Honorifics, Address forms

 

Terms of Address

 

In Chinese culture, the terms of address for family members—such as "brother" (兄弟, xiong di), "sister" (姐妹, jie mei), "uncle" (叔叔, shu shu), and "aunt" (阿姨, a yi)—extend their significance beyond familial ties. These terms can also be applied to friends, neighbors, and even acquaintances or strangers, reflecting a unique aspect of social interaction in Chinese society.

This cultural practice is prominently featured in Wuxia, Xianxia, and Xuanhuan novels, genres rich in fantastical elements, martial arts, and philosophical underpinnings. New readers of these genres may find it perplexing when characters freely address one another with kinship titles, regardless of their actual relationship. For instance, a character may refer to a fellow martial artist as "brother" as a gesture of camaraderie or respect, rather than as an indication of a familial bond.

It is essential to understand that these terms are used to express politeness, affection, or solidarity. In many cases, they signify a shared camaraderie or mutual respect within a social group. This linguistic custom also reflects the collective mindset common in Chinese culture, where relationships—whether familial, friendship-based, or societal—are highly valued and emphasized. Thus, when encountering these terms in literature or conversation, the emphasis should be placed on the speaker's intent and the context in which the title is used, rather than any presumed genetic connection.

 

 

Immediate Family
Māma / Niáng	Mom
Bàba / diē	Dad
Qīzi / lǎopó	Wife
Zhàngfū / lǎogōng	Husband
Érzi	son
Nǚ'ér	daughter
Xiongdi	Brother	Xiongdi 兄弟 (Brother) – Men commonly call their male comrades / close friends their “Brothers”.
Dage	Big Brother	Dage 大哥 (Big Brother) – used to politely address men around the same age or older than the speaker (but not old enough to be considered an “Uncle”). Translated as “Boss” when referring to a leader, especially a leader of a group of male friends or of a criminal organization. Used alternatively with Laoda (老大) in this context.
Ge / Gēgē / Xiong	Older Brother, Big Brother, Big Bro
Di / Dìdì	younger brother or little brother
Jiemei	Sister
Dajie	Eldest sister
Dajie	Elder Sister	Dajie 大姐 (Big Sister) – used to politely address women around the same age or older than the speaker (but not old enough to be considered an “Aunt”).
Mei / Mèimei	younger sister or little sister
Xiaojie	Miss	Xiaojie 小姐 (Miss) – literally translates as “little elder sister”. A somewhat antiquated term of address for young ladies.
Grandparents
Nǎinai	Grandmother on Dad's side
wàigōng	Grandfather on Mom's side
wàipó	Grandmother on Mom's side
Yéyé	Grandfather on Dad's side
Uncle / Aunt
Āyí	Aunt: Mom's younger sister	Ayi 阿姨 (Aunt) – literally translates as “mother’s sister”. Used to politely address women much older than the speaker.
Bóbo	Uncle: Dad's older brother
Bómǔ	Aunt: Dad's older brother's wife
Gūfū	Uncle: Dad's older or older sister's husband
Gūgū	Aunt: Dad's younger sister
Gūmā	Aunt: Dad's older sister
Jiùjiu	Uncle: Mom's older or younger brother
Jiùmu	Aunt: Mom's brother's wife
Shěnshěn	Aunt: Dad's younger brother's wife
Shūshu	Uncle: Dad's younger brother	Shushu 叔叔 (Uncle) – literally translates as “father’s younger brother”. Used to politely address men much older than the speaker.
Yímā	Aunt: Mom's older sister
Cousins
Biǎo dì	Mom's sibling's son (if younger than you)
Biǎo gē	Mom's sibling's son (if older than you)
Biǎo jiě	Mom's sibling's daughter (if older than you)
Biǎo mèi	Mom's sibling's daughter (if younger than you)
Táng dì	Dad's sibling's son (if younger than you)
Táng jiě	Dad's sibling's daughter (if older than you)
Táng Mèi	Dad's sibling's daughter (if younger than you)
Táng xiōng)	Dad's sibling's son (if older than you)
Nephews / Nieces
wàishēng	Sister's son
wàishengnǚ	Sister's daughter
zhínǚ	Brother's daughter
zhízi	Brother's son
In-Laws
Dàbò	husband's older brother
Dìfù or Dìmèi	younger brother's wife
gōnggong	Husband's father
Jiěfū	older sister's husband
Mèifū	younger sister's husband
pópo	Husband's mother
Sǎo zi	older brother's wife
ymǔ	Wife's mother
Yuèfū	Wife's father

