Grand View of Appellations in Ancient China

1. Honorific Titles

Honorific titles, also called honorific titles, are titles that show respect for the other person you are talking to. The word used to express honorific titles is called respect. Ci.

There are three situations according to the part of speech of honorific diction:

(1) It is a pronoun directly used to express honorific address, usually a monosyllabic word, and the commonly used ones are "Ru, Er" , Zi, Er, Gong, Jun, etc., these can all be translated as "you.

(2) Use nouns to replace words to call each other. These words are all two-syllable words, and this kind of title is also There are three forms: the general honorifics are "Sir, my son", etc.; the other party can also be represented by the place where the other party is or the people under his command. Commonly used ones are "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Excellency, Deacon, Right and Left", etc.; and the honorific titles of official status are used. For the other party, such as "king, doctor, general, son", etc. These nouns can also be translated as "you". Your Majesty refers specifically to the monarch and the emperor, and it does not need to be translated, and the official title does not need to be translated.

(3) Adjectives are used to refer to the behavior of people related to the other party. These words are usually two-syllable words, the former is an adjective, and the latter is a noun related to the person. Common ones are:

Respect : Honorable man, honorable brother, honorable driver, honorable wife;

Xian: wise brother, wise wife

Ren: kind brother, kind brother

Noble: noble body (meaning of greeting), noble surname, noble Geng;

Gao: high friend, high relative, high neighbor, high opinion;

Da: great gift, great work, great honor.

These words generally do not need to be translated.

These respectful words have changed with the development of society. The above two cases are basically no longer used now; while the third kind is still commonly used, these The title is respectful and cordial, and the language atmosphere is also harmonious.

2. Modesty

Modesty refers to self-proclaimed modesty. Words used to express modesty It's called Qianci. It can be understood and mastered in two ways: one is to use certain nouns to replace the word "I", and it can be divided into the following four categories:

One category. It is to use one's surname or given name to express humility. "Su Zi and his guests went boating under Red Cliff." ("Red Cliff Ode") use surname; "The more Ji father heard about your seven days of mourning." ("Ji Twelve Lang Wen") 》) Use names.

The second category is to call yourself "a servant, a servant, a certain person, a villain" to express your apology for having suffered such a disaster. "("Report to Ren An") "A certain person has been familiar with military literature since he was a child. "("Lost Street Pavilion")

The third category is that women often use "concubine, maidservant, slave, slaveservant" to express their apology. "They are both forced, so are you and your concubines. "("The Peacock Flies Southeast")

The four categories are commonly used by monarchs: "Idiot (a person with little gain), Bubo (a bad person), Gu (a lonely person)" to express humility. In the country, all the heart and ears are devoted." ("Mencius: King Hui of Liang, Part 1")

These modest titles can all be translated as "I".

The other is to use certain words to call people related to you. These words are all two-syllable compound words with the previous word modifying the next word. Judging from the part of speech of the modifying word, it can be divided into three situations.

First, it is modified with adjectives to show humility. Common ones are:

Yu: Yu brother, Yu brother (both words mean "I"), Yu Jian, Yu. Meaning (both "foolish" can be translated as "my").

We: our country, our city ("we" is equivalent to "my").

Mean: humble body, humble body, humble breath (called one's son in front of the king and emperor), humble wife (called one's wife). ["Bitch" is equivalent to "my"]

Xiao: daughter, son, trumpet.

Wei: Weichen

Humble: humble position.

The second is to use verbs to modify and express humility by behavior. Common ones are:

Plagiarism: steal thoughts, steal thoughts, steal stories.

("Stealing" can be translated as privately)

Fu: Fu Wei (lying on the ground and thinking. Used when expressing thoughts to superiors or juniors to elders), Fu Wen. ("Fu heard that the Holy Dynasty governed the world with filial piety." "Chen Qing Biao")

The third is to use nouns to modify it to show humility. When referring to one's elder brother humbly in front of others, one should use "家". "Family father, family king, family respect, and family strictness" can all be used to refer to one's father; "family mother, family kindness" can be used to refer to one's mother; "family brother" can be used to refer to oneself. brother. When addressing relatives who are younger or lower in rank than you, use "She" in front of others. "She's brother" means your younger brother, and "She's nephew" means your nephew. "家" and "家" can both be translated as "my".

