Chinese honorifics

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Class consciousness and Confucian principles of order and respect helped promote the development of an elaborate system of honorific language in Ancient and Imperial China. Chinese polite language is very similar to the Japanese system conceptually; both emphasized the idea of classes and in-group vs. out-group. So the language used among friends would be very different from that used among businesspeople. Although most Chinese honorifics have fallen out of use since the end of Imperial China, they can still be understood by many contemporary Chinese speakers. This is partly attributable to the popularity of Chinese historical novels and television dramas, which often employ languages from the classical periods. In general, language referring to oneself exhibits self-deprecating humbleness, while language referring to others shows approval and respect.

Because Chinese does not have inflections, i.e., there's no grammatical conjugation or declension, the Chinese honorifics system is not as complex as the conjugating Korean and Japanese systems. Politeness in Chinese is often achieved by using honorific alternatives, prefixing or suffixing a word with a polite complement, or simply by dropping casual-sounding words.

Example: 請問你姓甚麼？•请问你姓什么？(qǐng wèn nǐ xìng shén me?): “May I ask for your surname?”

The sentence above is an acceptable question when used to people of equal or lower status. But if the addressee is of higher status, or if the person asking the question wants to show more respect, then several changes may occur:

1. The regular second person pronoun 你 (nǐ; you) is replaced by the honorific second person pronoun 您 (nín; you [honorific])

2. The casual interrogative pronoun 甚麼•什么 (shénme; what) is dropped

3. The honorific prefix 貴•贵 (guì; honorable) is added in front of 姓 (xìng; last name) to exalt the addressee

So the resulting sentence, 請問您貴姓？•请问您贵姓？(qǐng wèn nǐn guì xìng): “May I ask for the honorable surname of the honorific you?” is much more polite and more commonly used among people in formal or careful situations.


Below is a collection of some of the better known honorifics and polite prefixes and suffixes that have been used at one time or another in the Chinese lexicon. Pronunciations given are those of today's Mandarin Chinese. Wherever the Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese scripts differ, both are given, separated with a dot and with Traditional first. Many are obsolete after the end of the Qing Dynasty and are no longer used.

Contents

[edit] Referring to oneself

[edit] Commoners or people with lower status

  • 愚 (yú): I, the unintelligent
  • 鄙 (bǐ): I, the less educated
  • 敝 (bì): I, the unrefined
  • 卑 (bēi): I, from a lower class
  • 竊·窃 (qiè): I, who did not give you proper notice
  • 僕·仆 (pú): I, your servant (male)
  • 婢 (bì): I, your servant (female)
  • 妾 (qiè): I, your concubine
  • 在下 (zàixià): I, who am humbler and lower than you
  • 小人 (xiăorén): I, the insignificant (usually male)
  • 小女 (xiăonǚ): I, the insignificant and female
  • 草民 (căomín): I, the worthless commoner
  • 奴才 (núcai): I, your slave/servant (male)
  • 奴婢 (núbì): I, your slave/servant (female)
  • 奴家 (nújiā): I, your wife

[edit] Elders

  • 老~ (lǎo), old
    • 老朽 (lǎoxiǔ): I, who am old and unable
    • 老夫 (lǎofū): I, who am old and respected
    • 老漢·老汉 (lǎohàn): I, who am an old man
    • 老拙 (lǎozhuó): I, who am old and clumsy
    • 老衲 (lǎonà): I, the old monk
    • 老身 (lǎoshēn): I, this old body

[edit] The royal family

  • 孤 (gū): I, the ruler of a kingdom (indicates solitude)
  • 寡 (guǎ): I, the ruler of a kingdom (same as above)
  • 寡人 (guǎrén): I, the ruler of a kingdom (same as above)
  • 不穀·不谷 (bù gǔ): I, the ruler of a kingdom who's not virtuous (literally "produces no grain")
  • 朕 (zhèn): I, the Emperor (originally a generic first person pronoun, later exclusively used by emperors from the Qin Dynasty)
  • 本宫 (bĕngōng): I, the empress/concubine
  • 哀家 (āijiā): I, the emperor's mother (literally "the sad house", indicating grief for the deceased former Emperor)
  • 臣妾 (chénqiè): I, your concubine
  • 兒臣·儿臣 (ĕrchén): I, your son official/subject

