User:Mat0329Lo/Honorifics

Chinese honorifics and honorific language (，，，，) are words, word constructs, and expressions in the Chinese language that convey self-deprecation, social respect, politeness, or deference. Once ubiquitously employed in ancient China, a large percent has fallen out of use in the contemporary Chinese lexicon. The promotion of vernacular Chinese during the New Culture Movement (新文化運動 or 五四文化運動) of the 1910s and 1920s in China further hastened the demise of a large body of Chinese honorifics previously preserved in the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Chinese.

Although Chinese honorifics have simplified to a large degree, contemporary Chinese still retains a sizable set of honorifics. Many of the classical constructs are also occasionally employed by contemporary speakers to convey formality, humility, politeness or respect. Usage of classical Chinese honorifics is also found frequently in contemporary Chinese literature and television or cinematic productions that are set in the historical periods. Honorific language in Chinese is achieved by using honorific or beautifying alternatives, prefixing or suffixing a word with a polite complement, or by dropping casual-sounding words. In general, language referring to oneself exhibits self-deprecating humbleness - called ("humble language"), while language referring to others shows approval and respect - called  ("respectful language"). Other types of honorific language include ("indirect language"),  ("courteous language"), and  ("elegant language") that are often used to convey a sense of respect, courtesy, or elegance.

Because of its official status as the common language of China, Mandarin Chinese is used herein synonymously with the term "contemporary Chinese". Variations in usage and grammar exist in the numerous modern Chinese dialects.

Introduction
The term 知書達禮 (Literally -- one who knows the books and achieves proper mannerism) has been used to praise and characterize those of high academic and moral accomplishments and those of proper manner and conduct. Using the proper honorific or humble forms of address and other parts of speech toward oneself and toward others is an important element or requirement in the proper observation of 禮儀 (lǐyí, etiquette, formality, and rite). Honorific parts of speech include pronoun substitutes, modified nouns, proper nouns, and pronouns, modified verbs, honorific adjectives, honorific 成語 (chéngyǔ, "canned phrases/idioms"), and honorific alternatives for other neutral or deprecating words.

In ancient China, myriad humble and respectful forms of address, in lieu of personal pronouns and names, were used for various social relationships and situations. The choice of a pronoun substitute was often in adherence to the concepts of (Lit. above-beneath / superior-subordinate, “social hierarchy”),  (Lit. worthy-worthless, "social class"), and  ("seniority") or  for short.

Social hierarchy and class
In the Confucian philosophical classic of " or "Yizhuan - Xici"—a latter day commentary on the book of  or "I Ching' ('"Book of Changes), it is stated "天尊地卑，乾坤定矣. 卑高以陳，貴賤位矣. " -- it was believed in ancient China that both the order of nature, i.e., 天尊地卑 (heaven be above, earth be beneath), and from it the derived order of man, were long predetermined and dictated by the heavens, e.g., 君尊臣卑 (king be above/superior, court officials be beneath/subordinate), 男尊女卑 (man superior, woman subordinate), 夫尊婦卑 (husband superior, wife subordinate), and 父尊子卑 (father superior, son subordinate'') etc. Every king and their subject, every man and woman, every husband and wife, and every father and son, should naturally follow this predetermined order and practice proper and conduct. As a large part of, proper speech was of great importance.

Therefore in speech, among other forms of and social behaviors, the "subordinate"  or "inferior" would employ self-deprecating and humble language towards self and respectful language towards the "superior" as a recognition of their relative places in the "natural" hierarchy. On the other hand, the "superiors" would often also use humble language as a display of humility and virtue. Unsurprisingly, the characters 尊~ and 卑~ also became honorific and humble prefixes, respectively. For example, the humble substitute (this inferior one below) would be used, among other deprecating substitutes, in place of the pronoun "I", and the honorific substitute (the superior one above) would replace the pronoun "you" (later also used for "your parents").

Related to is the concept of. Those with power, money and status were 貴 (worthy, honorable), and those without were 賤 (worthless, despised). These two characters also became the honorific and humble prefixes 貴~ and 賤~. Examples: 貴國 (your honorable country), 貴庚 (your honorable age), 貴姓 (your honorable surname), 貴公司 (your honorable company), and 賤姓 (my unworthy surname), 賤民 (the unworthy and despised commoner), 賤妾 (this unworthy wife of yours), 賤内 (my unworthy wife), etc. 貴~ remains a commonly used honorific prefix to this day.

