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Chapter Text

There was a roar of approval as each cast member was introduced and walked onto the stage of Hall H at the annual San Diego Comic Con.

The moderator asked the usual questions to each cast member about favourite scenes, memorable moments, who was the prankster on set, whose character’s personality most resembled the actor in real life.

And then there was the question about relationships and how members of a family or members of a sect referred to each other. The moderator explained that he was a bit confused because the subtitles didn’t seem to match with the Chinese terminology used (the moderator, not being Chinese but having heard from Chinese-speaking friends that there was a mismatch, wanted to clarify). All heads swivelled immediately toward actor Huang Ziteng, who played the strict uncle, Lan Qiren. Mr Huang gave a theatrical sigh (the question was pre-arranged, of course) and stepped over to the podium. He asked the powerpoint slides to be projected onto the large screen, and then, for the next hour, explained the complicated Chinese family tree to a rapt audience. There were three slides in total: one for the father’s side of family, a second for the mother’s side of family, and the third for the martial arts family.

When the third slide was finally projected onto the screen, Mr Huang invited Zhang Jingtong, the actress who played the infamous Madam Yu, to take over. Ms Zhang cheerfully went through the generations of terms, explained that the terms for a martial arts family were basically taken from those used for patriarchal relations (China being even now a very much patriarchal society), and then, to the astonishment of the audience, went on quite a rant about how mean Madam Yu was to Wei Wuxian. She pointed out that he was allowed to call Jiang Fengmian “Jiang Shushu”, which translated as “Uncle Jiang”, probably because Sect Leader Jiang insisted upon it. Given that Wei Wuxian was the Head Disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, he should technically have called Sect Leader Jiang “Shifu”, or Martial Arts Master/Teacher. There is a phrase in Chinese that says, “Martial Master for a day, Father for life”, meaning that disciples looked to their shifu as another father. But because of this, Madam Yu would have had to allow Wei Wuxian to call her “shimu” and therefore would have needed to treat him as a son. To force him to continuously feel like an outsider, he had to call the Sect Leader his honorary uncle, call her Madam Yu, and call her children his martial siblings, “Shijie” and “Shidi”, respectively, instead of full siblings, “A-jie” and “Didi”.

Lecture over, Ms Zhang bowed and returned to her seat. The applause was so loud, with whistling and chants of “Madam Yu, Madam Yu”, that she was forced to stand and give another bow.

The moderator only managed to get the crowd to quiet down by saying that they were going to watch a short montage of some memorable scenes from the TV series.

And here are the charts that “Professor Lan” and “Madam Yu” explained to the audience. I hope it will be of some help to our non-Chinese authors and readers. I would like to point out that for some terms, there are alternate versions/variations. For example, older brother is “Xiong” but also “Ge” (Wei Wuxian calling Lan Wangji Lan-er-gege, literally “Second Older Brother Lan”). “Xiongzhang”, which is what Lan Wangji calls Lan Xichen, is a very formal way of saying “Older Brother”.

A note on the cousin prefixes:
(1) first, please know that "xiong (ge)" and "jie" refer to older male and female siblings, respectively, and "di" and "mei" to younger male and female sibs;
(2) "tang" is a prefix specific to the children of brothers;
(3) "biao" is the prefix for all other children of brother-sister and sister-sister relationships;
(4) the use of "xiong (ge)", "jie", "di", and "mei" in conjunction with the cousin prefixes of "tang" and "biao" is in relation to the ages between cousins.

Therefore, if your father's younger brother has a daughter who is older than you, you'd call her "tangjie". Likewise, if your father's older sister has a son younger than you, you'd call him "biaodi". I don't want anyone to think that the terms are specific to the parent of the cousin. It's just that, usually, the older siblings will tend to have children who are older than those of their younger siblings, and that's how I "simplified" my chart.

A final note: the Chinese place a lot of emphasis on maintaining order in terms of generations and the terminology reflects this. There is no such thing as a "cousin once/twice/thrice removed" in Chinese.

