Learn about Chinese honorifics
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Intro |
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| Michael: Does Chinese have honorifics? |
| Dehua: And how do you speak politely in Chinese? |
| Michael: At ChineseClass101.com, we hear these questions often. In this scenario, Karen Lee goes to get a quick snack from a nearby food stand. She is greeted by the food stand clerk, He Hu. Karen says, "Good morning. How are you?" |
| 李 凯伦: 早上好。你好吗？ (Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?) |
| Dialogue |
| 李 凯伦: 早上好。你好吗？ (Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?) |
| 胡 赫: 我很好，谢谢。你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè. Nǐ ne?) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| 李 凯伦: 早上好。你好吗？ (Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?) |
| Michael: "Good morning. How are you?" |
| 胡 赫: 我很好，谢谢。你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè. Nǐ ne?) |
| Michael: "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, we will be learning about Chinese honorifics and how to speak politely in Chinese. Before we look into specific examples of how honorifics are used in China, let’s discuss what we mean by honorifics. |
| Honorifics, to put it simply, are a way to honor the people you are addressing. This is done in different ways in different cultures and languages. English, for instance, doesn’t use honorifics that are ‘built in’ to the language, so to speak. English speakers show respect through body language, tone and certain polite words like “please” and “thank you”. |
| A language like Chinese, on the other hand, does have honorifics that are part of the lexicon. Chinese people, like many of their East Asian counterparts, place enormous value on politeness and good manners. They value concepts like “elegant language” or, |
| Dehua: 雅语 (yǎ yǔ) |
| Michael: and |
| Dehua: 敬辞 (jìng cí) |
| Michael: which means “respectful words.” Another important value in China is |
| Dehua: 谦辞 (qiān cí) |
| Michael: or “humble words.” Because of the emphasis on these values, there are, contained in the Chinese language, many language constructs that convey these qualities. The number of these honorifics has declined over the centuries, but there is still no shortage of them in modern Chinese, and some Chinese people still like to use classical constructs. For this reason, it is important to know how to use honorifics in Chinese. |
| Let’s begin with honorifics that we can use when talking to strangers, acquaintances and colleagues. The first of these is the equivalent of the English “sir” or: |
| Dehua: 先生 (xiānsheng) |
| Michael: Naturally, one uses this honorific when addressing men. It is common practice in China to combine this title with the person’s surname, if you know it. For instance, if you know that a colleague’s surname is |
| Dehua: 李 (Lǐ), |
| Michael: you would then address them as |
| Dehua: 李先生 (Lǐ xiānsheng). |
| Michael: In this context, the title is similar to the English “Mr” but do take note that it is placed after the surname in Chinese! That seems simple enough, but things get a little more complicated when it comes to addressing women. In order to address women politely, one has to take into account their marital status. In Chinese, the equivalent of the English “Miss” for an unmarried woman is |
| Dehua: 小姐 (xiǎojiě) |
| Michael: and, just like with the male version, the title comes after the person’s surname, so, if you know that an unmarried woman’s surname is |
| Dehua: 张 (Zhāng), |
| Michael: you would then address her as |
| Dehua: 张小姐 (Zhāng xiǎojiě) |
| Michael: Do be careful with this title though. It is sometimes used as slang to refer to a prostitute. Some people use it to address waitresses, but I would advise caution when using the word on its own, unattached to a surname. And speaking of surnames, most women in China do not take their husband’s last name. In this case, we can use the title |
| Dehua: 女士 (nǚshì) |
| Michael: for which the nearest English equivalent would probably be “Ms.” This refers to a married woman who is using her maiden name. If her maiden name is |
| Dehua: 陈 (Chén) |
| Michael: for instance, one would address her as |
| Dehua: 陈女士 (Chén nǚshì) |
| Michael: This same title can also be used to refer to older, single women. If you are not sure of a woman’s marital status, using this title is probably your best bet. On the other hand, if you know that the woman you are addressing is married and has taken her husband’s surname, you would address her with the equivalent of the English, “Mrs.” which is |