 

 

Royalty
Pinyin	Literal Meaning	Meaning in Usage	Gender	Notes
bìxià	Beneath the ceremonial ramp	Your/His Majesty	Male	The implied context is "Your Majesty, beneath whose ceremonial ramp [I am standing]". It was used by officials when they addressed the emperor directly. The phrase is used to address the Emperor or Empress Dowager and literally means "steps below." Used in all historical novels and dramas
Bo	Earl		Male	referring to seniority within the aristocracy
diànxià	Beneath your palace	Your Royal Highness	Neutral	Used when addressing members of the imperial family, such as princes and princesses. (Princess Wei Yang)
fùhuáng / fùwáng / fùjūn / fùdì	Imperial Father / Royal Father	Your Majesty / My Imperial or Royal Father	Male	Used by descendants of the emperor/king in pre-Qing dynasties.
Gexia or Zuxia	Your Excellency or Your Honor		Male	This term is applicable to individuals of high rank.
Gong	Duke or Excellency		Male	A prestigious title for rulers and high-ranking ministers.
Hou	Marquess or Lord		Male	used for regional rulers.
Huáng ā mǎ	Emperor		Male
Huáng é niáng	Empress		Female
huángdì	Emperor	You	Male	Used by the emperor's parents or grandparents.
mǔhòu	Queen Mother	Your Royal Highness / My Imperial or Royal Mother	Female	Used by descendants of the empress/queen pre-Qing dynasties.
Nan	Baron		Male	A less common title for rulers of certain states.
niángniang	Lady	Your/Her Royal Highness，My Lady	Female	Can be used alone or as a suffix - after an imperial title
qiānsùi	Of One Thousand Years	Your Royal Highness	Neutral	Greet the emperor 'wansui wansui wan wan sui' and the empress 'qiansui qiansui qian qian sui'.  Literally "one thousand years", used to address Empresses, Dowagers, Crown Princes and other high-ranking imperials. The Taiping Rebellion also had a particular rank system based on how many "thousand years" a lord is entitled to.
shèngjià	Holy procession	His Majesty	Male	Used when referring to the emperor in the third person, especially when the emperor was on the move.
shèngshàng	The Holy and Exalted One	Your/His Majesty	Male	May be used when addressing the emperor directly or when referring to the emperor in the third person.
tài hòu niáng niáng	Empress dowager	Your Royal Highness / My Imperial or Royal Grandmother	Female
tiānzǐ	The Son of Heaven	His Majesty	Male	One of the titles of the emperor.
Wangye	Prince, Nobleman, Marquis		Male	Address for a king or imperial prince.
wànsuì	Of Ten Thousand Years.	Your/His Majesty	Male	Ten thousand is often used for an unspecified large number, analogous to "myriad" in English. "Years" here refers specifically to years of age. It may be roughly translated as "Long live the Emperor!".
wànsuìyé	Lord of Ten Thousand Years	Your/His Majesty	Male	An informal way of addressing the emperor. Usually used by the emperor's personal attendants.
xiāndì	Late emperor	The late emperor	Male	Referring to the deceased former emperor.
Zi	Viscount or Master		Male	The son of a high-ranking aristocrat or a ruler of a state not fully under Zhou royal authority.