Seniority
Likewise, those of a junior (i.e.,  or ) would show respect and deference to their  ("senior"),  or  ("elder"), and  ("ancestors"). is not necessarily based on age, for example, a younger person who entered a school or profession before an older person would be considered the. A person who is much younger than his/her nephew in a large extended family would still be a to the nephew. If two people are of the same  (i.e.,  or ), then either experience or age would determine the hierarchy depending on the situation.

Contemporary Chinese mostly abandoned the and  distinctions (especially 卑 and 賤) in its honorific practice, but retains elements of the  distinctions. For example, the suffixes ~ (Lit. elder sister) and ~ (Lit. elder brother) are commonly used by junior people when addressing their seniors. Those of the next higher (i.e., ) acquire the suffixes ~姨，~叔 etc. Those even higher in  receive the suffixes ~婆，~公，~伯 etc. When addressing a  junior, the suffixes ~妹, ~弟 are used. While these suffixes derived from kinship names, they are commonly used between unrelated people. Example: when addressing a group leader at work whose name is ，the less experienced person in the group might call her 芳姐 Fāng-jiě. Because these suffixes have an age connotation, their use and application are not always appropriate. Variations were created such as ~小哥哥 (Lit. little elder brother)， ~小姐姐 (Lit. little elder sister) to soften age connotations. A wrong suffix can also be used intentionally to please or belittle another person. For example, some older women may prefer a ～姨 rather than ～婆 suffix, and a middle age woman may prefer to still be called ~姐 rather than ~姨. When these suffixes are used without a preceding name, or when a name is not complemented by one of these suffixes, the intimacy prefix ~ is often added. is a functional particle without an actual meaning by itself, but when combined with a name (e.g., 阿芳，阿強) or with one of the related suffixes (e.g., 阿哥，阿姨，阿伯，阿婆),  adds a sense of intimacy (i.e., closeness, affection) with the addressed. can be used together with a suffix, e.g., 阿芳姐 (ā-Fāng-jiě)，阿强哥 (ā-Qiáng-gē). Other related honorific modifiers include 老~，大~，小~，~總，~董, see noun complements section below for more details.

Honorific verbs
Like nouns and proper nouns, some Chinese verbs can also be complemented with an honorific modifier. For example, the verbs ("to tell"),  ("to return")， ("to accompany"),  ("to urge")， ("to gift") can be complemented by the honorific prefix ~ (Lit. to offer respectfully) to form the more polite versions 奉告 (I respectfully tell you), 奉還 (I respectfully return to you), 奉陪 (I respectfully accompany you), 奉勸 (I respectfully urge you), and 奉送 (I respectfully gift you). Another example is the honorific prefix ~ (Lit. "look forward to respectfully"), e.g., 恭賀 (I respectfully congratulate you), 恭候 (I respectfully await you), 恭請 (I respectfully invite you)，恭迎 (I respectfully welcome you). The addition of the honorific prefix turns these verbs into a politer version. Unlike adverbs, the prefixes are often verbs themselves, and the compounded honorific verb functions as a single language unit (i.e., a single verb). Other common prefixes for verbs and verb examples are summarized in the verb complements section below.

Grammar
In practice, many of the honorific compound words are used as canned polite word alternatives, rather than being grammatically composed as people speak. There is not a systemic rule in Chinese grammar to alter words (e.g., conjugation or other inflections) for the purpose of increasing speech politeness, though the same effect can often be achieved. However, in letters (，) and official documents, a complex system of honorifics and rule sets exists.

Examples of honorific speech
Example 1:


 * "What is your family name (surname)?"
 * "What is your family name (surname)?"
 * "What is your family name (surname)?"