NOTICE: please also note that the above familial terms are the modern ones, what are currently being used by Mandarin speakers. If you want to be canon-compliant, go with the terms used in MDZS/CQL. (thanks to kuonji for the reminder to be precise!)

So, just to emphasize that Wei Wuxian calls Jiang Yanli “Shijie” because she is his Older Martial Sister. Jiang Cheng calls her “A-Jie” (or Jiejie) because she is his older sister by blood; he would never call her “Shijie”.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: members of the martial sect who are not children and disciples would address the leader as “leader term”, e.g., Zongzhu 宗主, and refer to him/her as “surname+leader term”; third parties would address and refer to him/her as “surname+leader term”.

In the rare case where the leader steps down and is still kickin’ around, members of the sect will still address him/her as “leader term”, though they’ll prefix a “lao 老” (old) if both the former and current leaders are in the room and both need to be addressed. Third parties would address the former leader as “surname+leader term” and refer to him/her as “former/前任 qianren+leader term(+full name)”; all sect members can also use this method to speak to third parties about the former leader.

If the leader has died, “qianren+leader term” would be the appropriate way to refer to him/her.

If there are any specific terms you want clarified, please ask in the comments.

Happy writing!

Chapter Text

So, I thought some supplementary information on the extended family may be of interest to some of you. In order to be as systematic as possible, I will be dividing this up by generation, starting with the grandparents’ and then down to the grandchildrens’.

Extended Family of the Grandparents’ Generation

NOTE: In English, the siblings of one’s grandparents are known as the great-uncles and great-aunts. The terms “grand-uncle” and “grand-aunt” are nonsense. I can’t explain this; it’s a quirk of the English language. We just have to deal with it.

So, always using yourself as the point of reference, to know how to refer to your grandparents’ siblings, the easiest thing to do is figure out how your dad/mom refers to a specific person of that generation, then add the suffixes “gong 公” for males and “po 婆” for females, and you have the instant term for what you should call that person. “Gong” and “po” are the generic terms for referring to the males and females of the grandparent generation.

For example, if your dad calls that person “bo-bo 伯伯”, you would call him “bo-gong 伯公”. If you dad calls that person “biao-yi 表姨”, you would call her “biaoyi-po 表姨婆”.

Likewise, if your mom calls that person “gu-ma 姑媽”, you would call her “gu-po 姑婆” (for gu-ma and gu-gu, the second half of the term gets replaced with “po”). If your mom calls that person “tang-shu 堂叔”, you would call him “shu-gong 叔公”.

You will notice that for the grandparents’ generation, it’s harder to distinguish between the relatives on your father’s side and your mother’s. Don’t forget, they each have paternal and maternal aunts and uncles, and there aren’t new terms to distinguish which belongs to which side from your perspective. Therefore, when referring to someone of that generation on a particular side, you just need to add extra information. For example, “great-aunt, you know, dad’s gu-gu” or “great uncle, you know, mom’s biao-jiu”.

Regarding the relatives with “tang” and “biao” added, these are the cousins of the grandparents. Further explanation in the parents’ cousins section.

Extended Family of the Parents’ Generation

As with the grandparents’ generation, what you call a particular person depends on how they are related to your mom/dad. And the appropriate term you call them will be “one level up” from your generation.

Terms for your parents’ siblings are already covered in my original charts. We will now focus on their cousins, the children of their aunts and uncles. The appropriate suffixes are as follows:

1. For your dad’s cousins, use the cousin terms “tang 堂” or “biao 表” combined with “bo 伯” and “shu 叔” for males and “gu 姑” for females.

For example, your father’s biao-di 表弟 is your biao-shu 表叔.

2. For your mom’s cousins, use the cousin terms “tang 堂” or “biao 表” combined with “jiu 舅” for males and “yi 姨” for females.

For example, your mom’s tang-jie 堂姐 is your tang-yi 堂姨.

For the parents’ generation, it’s more clear which side of the family you’re referring to based on the terms of address.

Further Explanation for Nephews and Nieces (Children’s Generation)

Just grappling with the basic terms for the immediate family is confusing enough, so I didn’t want to further bog everyone down in my original post with charts.