[edit] Government officials

  • 臣 (chén): I, your subject (officials addressing themselves in front of the Emperor)
  • 下官 (xiàguān): I, the low official (officials addressing themselves in front of a superior official)
  • 末官 (mòguān): I, the lesser official
  • 小吏 (xiǎolì): I, the small scribe / official
  • 卑職·卑职 (bēizhí): I, the humble position (officials addressing their patrons or someone of equal rank)
  • 末將·末将 (mòjiàng): I, the lowest general (generals addressing themselves in front of superiors)
  • 本官 (běnguān): I, your superior (Used when the official must assert his ranking in front of lower officials)

[edit] Scholarly or religious professions

  • 小生 (xiǎoshēng): I, who am born / grown "smaller" (i.e. later)
  • 晚生 (wǎnshēng): I, who was born later
  • 晚學·晚学 (wǎnxué): I, who started studying later
  • 不才 (bùcái): I, who am without talent
  • 不佞 (búnìng): I, who am without talent
  • 不肖 (búxiào): I, who did not respect you
  • 晚輩·晚辈 (wǎnbèi): I, who belong to a younger generation (therefore lower/humbler)
  • 貧僧·贫僧 (pínsēng): I, the poor monk
  • 貧尼·贫尼 (pínní): I, the poor nun

[edit] The speaker's own family

  • 家~ (jiā): prefix for elder family members (living)
  • 先~ (xiān): prefix for elder family members (deceased)
  • 舍~ (shè): prefix for younger family members
  • 小~ (xiáo): small
    • 小兒·小儿 (xiáoér): My son, who is small
    • 小女 (xiáonǚ): My daughter, who is small
  • 内~ (nèi): prefix for referring to one's wife - 内人，内子
  • 愚~ (yú): prefix for referring to one's self and one's family member; 愚夫婦, 愚父子、愚兄弟, etc
  • 犬子 (quǎnzǐ): My son, who is comparable to a puppy
  • 拙夫·拙夫 (zhuōfū): My husband, who is inferior
  • 拙荆·拙荆 (zhuōjīng): My wife, who is inferior
  • 賤内·贱内 (jiànnèi): The one within (i.e. my wife), who is worthless
  • 寒舍 (hánshè): my home - literally my worthless residence

[edit] Addressing or referring to others

[edit] Emperors

  • 萬歲·万岁 (wànsuì): You, of ten thousand years. Here "ten-thousand" is a marker for a large number, much as "million" is used figuratively in English. "Years" here refers specifically to "years of age."
  • 萬歲爺·万岁爷 (wànsuìyé): You, the lord of ten thousand years
  • 聖~·圣~ (shèng): the holy, the sacred
    • 聖上·圣上 (shèngshàng): You, the holy up high
    • 聖駕·圣驾 (shèngjià): You, the holy procession
  • 天子 (tiānzǐ): The son of heaven (not used to directly address the Emperor)
  • 陛下 (bìxià); literally "beneath your ceremonial ramp"; used when addressing the Emperor directly;
  • 龍~·龙~ (lóng): literally "dragon", used as a prefix, e.g.:
    • 龍體·龙体 (lóngtǐ): the dragon's body
    • 龍顏·龙颜 (lóngyán): the dragon's face

[edit] Important people

  • 殿下 (diànxià): literally "beneath your palace"; for members of the imperial family
  • 王爷 （wángyè): You, the princely lord; for kings and princes
  • 爵爷 （juĕyè): You, the noble lord; for dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons
  • 麾下 (huīxià); literally "beneath your flag"; for generals
  • 卿 (qīng): literally "official"; address to officials by the royal family
  • 節下·节下 (jiéxià): literally "beneath your ceremonial banner"; for ambassadors

The following are commonly used today.

