Chinese honorifics are words and phrases that indicate social respect or deference in the spoken or written language. Especially before the twentieth century, the language used among friends would be very different from that used among strangers such as merchants. Although most Chinese honorifics have fallen out of street use since the end of Imperial China, they can still be understood, and indeed occasionally used, by most contemporary Chinese speakers. This is partly attributable to the popularity of Chinese historical novels and television dramas, which often employ language from the classical periods. In general, language referring to oneself exhibits self-deprecating humbleness, while language referring to others shows approval and respect. Honorific language in Chinese was often achieved by using honorific alternatives, prefixing or suffixing a word with a polite complement, or simply by dropping casual-sounding words.
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Example
The sentence above is a perfectly acceptable question when addressing others of equal or lower status. In normal conversation, the extent of making it more polite might be to preface it with a 请 (qǐng, "please"), accommodated by a 问 (wèn, "ask") as it is a question. However, if the addressee is of higher status or the person asking the question wants to show more respect, several changes may occur:
- The sentence begins with 请 (lit. "invite", "request")
- The sentence includes the interrogative verb 問 or 问 (wèn, "ask") to accommodate this more formal sense of qǐng
- The regular second-person pronoun 你 (nǐ, "you") is replaced by the honorific second-person pronoun 您 (nín, "you" [cherished])
- The honorific adjective or prefix 貴 or 贵 (guì, lit. "expensive", "valuable") is added before 姓 (xìng, "last name") to compliment the addressee
- The interrogative pronoun 甚麼 or 什么 (shénme, "what") is dropped entirely as the structure of the sentence changes
The resulting sentence
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. Note that many of these terms became obsolete after the end of the Qing dynasty or were deprecated during the Cultural Revolution and are no longer used.
Referring to oneself
When referring to oneself, the first-person pronoun was to be avoided in most situations. Persons of lower status—including slaves, children, and youths—were not to use it when speaking to those of higher status, while those of higher status—including lords, parents, and elders—frequently avoided it as a display of humility and virtue. Instead, a third-person descriptor was used, which varied according to the situation.
Referring to oneself in the third-person could be used arrogantly as well, to assert one's superiority or even dominance over one's audience. This was most common in the imperial middle management – the imperial consorts, the army, and the imperial bureaucracy – with the emperor instead often describing himself in sorrowful terms out of respect for his deceased father.
Families
Some of the following are still in use today in various Chinese dialects.
Addressing or referring to others
The same concept of hierarchical speech and etiquette affects terms of address towards others as well as oneself. In most cases in modern Chinese, politeness can be expressed by replacing the standard second-person pronoun 你 (nǐ, "you") with its polite form 您 (nǐn, "you" [cherished]).
In a historical context (and in some modern contexts), the audience's title or profession is used in place of the historic second-person pronouns 爾 and 尔 (ěr, "you") or the modern 你. In other cases, there might be specific alternatives to be employed instead. Below are examples of proper substitutes:
Important people
The following are commonly used today.
By titles:
The addressee's family members
The following terms are still in use today:
The deceased
The following are commonly found in spiritual tablets and gravestones:
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:
Pejorative slang
It has been a tradition for many years in China to address oneself colloquially using these pronouns in place of "I" to indicate contempt for the listener, to assert the superiority of oneself, or when teasing:
When used towards a person less well known or on formal occasions, both terms are considered to be incredibly rude, and are usually used to purposely disgrace the addressee; however, it is less of an issue when spoken among close friends, though even some friends might still be offended by their use.