How to Pronounce Lee Teng hui

Meaning and Context

Lee Teng-hui, born in 1923, was a pivotal Taiwanese statesman and the first President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to be born on the island, serving from 1988 to 2000 after succeeding Chiang Ching-kuo. His presidency, often termed the "Lee Teng-hui era," was a transformative period marked by the democratization of Taiwan, including the direct popular election of the president in 1996—a historic milestone he won. A central figure in Taiwanese politics, Lee, who was also the Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), engineered profound constitutional reforms that dismantled authoritarian structures and empowered the Taiwanese parliament. His advocacy for a distinct Taiwan identity and his articulation of the "special state-to-state relationship" theory regarding cross-strait relations with mainland China significantly reshaped the geopolitical landscape, making him a revered yet controversial architect of modern Taiwan sovereignty and a democratic Taiwan.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct romanization is Lee Teng-hui, following the Wade-Giles system with a hyphen. A frequent alternative is Li Denghui, which uses the Pinyin system more common in mainland China, often leading to confusion in Western sources. Common misspellings and typographical errors include omitting the hyphen ("Lee Teng hui"), which is the most prevalent, or incorrectly spacing it ("Lee Tenghui"). Other frequent errors involve misspelling the given name, such as "Lee Teng-huei" or "Lee Teng-hwi." It is also important to note the capitalization: "Teng-hui" is correct, whereas "teng-hui" is not. In historical contexts, he is sometimes informally referred to as "President Lee" or "Lee Teng-hui of Taiwan."

Example Sentences

Historians credit Lee Teng-hui with steering Taiwan through its critical transition from martial law to a vibrant multiparty democracy.

During the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, Lee Teng-hui's decisive leadership and commitment to democratic processes were tested by significant military exercises from the mainland.

In his later years, Lee Teng-hui remained an influential, though sometimes divisive, commentator on issues of Taiwanese identity and cross-strait policy.

Many of Lee Teng-hui's constitutional reforms, such as the full re-election of the Legislative Yuan, permanently altered Taiwan's political landscape.

Scholars often debate the long-term impact of Lee Teng-hui's "state-to-state" theory on relations between Taipei and Beijing.

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