  • 閣下·阁下 (géxià): literally "beneath your pavilion"; for important people
  • 前辈 (qiánbèi): literally "you who belong to an older generation"
  • 同志 (tóngzhì): comrade, used by parties of the Nationalist Party of China and the Communist Party of China to address fellow members of the same conviction; also used by some older citizens of the People's Republic of China to address strangers. However, now among the younger and more urban Chinese, 同志 has definite implications of homosexuality (not necessarily in a pejorative way, however, as it has been adopted by the gay community, and thus is more analogous to the English term queer than faggot).
  • By titles:
    • Mister: 先生 (xiānshēng)
    • Miss: 小姐 (xiăojiě) The usage of Xiaojie is taboo in some parts of China as it may refer to prostitutes . In Suzhou 小姐 is substituted with '丫頭' whinch in turn is considered offensive in other parts of China because to them it is used to refer to a 'dumb girl'.
    • Madam: 女士 (nǚshì)
    • Mrs: 夫人 (fūrén)
    • Doctor: 博士 (bóshì)
    • Medical doctor: 醫生·医生 (yīshēng)
    • Teacher: 老師·老师 (lǎoshī) The usage to address someone a teacher has evolved to a polite reference to an educated person rather than an indication of the person actually being a teacher.
    • Priest: 神父 (shénfù)
    • Deacon: 執士·执事 (zhíshì)
    • Pastor: 牧師·牧师 (mùshī)
    • Bishop: 主教 (zhǔjiào)
    • Monk (Catholic): 修士 (xīushì)
    • Monk (taoism): 法師·法师 (fǎshī)
    • Sir (Knighthood): 爵士 (juéshì)
    • Saints: 聖·圣 (shèng): a prefix indicating holiness

[edit] The addressee's family members

  • 令~ (lìng): The beautiful
    • 令尊 (lìngzūn) or 令尊翁 (lìngzūnwēng): the beautiful and respectful (i.e. your father)
    • 令堂 (lìngtáng) or 令壽堂 (lìngshòutáng): the beautiful and dignified (i.e. your mother)
    • 令閫·令阃 (lìngkǔn): the beautiful door to the woman's room (i.e. your wife)
    • 令兄 (lìngxiōng): the beautiful elder brother (your brother)
    • 令郎 (lìngláng) or 令公子 (lìnggōngzǐ): the beautiful young lord (your son)
    • 令愛(or 令嬡)·令爱(or 令嫒) (lìngài): the beautiful and beloved (your daughter)
    • 令千金 (lìngqiānjīn): the beautiful of a thousand gold (your daughter)
  • 尊~ (zūn): The respectful
    • 尊上 (zūnshàng): The respectful above (your father)
    • 尊公 (zūngōng), 尊君 (zūnjūn), 尊府 (zūnfǔ): The respectful lord (your father)
    • 尊堂 (zūntáng): The respectful and dignified (your mother)
    • 尊親·尊亲 (zūnqīn): The respectful related (your relatives)
    • 尊駕·尊驾 (zūnjià): The respectful procession (you, the guest)
  • 賢~·贤~ (xián): the virtuous
    • 賢喬梓: you (father and son)
    • 賢伉儷: you (husband and wife)
    • 賢昆仲: you (brothers)
    • 賢昆玉: you (sisters)

[edit] One's own family

  • 賢~·贤~ (xián): the virtuous
    • 賢妻 (xiánqī): you, my esteemed wife
    • 賢棣·賢弟·贤弟 (xiándì): you, my esteemed younger brother
    • 賢侄·贤侄 (xiánzhì): you, my esteemed nephew
  • 夫人 (fūrén): you, my wife
  • 夫君 (fūjūn): you, my husband
  • 郎君 (lángjūn): you, my husband
  • 官人 (guānrén): you, my husband (archaic)
  • 相公: you, my husband (obsolete: now refers to a male prostitute)
  • 仁兄 (rénxiōng): you, my kind older brother
  • 愛~ 爱~ (ài): prefix for beloved family members, e.g. 愛妻，愛姬，愛妾，愛郎

[edit] Friends

  • 賢~·贤~ (xián): the virtuous (for people who are younger)
    • 賢家·贤家 (xiánjiā): the virtuous house (i.e. you)
    • 賢郎·贤郎 (xiánláng): the virtuous young man (i.e. your son)
    • 賢弟·贤弟 (xiándì): the virtuous younger brother (either addressing one's own younger brother, or referring to the listener's younger brother)
  • 仁~ (rén): the kind (for people who are older)
    • 仁兄 (rénxiōng): You, the kind older brother
    • 仁公 (réngōng): You, the kind lord