The sentence above is a perfectly acceptable question when addressing others of equal or lower status (e.g., addressing a junior or a child). To increase politeness, e.g., if the addressee is of higher status or the person asking the question wants to show more respect, several changes may be employed:


 * 1) The honorific prefix 請 ( lit. to request) + verb 問 (to ask) (qǐngwèn, "May I please ask..."; lit. [I] request to ask) may be added
 * 2) The regular second-person pronoun 你 (nǐ, "you") may be replaced by the honorific second-person pronoun 您 (nín, "you" [courteous])
 * 3) The honorific prefix 貴 (guì, lit. "worthy", "honorable") may be added before 姓 (xìng, "family name"); 姓 is used as a verb (i.e., "to have the family name of").
 * 4) If the honorific prefix 貴 is added, the contemporary interrogative pronoun 甚麽 (shénme, "what") is usually dropped.

The resulting sentence:


 * "May I (respectfully) request to ask you (whom I cherish) for your honorable surname?"
 * "May I (respectfully) request to ask you (whom I cherish) for your honorable surname?"
 * "May I (respectfully) request to ask you (whom I cherish) for your honorable surname?"

is more polite and commonly used among people in formal situations.

Example 2:


 * "Miss, how old are you?"
 * "Miss, how old are you?"

The above can be changed to a more polite question by employing the honorific prefix 敢 ( lit. to dare) + verb 問 (to ask) (gǎnwèn, "[May I] dare to ask..."), and honorific prefix 芳 (fāng, lit. fragrant, virtuous, beautiful) + noun 齡 (líng, age).


 * "May I dare to ask for this Miss's age (of fragrance and beauty)?"
 * "May I dare to ask for this Miss's age (of fragrance and beauty)?"
 * "May I dare to ask for this Miss's age (of fragrance and beauty)?"

The second-person pronoun 你 ("you") is substituted entirely by the honorific title 小姐 ("Miss") in this case. This latter way of questioning is more of classical usage, but is still occasionally used in contemporary Chinese. It is also an example of elegant speech.

Categorization
In general, there are several types of honorifics used in the Chinese language as described below.

Respectful language
- Respectful Language employs modified words or substitutes called (Lit. respectful vocabulary) that convey a sense of respect for the addressee. For example:


 * Lit. the beautiful and beloved -- Your daughter; the honorific prefix 令~ replaces the pronoun "your".
 * : Lit. the beautiful one who is worth a thousand gold -- Your daughter.
 * Lit. the highly valued precious banner—Your business; the honorific prefix 貴~ replaces the pronoun "your", and the prefix 寳~ modifies 號 to form an honorific substitute for someone's business.

Humble language
- Humble Language employs modified words or substitutes called (Lit. humble vocabulary) that convey a sense of self-deprecation and humility for the speaker. For example:


 * : Lit. this one who is beneath you -- used as pronoun "I"
 * : Lit. Humble and Insignificant Residence -- my home
 * Lit. the worthless despised one inside—my wife

Indirect language
- Indirect Language employs words called (Lit. indirect vocabulary - e.g., euphemisms) that are used to hide or beautify an otherwise unfortunate event or action. For example:


 * : Lit. return to heaven -- to have died
 * Lit. to hang colorful decorations—to have been shot
 * Lit. destined/mortal enemies—often used to mean lovers

Courteous language
- Courteous Language employs specific words or phrases that have courteous and praising connotations intended to flatter the addressee. For example:


 * : Lit. dare not climb up high to you -- I dare not compare myself to you
 * : Lit. long admired big name -- I've known and admired you for a long time; used when meeting someone you've heard of (not necessarily admired).
 * : Lit. lift up high honorable hand -- Please be magnanimous and don't hurt me (i.e., stop doing what you intend to do to me)

Elegant language
- Elegant Language employs elegant or beautiful expressions and words in lieu of everyday casual words and phrases to describe people, objects, actions or concepts. It is often used on occasions where casual language may be inappropriate. Due to the lack of equivalent expressions in English, the translated phrases often do not convey the same sense of beauty or elegance. Examples:


 * Lit. red face / know self—beautiful beloved girlfriend ("red" refers to the make up or the natural color on a beautiful young woman's face; "know self" means someone who knows one well as in the close friendship between lovers). Compared to the casual alternative: 情人 or 女朋友 (lover / girlfriend)
 * Lit please use tea—please have some tea. Compared to the casual alternative: 喝茶吧 (Lit. "drink tea")
 * Lit. please take your time to use—please enjoy [your meal]. Compared to the casual alternative: 你们慢慢吃 (Lit. "you guys eat slowly")
 * Lit. please on my behalf beautify some of your language—please say something nice about me/my situation in front of... Compared to the casual alternative: 幫我說幾句好話啊 (Lit. "help me say some good words")

