Street, rather than Dongzhimen Beidajie 9 Hao (东直门北大街 9 号). They translate 北 and 大街. However, when people refer an address in France and Korea, they still use rue and gil respectively rather than street.  
> **username_0**: @username_6 Good perspective. My biggest concern is that how to “ **reconcile** Chinese corporate names with their Latin / Romanized counterparts”. Legal experts are indeed more helpful here. In [United States Federal Acquisition Circular 4.2101 (2)](https://www.acquisition.gov/content/42101-definitions#), 海能达通信 **股份有限公司** is referred as Hytera Communications **Corp** but 杭州海康威视数字技术 **股份有限公司** is referred as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology **Co**. So it is very interesting and confusing.  

---