 

Imperial Princesses
Pinyin	Titles	Rank	notes
gùlún gōngzhǔ	Princess of the Empire	1	It was usually granted to a princess born to the Empress. "Gulun" means "all under Heaven" in Manchu.
héshuò gōngzhǔ	Princess of the States	2	It was usually granted to a princess born to a consort or concubine. "Heshuo" ("hošo") means "four corners, four sides" in Manchu.
jùnzhǔ	Princess of Commandary	3	It was usually granted to the daughter of a qinwang. Also called heshuo gege or qinwang gege, lit. "lady of a prince of the blood". Daughters of qinwang also could be promoted to heshuo gongzhu or gulun gongzhu if they were adopted as emperor's daughters.
xiànzhǔ	Princess of Perfecture	4	It was usually granted to the daughter of a junwang or shizi. Also called duolun gege  or junwang gege (Princess Wei Yang)
jùnjūn	Lady of Commandary	4	It was usually granted to a daughter born to a secondary consort of a qinwang or to the daughter of a beile. Also called duolun gege or beile gege, lit. "lady of a prince (of the third rank)". Could be promoted to xianzhu.
xiànjūn	Lady of Perfecture	4	It was usually granted to a daughter born to a secondary consort of a junwang or to the daughter of a beizi. Also called gushan gege, lit. "lady of a banner", or beizi gege, lit. "lady of a prince (of the fourth rank)".
xiãngjũn	Lady of Township	4	It was usually granted to the daughters of dukes with eight privileges or daughters born to a secondary consort of beile. Also called gong gege, lit. "lady of a duke".
zõngnǚ	Clanswoman	5	This is not a granted title, but the honorific given to all daughters of dukes without eight privileges and jiangjuns, as well as all other untitled princesses.

 

 

Titles
Furen	Madam	The wife of an imperial official or nobleman, or a married woman awarded a rank by the royal family. (Princess Wei Yang)
Gōngzǐ	Young Master/Lord/Sir	A young man from a noble or gentry family.
Guniang	Young Master, Lady, or Miss; 'Maiden'	an unmarried woman or young girl from a household of the noble or gentry class.
Lao	Elder	“old/venerable”. Translated as Elder. Appended to a person’s surname to show respect.  (Princess Wei Yang: Lao Furen can be translated to Old First Madam or Elder Madam)
Laopopo	Old Woman	informal but not derogatory, implies fondness/closeness.
Laotou	Old Man	informal but not derogatory, implies fondness/closeness.
Laoye	Old Lord	Address for an adult man with adult children of the gentry ; possibly head of household.
Nainai	Madam	Address for a married woman of the gentry, possibly wife of head of household.
qiánbèi	Seniior	a term of address for members of an elder generation.
Taitai	Madam	An address for an elderly married woman of the gentry, either the wife or mother of the head of the household.
wǎnbèi	Junior	a term of address for members of a younger generation.
Xiao	Small / Young	Xiao (小) – means “small/young”. Translated as Little. Appended to a person’s given name to show familiarity & affection.
Xiaojie	Young Mistress	Xiaojie 小姐 (Miss) – literally translates as “little elder sister”. A somewhat antiquated term of address for young ladies. (Princess Wei Yang)
Xiaoye	Little Lord	Can be a synonym for 'shaoye' or the son of a shaoye if 'shaoye' is already used within the family.

 