Honorific and humble forms of address
(respectful vocabulary) and (humble vocabulary) are frequently found in the various forms of address in the Chinese language. Below is a collection of the better known honorific forms of address that have been used at one time or another in the Chinese lexicon. Although many are obsolete in usage, most remain relevant in contemporary literature and in the understanding of the Chinese language. Pronunciations given are those of today's Mandarin Chinese. Because of the vast number and complexity, the list provided is intended for reference rather than completeness.

First-person
When referring to oneself in ancient China, people avoided first-person pronouns ("I", "me", "we", and "us"). 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 dominance over one's audience. This was most common in the imperial middle management – the imperial consorts, the military, and the imperial bureaucracy (e.g., 本官，本將軍，本宮，本大爺), with the emperor instead often describing himself in sorrowful terms out of respect for his deceased father (e.g., 孤王 "This Orphaned King"，寡人 "This Lonesome Man").

For the same reasons, and to a much lesser degree, the first-person pronouns are sometimes avoided also in contemporary usage. Often, the generic self-referencing prefix 本~，该~， or a humble / self-deprecating prefix such as 敝~ is used with a third-person descriptor, for example: 本人是来自甲公司的，敝公司想跟您做个访问. -- Literally, "This person is from company A, this unkempt company would like to do an interview with you." translated to "I am from company A, we would like to do an interview with you."

Provided below are some first-person honorific substitutes and usages. Their relevancy (i.e., contemporary vs. classical) and gender association are also indicated. Plurals ("we", "us") in classical Chinese are formed by the suffixes ~等 or ~众人 etc., and in contemporary Chinese by ~们. A "classical usage" designation does not preclude usage in contemporary speech or writing, as contemporary Chinese often incorporates classical elements, though it is much less likely to be seen or used in the contemporary context.

Commoners and the humble
The following directly replace the pronoun "I" in usage by commoners or people of low social status. Example: rather than 吾(我)以為此方不可 - "I think this idea will not work" one would say 愚以為此方不可 - "This unintelligent one thinks this idea will not work."

Royalty
The following directly replace the first person pronoun "I" in usage by the royalty. For kings and emperors, gender is assumed to be male for simplicity, because the overwhelming majority of Chinese kings and emperors were men, with only a few exceptions. Sometimes the generic self-referencing prefix 本~ was used with the speaker's title. For example, 本贵人.

Government and military
The following directly replace the first person pronoun "I" in usage by government and military officials.

Elderly
The following directly replace the first person pronoun "I" in usage by the elderly.

Academia and religion
The following directly replace the first person pronoun "I" in usage by scholars and monks.

Pejorative slang
In some parts of China, the following are used in place of "I" to indicate contempt for the listener, to assert the superiority of oneself, or when teasing:


 * 老子 (Lǎozi, not to be confused with Laozi the philosopher, written the same way): I, your dad (referring to oneself as superior)
 * 爺·爷 (Yé): I, your lord. Used in parts of Northern China
 * 恁父 (Hokkien: lín-pē): I, your dad (referring to oneself as superior).
 * 姑奶奶 (Gūnǎinai): lit. great-aunt. Also used to disparage a woman seen as self-aggrandizing.

When used towards a person less well known or on formal occasions, these 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.

First-person possessive
Similarly, the possessive case "my" and "our" are avoided by virtue of being associated to the humble self. This is often achieved by a humble or self-deprecating prefix, while in other cases by an honorific substitute as described below.

Referring to own family
Humble substitutes are used by people when referring to their own family or family members, and replace terms such as my/our family, my wife, my husband, my/our father, my/our mother, my/our son, my/our daughter etc.

Referring to own affiliations
The generic self-referencing prefix 本~ or humble prefix 敝~ is prepended to the speaker's affiliated organization to form an honorific. For example, 敝校 ("our school"), 敝公司 ("our company"), and 本單位("our unit") are used instead of a plural pronoun (E.g. 我們- in 我們學校，我們公司).