These modest names have undergone great changes with the development of society. The first situation is basically no longer used, and some of the second situation is still used.

3. Other titles

Self-proclaimed is the name for oneself in front of others. The emperor calls himself "the humble man", the old calls himself "the old man", the young calls himself "the younger brother" in front of the elders, the monk calls himself "the poor Taoist and the poor monk", and the ordinary people call themselves "the humble". Modest titles are self-titles.

Hesitation is to address others. For example, the woman who accompanies the bride is called "bridesmaid", and the aristocratic woman is called "lady". "Madam" was called the wife of princes in ancient times, and later it was used to refer to the wives of ordinary people. Old men are called "old husband", and young men are called "lao zhang". "Lang Jun". Honorific titles are all other titles.

Derogatory titles are to call others in a contemptuous tone, such as "Shuzi, Xiaozi, Nvliu."

Proper titles are certain conventional titles. For example, the person who chops wood is called "woodcutter", the boatman is called "zhouzi", and the outstanding figures of the country are called "guoshi".

Pronunciation is the use of other titles to replace the original title. For example, "heroine" is used to refer to a woman, "liyuan" is used to refer to a theater troupe, and "actor" is used to refer to a comedian. Pronunciation is a rhetorical metonymy.

Idiom is to refer to someone by a conventional and customary title. For example, "Laozi and Zhuangzi" refers to Laozi (Li Er) and Zhuangzi (Zhuangzhou) and their theories, and "Jiaohandaoshou" refers to Mengjiao and Jiadao.

Titles for people of different ages

A newborn is called a baby, and a person under one year old is called a swaddling boy.

Children are called children when they are 2 to 3 years old.

A girl is called a 7-year-old girl. A 7-year-old boy is called Shaonian.

Children under 10 years old are called yellow mouth.

The age of 13 to 15 is called the age of spoon dancing.

The age of 15 to 20 is called the year of the dancing elephant.

A girl is called the golden hairpin year when she is 12 years old.

A girl is called her cardamom age when she is 13 years old.

A girl’s 15-year-old name is the age of hairpins.

The age of 16 is called the Jasper Years;

The age of 20 is called the Peach and Plum Years.

The age of 24 is called the prime of life; when a woman gets married, is she called the vote? The year of plum blossom.

A 20-year-old man is called a weak crown.

Thirty years old is called the age of thirty.

The age of 40 is said to be the age of no doubt.

The age of 50 is called the age of destiny.

The age of 60 is called the age of sixty or the age of ears.

The age of 70 is called the age of seventy.

The age of 80 is called the year of the Zang Dynasty.

80 to 90 years old? Years of age, years of age.

Happy 100th year.

In addition, childhood is also called Zongjiao or Chuibi, teenagers are called bundled hair, women waiting to be married are called zai nian or zaizi, old age is called haoshou or white head, long-lived old people are called yellow hair, etc. .

Social terms and terms of friendship

When meeting for the first time, say "Jiu Yang"; when waiting for a guest, use "Kingwai";

When the other party writes a letter, say "Huishu"; when inviting someone Use "please" to help;

Use "please" to ask someone to do something; use "enlightenment" to ask for advice;

Use "excellent" to praise someone's opinion; use "forgiveness" to ask for forgiveness. ;

When asking about an old person's age, "longevity" is used; when guests arrive, "come" is used;

To say farewell to someone, "farewell" is used; when visiting others, "visit" is used;

Don't use "stay" to ask someone to send you something; say "bother" to trouble others;

Use "borrow light" to ask for convenience; use "ask for advice" to ask for advice;

Welcome to buy It’s called “patronize”; it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, it’s called “long time no see”;

It’s called “compensation” for leaving in the middle of the way; it’s called “xiuzheng” when giving a work as a gift.

Polite names among relatives and friends

Parents are called Gaotang, Chunxuan, Shuangshang, and Benzi.

Parents are called father, family strict; mother, family loving.

When the father passed away, he was called: "Xianfu, Xianyan, Xiankao".

After the death of the mother, she is called: late mother, first loving wife, and first heir.

Brothers and sisters call themselves brother, brother, sister, or sister.

Brothers are called Kunzhong and Sizu.

Husband and wife are called husband and wife, spouse, and partner.

The names of deceased peers are: deceased brother, deceased brother, deceased sister, deceased wife.

Other people’s parents call them: Your Majesty, Your Majesty.

Although brothers and sisters are called: brother and sister.

Although people's children are called: son and daughter.

The wife’s father is called: father-in-law, father-in-law, Taishan.

Other people’s families are called: Fushang, Zunfu.

The name of my family: Humble House, House, and Thatched Cottage.

Men and women are collectively called men: men are called men, and women are called women.

The death of five parties in a couple means: widowed.

Teacher is called: mentor, master.

Students are called: disciples, students.

The school is called: Hanchuang, Jichuang.

Classmates are called classmates.

A small collection of ancient age titles

Infancy: less than one year old.

Children: Two to three years old.

The first and sixth years: a girl is seven years old.

The beginning of the year: the boy is eight years old.

Explanation: According to physiological conditions, boys change their teeth at the age of eight and girls at the age of seven. They lose their deciduous teeth and grow permanent teeth. This time is called "nian", "nian" or "nian".

General angle: a general term for childhood.

The year of hanging bun: refers to children. (In ancient times, children had droopy hair, which was extended to refer to minors.)

Huangkou: under ten years old.

Kindergarten: Ten years old. ("Book of Rites·Qu Lishang": "The ten years of life are called childhood and learning." Because there is no punctuation in ancient writing, people intercepted the word "Young Learning" as the name for ten years old.)

Jin Chai Year: The girl is twelve years old.

Cardamom Years: The woman is thirteen years old.

Zhixue: Fifteen years old. (The Analects of Confucius: Confucius said: "I am fifteen years old and determined to learn...")

Hairpin: The woman is fifteen years old. ("Book of Rites·Nei Principles": "A woman will have her hair tied in fifteen years.")

The year of the jasper, the year of breaking the melon: the woman is sixteen years old. (In the old days, literati used the word "melon" as the year of twenty-eight, meaning sixteen years old. It was mostly used for women.)

Weak crown: twenty years old. ("Book of Rites·Qu Li 1": "Twenty means weak crown.")

Peach and Plum Years: A woman is twenty years old.

Flowery Years: The woman is twenty-four years old.

Erli: Thirty years old.

Buhuo: Forty years old.

Destiny: Fifty years old.

(The Analects of Confucius: Confucius said: "When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn; when I was thirty, I stood firm; when I was forty, I was not confused; when I was fifty, I knew the destiny of heaven; when I was sixty, my ears were obedient; when I was seventy, I followed my heart's desires without going beyond the rules.")

The year when you know something wrong: fifty years old. ("Huainanzi·Yuan Daoxun": "Boyu was fifty years old, but forty-nine years were not." It is said that there was a boyyu in the Spring and Autumn Period of Weiguo. He kept reflecting on himself. When he was fifty years old, he knew that he had forty-nine years before. The mistake in the middle of the year is called "Zhi Fei" by later generations.)

The year of Er Shun and Sixtieth Year: sixty years old. (Since ancient times, our country has used heavenly stems and earthly branches to combine with each other to record the year, which can form sixty pairs of stems and branches, so it is called "Sixty Stems and Branches" or "Sixty Years of Flowers", so the age of sixty is also called the "Year of the Sixty Years".)

Ancient seventy years old: seventy years old. (Du Fu's "Two Poems on Qujiang": "Drinking debts are commonplace, but rare in seventy years of life.")

Old age: eighty or ninety years old. ("Book of Rites·Quli": "Eighty-nine-year-old is called an old man." Based on this explanation, people use the two characters together to refer to eighty-year-old and ninety-year-old people.)

Qiyi: a hundred-year-old person . ("Book of Rites·Quli": "One hundred years is called Qi Yi." It means that life lasts for hundreds of years, so one hundred years is called "the year of Qi Yi." Chen Hao, a man of the Yuan Dynasty, explained: "A life span lasts for one hundred years, so it is called "The Year of Qi Yi". period; food, daily life, and moving people all need to be nourished, so it is called Yi")

Men and women are collectively called: men are called men, and women are called women.

The death of five parties in a couple means: widowed.

Teacher is called: mentor, master.

Students are called: disciples, students.