| Dehua: 太太 (tàitai). |
| Michael: This is the informal title and should be used in casual situations where you are familiar with the person. As with the other titles, it is used in combination with her surname. However, if you are in a formal situation, you would address a woman who is married and has taken her husband’s surname as |
| Dehua: 夫人 (fūrén), |
| Michael: which is similar to the English, “Madam”. If her surname is |
| Dehua: 李 (Lǐ) |
| Michael: you would, of course, address her as |
| Dehua: 李夫人 (Lǐ fūrén). |
| Michael: Now that you have learned how to address men and women in general in a respectful way, let’s talk about how one should address professionals. It could be that you are talking to a taxi driver or to a business person, but, whatever the situation, it is important to be as polite as possible, especially if the person is serving you in some fashion. |
| If you are at work and you are speaking to someone you don’t know very well, but you know their surname, you can still use the general forms of honorific address that we discussed earlier. It doesn’t matter if that person is a subordinate or a boss—simply add the appropriate title after their name. However, it is advisable to address your direct boss with the title “chief” or |
| Dehua: 总 (zǒng). |
| Michael: If his surname is |
| Dehua: 黄 (Huáng), |
| Michael: then you would, naturally, address him as |
| Dehua: 黄总 (Huáng zǒng). |
| Michael: You are likely to find that there are many people in China with the same surname, so if you need to differentiate between two colleagues at work, the way to do this is to use the prefixes |
| Dehua: 小 (xiǎo) |
| Michael: and |
| Dehua: 大 (dà) |
| Michael: along with their surnames in order to indicate who is younger. If, for instance, they both share the surname |
| Dehua: 王 (Wáng). |
| Michael: Then, you would address the younger of the two as |
| Dehua: 小王 (xiǎo Wáng) |
| Michael: and the older as |
| Dehua: 大王 (dà Wáng) |
| Michael: If you wanted to be even more respectful toward the older person, you could address them as |
| Dehua: 老王 (lǎo Wáng) |
| Michael: because the prefix |
| Dehua: 老 (lǎo) |
| Michael: indicates seniority. Later, we will look at some examples of how to use occupation titles as a polite way to address people in a particular profession. |
| Let’s talk now about showing respect towards the elderly. This is an especially important practice in China and, even if you are familiar with an elder and know their name, it is still considered rude to address them without using the appropriate honorific. When you are addressing an older man who is about the same age as your father, the most common honorific title to use is the equivalent of the English “uncle,” which is |
| Dehua: 叔叔 (shūshu) |
| Michael: If the elder person is female, then the appropriate title is |
| Dehua: 阿姨 (āyí) |
| Michael: which means “aunt.” One can use these titles with close family friends. If you know their surname, you can address them with that, followed by the appropriate title. |
| You can also use these titles with other people’s parents, and even with strangers as long as all of these people are more or less your parents' age. On the other hand, if a man is only a little older than you, then you can refer to them as |
| Dehua: 大哥 (dàgē) |
| Michael: which means "big brother." If a woman is slightly older than you, you can refer to her as |
| Dehua: 大姐 (dàjiě) |
| Michael: which means “big sister.” It does not matter if you are not related to these people. If you don’t feel comfortable using these titles, you can also refer to men who are around your age as |
| Dehua: 先生 (xiānsheng) |
| Michael: which you now know means “sir.” You can refer to women of a similar age to you as “Ms” or |
| Dehua: 女士 (nǚshì). |
| Michael: People will always be pleased to hear you using the correct honorific and it will make your interactions in China a lot easier and more pleasant. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you learned about Chinese honorifics. These are terms that are used to indicate your respect for the person you are addressing. In China, the use of honorifics is imperative, whether it be among family members who are really close or strangers who have never met. It is also used among colleagues and to talk to professional people. You can even use a person’s professional title as a form of honorific address. |
| Dehua: 老师 (lǎoshī) |
| Michael: for instance, means “teacher,” “old master,” or “educator,” while |
| Dehua: 师傅 (shī fu) |