Ceremonial
The following are commonly found in spiritual tablets and gravestones for family members.

Second-person and third-person
The same concept of hierarchical speech and etiquette affects terms of address towards others. Often, the same honorific substitutes can be used for both second-person and third-person.

In contemporary Chinese (both spoken and written), the second-person singular pronoun 你 (nǐ, "you") can be substituted with its polite form 您 (nǐn, "you" [cherished]) to express politeness. In some cases, the addressee's profession or title can be used. In others, specific honorific substitutes are used, e.g., 閣下 (Lit. beneath your pavilion) is used instead of the pronoun "you" to show respect. Historically, many other honorific usages existed.

In contemporary usage, the pronouns 你/您，你們，他/她，and 他/她們 are sometimes appended redundantly to the honorific substitute. For example, when saying 請閣下您慢走, 您 is optionally inserted after 閣下. This is likely out of a contemporary habit to use actual pronouns in speech.

Provided below are some of the better known second-person or third-person honorific substitutes and usages.

Royalty
The following were honorifics used when people addressed the Royalty in ancient China. Often, imperial titles were also used as pronoun substitutes. For example, the emperor may address the empress by her title 皇后. A royal servant may address a princess as 公主. Not all royal titles are listed.

Government and military
The following were used when addressing government and military officials. Often, their title (e.g., 丞相，将军) can be used alone or as a suffix after their family name to form an honorific.

Acquaintances and friends
The following honorifics are used to address acquaintances or friends.

Family members
The following are used between family members. Also see Familial Honorifics section below.

Second- and third-person possessive
Similarly, the possessive case "your" is avoided. This is often achieved by the honorific prefixes 令~, 尊~, 贤~, 贵~ as described below.

Referring to addressee's family
The following honorifics are used to show respect when referencing the addressee's family members.

Social relationships
The honorific prefixes 贵~ and 宝~ are often used.

Honorific titles
Often, the addressee's profession or title (or as a suffix after their name) is used as an honorific form of address. Below are some common titles.

Noun and proper noun complements
Below is a list of common honorific prefixes and suffixes used with nouns and proper nouns to show intimacy, humility, honor, or respect. Some may have shown up in pronoun discussions. While noun modifiers are technically adjectives, honorific prefixes/suffixes are different from normal adjectives in that they become part of the noun in usage, and the meaning of the modifying prefix/suffix is usually not taken literally - only added functionally to show respect or humility. Because Chinese words are usually formed also by combining multiple root characters (each with a literal meaning), it is not always immediately apparent when using a polite version of a word that an honorific modifier is in use.

Verb complements
Similar to nouns, verbs can be complemented with honorific prefixes to form more polite versions. Below are some examples.

Other honorifics
There are innumerable words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) in the Chinese language with specific humble, respectful, or beautifying honorific connotations, in addition to the base meaning of the word. It is not possible to catalog them all, but some additional examples are provided in this section. These words are often used in lieu of a bland, neutral, or deprecating alternative to show deference, respect, or elegance. Just like with Chinese 成语 (chéngyǔ, "canned phrases/idioms"), it is often difficult to translate these words into English or another language, because it would require an elaborate explanation of the meaning, metaphors, and nuances captured succinctly in the Chinese honorific equivalent.

Respectful language
Additional examples:


 * 衛冕 verb: honorific to describe when someone is able to retain first ranking in a competition
 * 駕臨 verb: honorific that describes someone's visit, e.g., 恭候大驾光临
 * 名諱 noun: respectful version of the word "name", used with names of respected people
 * 璧謝 verb: honorific for returning a gift and offering thanks
 * 斧正 verb: used to ask someone to correct one's writing
 * 借重 verb: leverage someone else's ability to help oneself
 * 鼻祖 noun: honorific for pioneers in a field
 * 高足 noun: honorific for someone's disciple
 * 鼎力 adverb: indicate to someone they have your full support

Humble language
Additional examples:


