Chinese titles
Encyclopedia
In Mainland China
, Hong Kong
, Macau
, Taiwan
, Singapore
, and other Chinese-speaking
societies around the world, an honorific
title is attached after the family name
of an individual when addressing that person. Aside from addressing colleagues or family of equal or lesser rank, it is considered impolite to refer to others by their name only.
The use of the term equivalent of "doctor
" (博士, bóshì) is less common in Chinese as it is in English. The term boshi is used both as a honorific title and a name for the degree. Like in English, holders of a doctorate can have the title added to the end of their names, but use of the undistinguishing xiānshēng or nǚshì (or professional titles such as jiàoshòu) is much more prevalent.
pronunciation which is the national language in China. In the West, the titles are more commonly known by their Cantonese pronunciation which are given in brackets.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and other Chinese-speaking
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
societies around the world, an honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
title is attached after the family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
of an individual when addressing that person. Aside from addressing colleagues or family of equal or lesser rank, it is considered impolite to refer to others by their name only.
Honorific titles
The most common honorific titles are similar to the English Mr, Sir, Mrs, Ms, Miss, Madam, etc. The Chinese titles, unlike in English, always follow the name of the person and can stand alone.Men
- Xiānshēng 先生 (born first, Mr., Sir.): This is a term commonly used as a respectful form of address for all men and male law enforcement officials. Originally it was reserved for teachers and other professionals such as doctors and lawyers, but its use widened during the Republic of ChinaRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
era to include all male members of society. It can either follow the surname or the given names (or courtesy name). In common speech, the former is more common (e.g. Mister Jiang is 蔣先生, Jiǎng xiānshēng), but in formal contexts, the given names are often used as if they were the two character courtesy name (e.g. Chiang Ching-kuoChiang Ching-kuoChiang Ching-kuo , Kuomintang politician and leader, was the son of President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China...
is Mister Ching-kuo: 經國先生, Jīngguó xiānshēng). This can be combined with formal titles to indicate even more respect (e.g. Chiang Ching-kuo can also be referred to as President Chiang, Mister Ching-kuo 蔣總統經國先生, Jiǎng zǒngtǒng, Jīngguó xiānshēng). It is the same as senseiSensei' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
in Japanese, though its use is much less restrictive, more like how san would be used in Japanese. It is also used as a title for a man of respected stature.
- Gōng 公 (lord, literally duke): Today, this respectful honorific is mainly applied to deceased male relatives. In imperial times, it was a title of nobilityChinese nobilityChinese sovereignty and peerage, the nobility of China, were an important feature of traditional social and political organization of Imperial China. While the concepts of hereditary sovereign and peerage titles and noble families were featured as early as the semi-mythical, early historical...
equivalent to dukeDukeA duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
(e.g. the head descendant of ConfuciusConfuciusConfucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
was normally appointed the Duke Kung 孔公, Kǒng gōng). Whenever it is used, it always follows the surname of the person being referred to (e.g. Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
is posthumously known in Taiwan as the Lord Chiang 蔣公, Jiǎng gōng).
Women
- Xiǎojiě 小姐 (little woman), Miss: This honorific is used to refer to young and unmarried women. It follows the surname of the woman or can be used alone as a title of address. Today, however, it could be associated as a slang term for "prostitute" or in restaurants addressing waitresses, by means of verbal inflections of tone or other indications.
- Tàitai 太太 (Madam): This honorific is used to refer to married women. It is added after the surname of the husband or can be used alone as a title of address. It is used in familial and personal relations, but completely absent in formal business contexts since it emphasizes age and marital bond.
- Nǚshì 女士 (Ms.): This title follows a woman's name. The use of this honorific has grown in popularity in the late 20th century, since it is age and marital status independent and does not connote that women are inferior to men. It is always the preferred term in more formal contexts, especially if the age or marital status of the person being noted is not known.
- Fūrén 夫人 (Madame; Mrs.): Traditionally used to refer to a lady of high rank, the term has fallen into disuse since the late 20th century except in formal contexts, e.g. President Hu JintaoHu JintaoHu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and Mrs. Hu are "胡锦涛主席和夫人", Hú Jǐntāo zhǔxí hé fūrén (but contemporary custom dictates that Mrs. Hu is never Madame Hu Jintao "胡锦涛夫人" Hú Jǐntāo fūrén), or to translate women's names derived from the surname of their husbands, e.g. Mrs. ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
is "撒切尔夫人", sǎqiē'ěr fūrén). It is used following the husband's full name or surname, or can be used as title on its own (e.g. Madame Chiang is 蔣夫人, Jiǎng fūrén). It can also be used to address female law enforcement officials.
