A slight correction in the pronunciation of the "x" phonetic explanation. In Chinese, the "x" is not equivalent to the "sh" sound (as in "ship"). I understand the "sh" sounds similar to "x", but ironically Chinese also uses the "sh" sound as well in their phonetics. For example, 上 (shang) uses the "sh" sound. A better equivalence to the "x" sound in Chinese is saying it as if it was the letter "s". For example, "Xi Jing Ping" can be pronounced by spelling it as "Si Jing Ping" in which ”Xi" and ”Si" would sound much closer in comparison. For clarity, the letter "s" is also used in Chinese phonetics but instead is pronounced like a hissing sound (hsss), like a snake. Therefore, when you see a Chinese name starting with an "x" treat it like the English letter "s" and for words beginning with "s" just treat it like a hissing sound from a snake.