Niobe (Νιόβη) in Greek myth boasted of her many children to Leto and was punished when Apollo and Artemis killed them all; she was turned to stone, weeping forever — the source of the English idiom 'a Niobe of tears'. The transliteration
奈欧比 (Nài'ōubǐ) preserves the 3-syllable Ni-o-be:
奈 'Ni-',
欧 '-o-',
比 '-be'. In pop culture, the Matrix sequels' Captain Niobe (
奈欧比舰长) made the name familiar to a generation of Chinese sci-fi fans.