 * 承乏 verb: humble word indicating you took a position only because it hasn't been filled by someone more qualified yet
 * 綿薄 adjective: humble word to describe the help you offer someone
 * 陋见, 浅见 noun: humble way to describe one's opinion
 * 错爱 noun: humble way to describe how someone has been taking care of oneself. e.g., 承蒙错爱
 * 刍议 noun: self-deprecating description of one's words
 * 斗胆 adjective: self-deprecating descriptor used as a warning when someone is about to do or say something out of line/expectation, unreasonable, or out of the norm
 * 聊供补壁: Lit. offer a painting that's only worthy of being used to patch your walls—humble way to gift a painting
 * 涂鸦 verb: humble way to describe one's painting skill. (Lit. like a child's spilled ink looking like a crow “忽来案上翻墨汁，涂抹诗书如老鸦")
 * 急就章 noun: humble way to describe one-self's work was completed in haste and lacks thought

Indirect language
Additional examples:


 * 作古、歸天、歸西、魂游地府、永眠、長眠、含笑九泉、無常、仙逝: Lit. became ancient, returned to heaven, soul wandered to the underworld, eternal sleep, entered Nine Springs with a smile, heavenly exit, etc. -- various expressions to describe someone's passing
 * 掛花、掛彩: Lit. hang the flowers / hang the decors -- gun shot wound
 * 升遐、驾崩、崩殂、大行: Lit. risen to faraway land / procession broken etc. -- various expressions for a king or emperor's death (classical usage)
 * 坐化、圓寂、涅盤: Lit. changed/ascended while seated, attained perfection eliminated impurity, Nirvāṇa, etc—death of a monk/nun
 * 乞骸骨: Lit. beg for the skeleton—retirement request for old government officials (classical usage)
 * 見背: Lit. see back --- death of family elders (classical usage)
 * 頓首: Lit. to stamp the ground with head—kowtow (used in letters; classical usage)
 * 千古: Lit. lasts a thousand years—in remembrance of the dead
 * 冤家: Lit. destined/mortal enemies—lovers
 * 棄養: Lit. given up to raise—parents passed away (classical usage)
 * 抱恙: Lit. holding ailments—sick
 * 龙体违和: Lit. dragon's body broke harmony—the king is sick (classical usage)
 * 薄命: Lit. thin life—died young
 * 百年归老: Lit. return to old place at 100 years—used when talking about people's eventual death through aging

Courteous language
Additional examples:


 * 勞駕：Lit. to labor your procession - used when asking someone for a favor / trouble someone for something
 * 包涵：Lit. to contain [my mistakes] - used when asking someone for forgiveness.
 * 借光：Lit. borrow light - used to mean benefited by association to another person; now it can mean excuse me.
 * 賜教：Lit. bestow teaching upon - when asking someone to teach you something (from the other's perspective)
 * 领教: Lit. receive teaching - when asking someone to teach you something (from own perspective)
 * 久違：Lit. long time apart - said courteously when you haven't seen someone in a long time
 * 久仰：Lit. admired for a long time - said courteously when meeting someone you've heard of
 * 托福：Lit. by your fortune - a thankful expression indicating one's attainment/accomplishment of something is due to another person
 * 赏脸：Lit. give face - used when asking someone to be a guest
 * 关照: Lit. port / gate visa - when asking someone to look after you / your business
 * 不吝指教：Lit. not be stingy about passing knowledge - used when asking someone to teach something
 * 恕不遠送：Lit. forgive me for not walking/accompanying you far - used when the host is sending their guests away
 * 洗耳恭聽：Lit. cleaned ears to listen - prepared to listen attentively to you
 * 不足掛齒：Lit. not enough to hang on your teeth - often used to humbly minimize the significance of one's help towards others
 * 借花獻佛：Lit. borrow flower to gift to Buddha - often used to describe one's merely re-gifting a gift; implies no need to put too much significance on the gift

Elegant language
Additional examples:


 * 金蘭: Lit. gold orchid - used to describe sworn/god-brothers and sworn/god-sisters; metaphor implies the tight bond between sworn brothers/sisters is like a sharp sword able to break gold, and their aligned speech/opinion is fragrant to the senses like orchid.
 * 芳名: Lit. fragrant / beautiful name - elegant alternative for the word "name" for a young female
 * 千秋: Lit. thousand Autumns - elegant word for birthday
 * 请留步: Lit. please stay your steps - used to tell someone they don't need to accompany you further (e.g., guests tell host upon leaving)
 * 请用膳: Lit. please use meal - used to tell patrons or guests to eat
 * 小便: Lit. little convenience - to take a leak
 * 大便: Lit. big convenience - to take a dump
 * 耳目一新: Lit. ears and eyes refreshed - describes encountering something new and interesting

"to separate": elegant ways to describe various types of separations (i.e., bidding farewell) using the word 别. The sense of elegance / beauty for these words is not translatable, so they are not translated here.


 * 告别, 握别, 揖别, 挥别, 吻别, 拜别, 饯别, 谢别, 赠别, 留别, 送别, 抛别, 惜别, 恋别, 阔别, 长别, 永别, 诀别

"brush / pen": elegant ways to describe various situations related to writing/painting, literature and work of art using the word 笔 as a metaphor.


 * 动笔, 命笔, 逸笔, 辍笔, 赘笔, 亲笔, 谨笔, 代笔, 草笔, 文笔, 御笔, 随笔, 闲笔, 余笔, 工笔, 润笔, 歪笔, 执笔, 妙笔, 练笔, 伏笔

Familial honorifics
Some familial honorifics and examples were described in the sections above. This section consolidates the common contemporary familial prefixes and suffixes; some usages may be regional. Also see article on Chinese Kinship.

Addressing own family members:

~: elders / intimacy


 * Elderly: 老爷, 老爷子, 老奶奶; these are less used
 * Parents: 老爸, 老妈, 老头(儿); the suffix ~子 is used in some regions of China: 老头子，老妈子
 * Husband and wife: 老公, 老婆

~: intimacy


 * Grandparents: 阿公，阿婆，阿嫲
 * Parents: 阿爸，阿妈
 * Siblings: 阿哥，阿姐，阿妹; note: 阿弟 is less used

~: usually reserved for the eldest sibling and eldest uncle/aunt; In classical Chinese ~ was also used: 长兄，长嫂，长姐 etc.


 * Uncles and aunts: 大伯(父)，大姨(妈)，大姑母(妈)
 * Wife of elder brother: 大嫂
 * Elder siblings: 大哥，大姐

~: diminutive for youngsters


 * Youngsters in the family: 小明，小芳; In classical Chinese the ~ suffix was used: 明儿，芳儿
 * Younger sister: 小妹; note: 小弟 is usually not used towards own family member

~: regional usage


 * Elder sister: 家姐 (Cantonese)
 * Sister in law: 家嫂 (Cantonese)

Referring to own family members in front of others:

~: less used in contemporary speech; used more in formal writing.


 * My grandfather: 家祖父
 * My grandmother: 家祖母
 * My father: 家父，家严
 * My mother: 家母，家慈
 * My uncle: 家叔, 家舅
 * My elder brother: 家兄
 * My elder sister: 家姐

~: mostly only used in formal writing now.


 * My relative: 舍亲
 * My younger brother: 舍弟
 * My younger sister: 舍妹
 * My nephew: 舍侄; rare

Referring to another person's family members:

~: less used in contemporary speech; used more in formal writing


 * Your relative: 令亲
 * Your father: 令尊(翁) (still popular)，令严
 * Your mother: 令(寿)堂 (still popular)，令慈
 * Your siblings: 令兄，令弟，令妹; 令姐 is not used
 * Your wife: 令夫人
 * Your son: 令郎，令公子 (still popular)
 * Your daughter: 令爱/嫒，令千金 (still popular)

~: used in social correspondence; sometimes in speech for formality


 * Your children: 贵子弟，贵子女
 * Your parents: 贵家长
 * Your wife: 贵夫人
 * Your husband: 贵丈夫；rare

~: mostly obsolete in speech as a familial honorific prefix


 * Your wife: 尊夫人; sometimes in speech for formality

Salutations
Salutation is used at the beginning of a speech or a letter to address the audience or recipient(s). Below are a few examples in contemporary Chinese:


 * / : Dear (beloved)
 * Revered
 * / : Dear esteemed
 * / : Dear exalted / dignified

Honorifics in letters and official documents
Chinese letter writing, especially in Classical Chinese, employs a highly complex system of unique honorifics and honorific rule sets.