Occupational titles
Chinese people often address professionals in formal situations by their occupational titles. These titles can either follow the surname (or full name) of the person in reference, or it can stand alone either as a form of address or if the person being referred to is unambiguous without the added surname.Academia
- Lăoshī 老師 (old master), when addressing a teacher.
- Xiàozhăng 校長 (school senior), when addressing the school headmaster or principal. Chinese does not have specific titles for heads of universities (e.g. ChancellorChancellorChancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
, RectorRectorThe word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, or PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
), so this term is applied in higher education as well. Generally, the word zhăng (長) is added to an institutional name to refer to the leader of that institution.
- Jiàoshòu 教授 (instruct confer; confer instruction), when addressing a professor.
- Xiānshēng 先生 (born before) historical, no longer used
The use of the term equivalent of "doctor
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
" (博士, bóshì) is less common in Chinese as it is in English. The term boshi is used both as a honorific title and a name for the degree. Like in English, holders of a doctorate can have the title added to the end of their names, but use of the undistinguishing xiānshēng or nǚshì (or professional titles such as jiàoshòu) is much more prevalent.
Government and politics
- Tóngzhì 同志 (comrade): This term is commonly used by political party members to address each other. Its use expanded to all segments of society during the rule of Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. It is still used by leaders of the Communist Party of ChinaCommunist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
on formal occasions, and to a much lesser degree, leaders of the KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
.
- Wěiyuán 委員 (delegate): This term can be used to refer to any member of a committee or council. This was especially prevalent in the system of party and state committees the KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
used to govern China in the 1930s and 1940s. The Communist Party of China also operates under a system of parallel committees, but prefer the more proletarian term tóngzhì (e.g. members of the Legislative YuanLegislative YuanThe Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
are all addressed as lifa weiyuan, legislative delegates, and individually as surname+weiyuan or more formally surname+wěiyuán+given name+nushi/xiansheng).
- Zhǔxí 主席 (chairman): Leaders of certain organizations such as political parties use this title. Notably, it applied to Chairman Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
who was referred to as Máo Zhǔxí as Chairman of the Communist Party of ChinaChairman of the Communist Party of ChinaThe Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was the head of the Communist Party of China . In 1982, it was succeeded by the General Secretary of the Central Committee.-History and functions:...
.
Medicine
- Yīshēng 醫生 (medical scholar), most commonly used when addressing a doctor; used for practitioners of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine.
- Yīshī 醫師 (medical master), is a more formal title when addressing a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.
- Dàifū 大夫 (great man), an older title used to address high officials in ancient times, now used colloquially when addressing a doctor.
- Xiānshēng 先生 (born before) historical, no longer used.
Martial arts
A list of titles when addressing a martial arts master . The titles below are listed by the MandarinStandard Chinese
Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
pronunciation which is the national language in China. In the West, the titles are more commonly known by their Cantonese pronunciation which are given in brackets.
- Shīfu (Sifu) 師父 (teacher father), used when addressing one's own martial arts instructor. But can also be used for teacher/instructors of other kind.
- Shīgōng (Sigung) 師公 (teacher grandfather), used when addressing the teacher of one's Shifu.
- Shīmǔ (Simo) 師母 (teacher mother), used when addressing the wife of Shifu.
- Zōngshī 宗師 (ancestral teacher), technically the founder of a discipline or branch (宗派), used when addressing a great master.
See also
- Chinese honorificsChinese honorificsChinese honorifics were developed due to class consciousness and Confucian principles of order and respect in Ancient and Imperial China. The Chinese polite language also affects Japanese honorifics conceptually; both emphasized the idea of classes and in-group vs. out-group. So the language used...
- Chinese pronounsChinese pronounsChinese pronouns differ somewhat from their English counterparts. For instance, there is no differentiation between "he", "she" and "it", though a written difference was introduced after contact with the West, and with the exception of the reflexive self, pronouns remain the same whether they are...
- Japanese honorificsJapanese honorificsThe Japanese language has many honorifics, parts of speech which show respect, and their use is mandatory in many social situations. Honorifics in Japanese may be used to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize social intimacy or similarity in rank.The system of honorifics...
- Family name
- Chinese nameChinese namePersonal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"...