Fun to a fault, Rambam! And in hopes that pedantry loves company, I’ll observe that “Mao Tse-Tung” faithfully observes the old transliteration system that preceded the late-20th century Pinyin method. Back when Mao first became a household name, “Mao Tse-Tung” was the approved transliteration; he only became “Mao Zedong” later in life.

I’ll also observe that the older Chinese spelling actually results in a more ACCURATE pronunciation: the modern Pinyin system is consistent, but horribly impractical for English, using letters like “q,” “c,” “z,” and “x” in ways that give an Anglophone no idea whatsoever how to pronounce the sounds they represent. Fie on such Commie innovations! (There’s a certain transgressive thrill to saying/writing “Peking,” no?)

And for my part, I spell it “Hanukkah”: the “ch” risks being misunderstood as the sound that begins “cheese.” And since the letter cheth used to be pronounced much like the “h” in Arabic “Muhammad,” I figure the spelling is defensible.