You will have noticed colour-coding being used for a handful of terms, and here’s why: for these terms, it matters whether the point of reference (i.e., you) is male or female. If you are male, the terms in blue apply to you; if female, those in red.

Therefore, if you are male, your sister’s children are your waisheng 外甥 (nephew) and waishengnu 外甥女 (niece).

If you are female, your sister’s children are your yisheng 姨甥 (nephew) and yishengnu 姨甥女 (niece).

Whether you are male or female, your brother’s children are your zhi 侄 (nephew) and zhinu 侄女(niece).

The same concept extends to the children of your first cousins. These children are the same generation as your own children and niblings (nieces & nephews), so they are also called “nieces” and “nephews”, rather than the English term of “cousins once removed”. Whether you like it or not, there’s no removing of any family members in Chinese culture—blood is blood, you’re stuck with them.

Therefore, your tangjie 堂姐’s and tangmei 堂妹’s children are your tang-waisheng 堂外甥 (nephew) and tang-waishengnu 堂外甥女 if you are male and your tang-yisheng 堂姨甥 (nephew) and tang-yishengnu 堂姨甥女 (niece) if you are female. (Same rules for your biaojie 表姐’s and biaomei 表妹’s children.)

Your biaoxiong 表兄’s and biaodi 表弟’s children are your biao-zhi 表侄 (nephew) and biao-zhinu 表侄女(niece), regardless if you are male or female.

Yes, there are definite patriarchal conceits in the terminology. The relations belonging to the male line, especially those between brothers (same surname), are always thought closer in blood than that of the female. Of course, knowledge of DNA and heredity completely debunks this fallacy, but unless one were to overhaul the entire naming structure, we’re stuck with these pro-masculine terms of address.

Extended Family of the Grandchildrens’ Generation

And finally, when referring to extended family that is of the same generation as your grandchildren (especially the grandchildren of your siblings), you once again use yourself as the reference. Again, the proper terms are “great-nephew” and “great-niece” in English, not “grand-nephew” and “grand-niece”.

For those of this generation, use “sun 孫” for males and “sunnu 孫女” for females in combination with whatever term you use to refer to their parents.

For example, your zhi-nu 侄女's daughter is your zhi-sunnu 侄孫女; your waisheng 外甥's son is your waisheng-sun 外甥孫; your yishengnu 姨甥女's daughter is your yisheng-sunnu 姨甥孫女.

Again, there are minor variations that exist for the above terms, whether it’s regional or the level of formality, but the essential relationships are still intact and therefore you can’t interchange the terms.

As always, if you have a specific question, please feel free to ask in the comments! Now, go take an aspirin/tylenol/a stiff drink to alleviate the headache… just, not both painkiller and alcohol together; be a responsible druggie.

Chapter Text

A disgruntled Wei Wuxian flopped down onto the couch beside Lan Wangji, who immediately began petting and soothing his distraught love.

“Lan Zha-aaaaaaaan! It was bad enough when my parents and your uncle were wanting to impose naming ideas on us! Now even Jiang Cheng’s wanting to make suggestions for baby names! Who the hell are having these babies?”

Lan Wangji pressed kisses to Wei Wuxian’s temple. “Do what I did and tell your sister. Tell her it’s affecting your blood pressure. She’ll manage them. Ge-ge helped fend off all the elders for me.”

“You’re so smart, Lan Zhan! I’m texting her right now!” After a few moments, Wei Wuxian groaned. “God, Lan Zhan! I just realized that that means we will have to come up with names—and they’d need to be spectacularly brilliant ones, otherwise we’d never hear the end of it about how we should’ve left it to the older generation! What are we going to do? It’s not like we can just buy a book and point out ones we like!”

“I have borrowed the Kangxi Dictionary, the Ciyuan, the Shiben, and the I Ching from the Lan family library for reference. We already have a copy of the Book of Odes and the 300 Tang Poems at home. I’m sure we can find inspiration from one of these.”

“Lan Zhan! You’re the greatest! I love you so much!”