| Michael: means “master” or “qualified worker”, such as a tailor or a taxi driver. If you want to speak respectfully to a waiter, a waitress or another sort of attendant, you can use the honorific |
| Dehua: 服务员 (fúwùyuán) |
| Michael: and, if you are talking to a boss in an informal way, or to a manager or proprietor of some sort, you could use |
| Dehua: 老板 (lǎobǎn). |
| Michael: Hopefully you will not have to see the doctor for anything serious, but, if you do see a doctor or a physician, you could use the honorific |
| Dehua: 大夫 (dàifu). |
| Michael: People hearing you using their professional titles in this way are far more likely to be friendly and helpful. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sentences we’ve heard in this lesson. I’ll say the sentence in English, and then I want you to try and reply in Chinese. Dehua will then model the correct answer—listen to her carefully and repeat, with emphasis on your pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how to say "Good morning. How are you?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 早上好。你好吗？ (Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?) |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. |
| Dehua: 早上好。你好吗？ (Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 早上好。你好吗？ (Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?) |
| Michael: Now, for our next sentence. Do you remember how to say "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 我很好，谢谢。你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè. Nǐ ne?) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Dehua: 我很好，谢谢。你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè. Nǐ ne?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 我很好，谢谢。你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè. Nǐ ne?) |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: If you are not Chinese, you will probably not be using honorifics that Chinese people use among family members. Still, you might find them useful to know because you are very likely to hear them being used. You might, for instance, hear the prefix |
| Dehua: 老 (lǎo) |
| Michael: which means “elder” when used in the context of family. Family members can use it when talking to their parents or to their spouse. |
| Dehua: 老妈 (lǎo mā) |
| Michael: means “mom” and |
| Dehua: 老爸 (lǎo bà) |
| Michael: means “dad.” Used between spouses, |
| Dehua: 老婆 (lǎopo) |
| Michael: means “wife” and |
| Dehua: 老公 (lǎogōng) |
| Michael: means husband. There is another prefix that family members use and that is |
| Dehua: 阿 (ā) |
| Michael: which means “to flatter” and is commonly used to address grandparents but can also be used to address other family members as well. |
| Dehua: 阿婆 (āpó) |
| Michael: means “grandma” and |
| Dehua: 阿公 (āgōng) |
| Michael: means “grandpa.” When children are addressing one another, they use two prefixes you have already been introduced to. These are |
| Dehua: 大 (dà) |
| Michael: meaning “big” and |
| Dehua: 小 (xiǎo) |
| Michael: meaning “small.” These prefixes are placed before the words for “brother” and “sister,” as in |
| Dehua: 大姐 (dàjiě) |
| Michael: which means “big” or “oldest sister” and |
| Dehua: 大哥 (dàgē) |
| Michael: which means “big” or “oldest brother”. On the other hand, |
| Dehua: 小妹 (xiǎo mèi) |
| Michael: means “little” or “youngest sister” and |
| Dehua: 小弟 (xiǎodì) |
| Michael: means “little” or “youngest brother.” I know I said earlier that you would probably not use these terms if you were not Chinese, but there is a chance you might find a use for them when talking about your family to other people. One can use these same honorifics, but there is a more polite way to talk about your family with others and that is to use the prefix |
| Dehua: 家 (jiā) |
| Michael: This translates directly to “home” but, used in conjunction with the term for a family member’s relation to you, is translated as “my.” |
| Dehua: 家母 (jiāmǔ) |
| Michael: means “my mother,” while |
| Dehua: 家父 (jiāfù) |
| Michael: means “my father” and |
| Dehua: 家姐 (jiājiě) |
| Michael: means “my older sister.” Finally, |
| Dehua: 家兄 (jiāxiōng) |
| Michael: means “my older brother.” These are all reasonably formal terms so, if you wanted to be a little less formal, you could use |
| Dehua: 我爸爸 (wǒ bàba) |
| Michael: to refer to your father, and |
| Dehua: 我妈妈 (wǒ māma) |
| Michael: to refer to your mother. Chinese people will definitely be impressed and pleased to hear you using honorifics in this way. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Dehua: 再见！(zàijiàn!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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