Commoners and Humble
Pinyin	Meaning	Genre	notes
bēixià	This inferior one	Male
běnrén	This person	Neutral	This is not necessarily a humble substitute, but is sometimes preferred over the pronoun "I" for formality.
bì (nǚ)	This servant	Female
bìrén	This unkempt/ragged one	Male	敝~ is also a humble prefix: 敝校 (this school), 敝公司 (this company), 敝处 (this home/place)
bǐrén	This lowly/unlearned one	Male	鄙~ is also a humble prefix: 鄙意 (my humble intent), 鄙见 (my humble opinion)
cǎomín	This worthless commoner	Male
jiànqiè	This worthless consort	Female
lǎocū	This uneducated chap	Neutral	"Old" is a recurring prefix.
mínnǚ	This common woman	Female
núbì	This slave	Female	Also used by servants who are not literally slaves, especially in later dynasties. (Princess Wei Yang)
núcai	This slave	Male	Also used by servants and even low-level officials who are not literally slaves, especially in later dynasties.
nújiā	This slave of yours	Female	Can be used with strangers by a woman to show humbleness.
pú (rén)	This servant	Male	Literally, "charioteer"
qiè	This humble one	Male	Employed by one in lower position when providing a suggestion or opinion: 窃以为 (I think)
qiè (shēn)	This consort	Female
rénjiā	This other person/people	Neutral	Usually used by a child, or a grown woman who tries to act childish or submissive. Often used as a form of sajiao (i.e., acting cute).
xiǎonǚ(zǐ)	This little woman	Female	Lit. small, insignificant - is a recurring humble prefix.
xiǎorén	This little man	Male	Lit. small, insignificant - is a recurring humble prefix.
yú	This unintelligent one	Male	愚~ is also a humble prefix: 愚兄 (this unintelligent senior brother/friend of yours), 愚见 (my unintelligent opinion)
zàixià	This one who is beneath you	Male	Occasionally used in contemporary Chinese.

  

Martial Family
Shibo / Shishu	Martial Uncle	“teacher father’s elder brother” / “teacher father’s younger brother”
Shidi	Junior Martial Brother, Junior Apprentice-Brother
Shifu	Master	Shishu 师叔 (Martial Uncle) – Despite the literal translation, this term is also commonly used to refer to Martial Aunts.
Shigong / Shiye	Grandmaster
Shigu	Martial Aunt
Shijie	Senior Martial Sister, Senior Apprentice-Sister
Shimei	Junior Martial Sister, Junior Apprentice-Sister
Shixiong / Shige	Senior Martial Brother, Senior Apprentice-Brother
Shizhi	Martial Niece  | Apprentice-Nephew / Apprentice-Niece	Shizhi 师侄 (Martial Nephew) – Despite the literal translation, this single term is used for both Martial Nephews & Martial Nieces

   

Father	bà ba or bà	Informal
	A-ba	Form of endearment
	diē or A-diē	Form of endearment
	fù qīn	More formal
	lìng zūn	Old-ashioned
Mother	mā ma or mā	Informal
	A-ma	Form of endearment
	Niáng or A-niáng	Form of endearment
	mǔ qīn	More formal
	lìng táng	Old-ashioned
parents	bà mā	Informal
	diē niáng	Form of endearment
	fù mǔ or fù mǔ qīn	More formal

 

 

-shi:	The suffix "Clan" is used for a married woman and essentially means "née." For example, if Wei Wuxian were a woman and married into the Lan clan through a traditional marriage, she would be referred to as "Wei-shi" by her husband’s contemporaries and elders in informal settings. This title implies a lack of closeness and is typically used by acquaintances.
a-	A prefix that shows affection or intimacy.
-er	A suffix that shows affection or intimacy; typically for children or those younger than you. Er (儿) – means “child”. A diminutive suffix sometimes appended to the given names of children or close friends. Considered cute/endearing.
-jun	'Nobleman'; a suffix for a greatly respected man.
-zun	'Revered One'; a suffix for a greatly respected man.
-ji	A suffix for a female friend.
-bo	A suffix for an older man of your grandparents' generation.
-po	A suffix for an older woman of your grandparents' generation.

1: 一 (壹)     yī 2: 二 (贰)     èr 3: 三 (参      sān 4: 四 (肆)     sì 5: 五 (伍)     wǔ 6: 六 (陆)     liù 7: 七 (柒)     qī 8: 八 (捌)     bā 9: 九 (玖)     jiǔ 10: 十 (拾)   shí First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth