This topic is actually inspired by my study in translation (I started my graduate certificate in translation in the middle of July) and I thought etiquette does play a very important role in Chinese culture, all the way from ancient times.
Before I delve into the topic area of this post, I will just list the following facts to put into context how important etiquette has been for China:
- Dynasty changes often come with revision to the Record of Etiquette which is about how things should be according to etiquette for everyone from the Emperor to a lowly peasant
- Etiquette is one of the core standards of operation for a human according to Confucianism which has been in dominance as a philosophy in ancient China for a long time, probably starting some time in the Han dynasty as far as I know
- The Bureau of Etiquette has been one of the Six Bureaus (top tier administrative areas) in central government in ancient China ever since the Sui dynasty
Now, we move on to talk particularly about titles and personal addresses. What I mean by this specifically is how the nobility referred to themselves in ancient times but I will also talk about applications to modern days.
Growing up in Hong Kong, the first title I think of is 朕 (pinyin-wise, zam in Cantonese or zhen in Mandarin) which Emperors call themselves. This term goes all the way back to the Beginning Emperor of the Qin dynasty, the first dynasty accredited with unifying all of China under one rule. Basically, he was the one that decided that this is now a title reserved only for the Emperor (before then, it was essentially just a term meaning “I” that everyone uses) when he’s referring to himself. Similarly, there were special reference terms that only a Lord could use such as 孤 (Ku or Gu) and 寡人 which both have the connotation of being someone alone. It reflects the Chinese cultural value that humbleness is a virtue but also the fact that you only inherit that position from your father when he has passed on (you have become a fatherless orphan).
Now, modern equivalents- we don’t have titles anymore in China, Hong Kong or Taiwan but what is kept is the general idea of humbleness i.e be humble when referring to yourself while praising others. In modern days, this is used less for humans now- it used to be that you would refer to your own wife as ‘stupid/non-nimble wife” and calling someone else’s wife “respected wife” but it’s an ancient practice that didn’t carry to modern times. Instead, we might use this type of language differentiation when talking about our own homes versus someone else’s home for example. And when we do that, it usually indicates a quite formal tone that perhaps means we are talking to elders or people we don’t know too well. The specific term for my home in this context roughly back-translates into English as “abode below” whereas the equivalent for your home is “grand abode upper”.
That’s all for this topic. If you want to ask me more questions, let me know in comments.
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