[edit] Elders or the deceased

  • 丈~ (zhàng): prefix for old people
  • 太~ (tài), 大~ (dà ): prefix for elders
    • 太后 (tàihòu): Dowager Empress
    • 太父 (tàifǔ): father
    • 太母 (tàimǔ): mother
  • 先~ (xiān): prefix for deceased elder people
    • 先帝 (xiāndì): dead emperor
    • 先考 (xiānkǎo), 先父 (xiān fǔ): dead father
    • 先慈 (xiāncí), 先妣 (xiān bǐ): dead mother
    • 先賢·先贤 (xiānxián): dead knowledgeable person
  • 亡~ (wáng): prefix for deceased younger people; 亡弟、亡兒 etc

Compare the above few with:
顯考 honorable deceased father
顯妣 honorable deceased mother
These last two are considered more elegant and literary than the two synonyms above, and are commonly found in spiritual tablets and gravestones in Taiwan and overseas Chinese who were not affected by the Cultural Revolution.

[edit] Strangers or social encounters

  • 貴~·贵~ (guì) - the honorable (still in use)
    • 貴子弟·贵子弟 (guìzǐdì): your son
    • 貴家長·贵家长 (gùijiāzhǎng): your parent(s)
    • 貴公司·贵公司 (guìgōngsī), 貴寶號 (guìbǎohào): your company
    • 貴國·贵国 (guìguó): your country
    • 貴姓·贵姓 (guìxìng): your surname
    • 貴庚·贵庚 (guìgēng): your age (e.g., 敢問貴庚幾何? "May I please ask how old you are?")
  • 寶~·宝~ (bǎo) - precious, valuable
    • (貴)寶號 (bǎohào): your valuable business
  • 相公 (xiànggōng): term of address for any young gentleman (obsolete: now refers to a male prostitute)
  • 府上 (fǔshàng): your home

[edit] Other prefixes and suffixes

  • 阿~ (ā): intimacy prefix; for example: 阿伯，阿妹，阿哥，阿爸
  • 本~ (bĕn): prefix. I (also a measure word for book)
  • 為~·为~ (wéi): prefix. I
  • 敝~ (bì): prefix. my, our; for example: 敝校，敝人
  • ~君 (jūn): for a male friend or a respected person
  • ~姬 (jī), 姑娘 (gūniang): for a female friend, maiden
  • ~郎 (láng): for an intimate male friend or husband
  • ~子 (zǐ), 夫子 (fūzǐ): for a wise man
  • ~兄 (xiōng): for a friend
  • ~公 (gōng): for a respected person
  • ~足下 (zúxià): for my friend (used in letters)
  • ~先生 (xiānshēng): for someone in a profession
  • ~大人 (dàren): for a higher ranked official
  • ~兒·儿 (-r): for a young person
  • ~哥 (gē): for an elder male friend or relative
  • ~弟 (dì): for a younger male friend or relative
  • ~姐 (jiĕ): for an elder female friend or relative
  • ~妹 (mèi): for a younger female friend or relative

[edit] Salutations

Salutation is used at the beginning of a speech or a letter to address the audience or recipient(s). In the English language, salutations are usually in the form "Dear...". However, the Chinese language has more variations for salutation, which are used in different situations. Here are a few examples in modern Chinese:

  • 親愛的... (qīn'aì de): Dear (beloved) ...
  • 尊敬的... (zūnjìng de): Revered ...
  • 敬愛的... (jìng'aì de): Dear esteemed ...

[edit] Slang Honorifics

It has been a tradition for many years in China to address oneself colloquially using honorifics, or a pronoun in place for "I". These include:

  • 老子 (Laozi, not to be confused with Lao Tzu, written the same way): I, your dad (referring to oneself as superior)
  • 爷 (Ye): I, your lord. Used in parts of Northern China

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • The initial list references the article 【古代文化常识】人的称谓, which is widely distributed among Chinese educational websites. The origin of the article is unknown. CRI Online retains a copy of the original article in Chinese: http://gb.chinabroadcast.cn/9223/2006/01/24/342@873956.htm