Naming Conventions

Okay, so I’m seeing that creating Chinese names for either original characters or offspring for Wangxian and the gang seems to be something that a lot of authors are doing. So, I’m hoping to provide some tips to help you get started. These are just suggestions; there aren't any rules set in stone that MUST be followed (unlike the 3000+ Lan Sect rules).

So, as a starting point, let me just point out that the guidelines being provided are specific to the Han Chinese. There are a lot of ethnic tribes in China. The largest group are the Han Chinese. And therefore their culture and customs are what most refer to when they talk about “Chinese” culture and customs. So, if you want to create a non-Han Chinese name for a character, you’ll need to research how they name their kids.

For the Han tribe, the following are some naming conventions that are still followed to this day:

1. Surnames: either single or double-barrelled only (and the order of characters in a name are surname+given name)

2. Given name: either single- or double-characters (the latter being more common)

a. If you choose to have a double-character given name, then the two characters should have an overall meaning when combined. This is unlike English/European names, where you can just combine two of your favourite names together, e.g., Michael Joseph or Elizabeth Anne. So, think about what meaning you want the name to have, then go and find two characters that will form that meaning.

b. For double-character given names, it’s preferable to not choose characters with mismatched radicals, e.g. fire and water (see item #4)

3. Eight Characters at birth:

The Han tribe believe that the universe is composed of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) and that 4 of the 5 elements are present at any given point in time, meaning at the time of your birth, you will have a specific combination of 4 of the 5 elements (the pattern changes every 2 hours since a day is divided into 12 segments per the Han Chinese calendar). In order to have 5 out of 5, many choose to incorporate the “missing” element into the name of the newborn and so will choose characters containing that element to create the kid’s name.

4. Radicals:

You will most likely be looking for inspiration via a Chinese dictionary. Please be aware that Chinese dictionaries are grouped by radicals, essentially the “root words” of characters. Examples are “fire”, “water”, “heart”, “word”, “flora”, and “horse”. People often use this as a starting point: decide on a radical of interest, then see what sort of characters are available with the meanings you want.

Even when you’re using online Chinese-English dictionaries, they will tell you what radical the word belongs to. Then you can know if your characters of interest will have clashing meanings due to mismatched radicals (re: item 2b)

5. Taboo: it is not the practice to name your kid after parents/grandparents/other relatives of the older generation

Nowadays, this rule isn’t enforced, but it’s still rare. And even if the elder allows it, generally, you only use one of the characters of their given name (if it’s double-charactered) and adding a second that’s different, rather than using the exact same name.

But if your story is set in the canonical time period (i.e., not modern times), you really need to follow this rule.

6. Clan/Generation poem: some families have a poem that basically dictates what character the son of that generation needs to use as part of their double-charactered name.

Yes, it only applies to sons. Patriarchal society.

7. Sharing characters in given names: even without a clan poem, a lot of families like to have sons share the same character for double-charactered given names and the same radical for single-charactered given names. Sort of like how people will have their children's names all beginning with the same letter of the alphabet.

Nowadays, even the daughters will share either a character or radical in their given names to show that they’re sisters. It’s not typical for brothers and sisters to share commonality in their given names, but it’s not forbidden.

8. Tonality: because Chinese is a tonal language, be cognisant of how the characters sound when paired up (including the surname).

It’s generally advisable to have a combination of different tones rather than the same tone throughout. This is mostly an asthetic choice but allows for easier pronunciation.

For example, if the surname is a high pitch, then you may want the given name to have another pitch(es) mixed in, producing some kind of lilt when you say the whole name. Maybe high+low+high or high+descending+medium or high+high+low and so on and so forth.

Again, I just want to emphasize that the above are just guidelines, not absolute rules. In the end, you can choose whatever name you want. But if you choose to be “more authentic”, then I hope the above will be a helpful starting point.

As always, feel free to ask in the comments. But just to be clear: I’m not accepting requests to help name your characters.

Chapter Text

Names and Tonality

I thought I’d give a bit more detail about the suggestion on mixing different pitches to give a name a lilt when saying it in full.

Chinese is a tonal language, which means, on a very basic level, that most characters can potentially be pronounced in a different way to specify which meaning is intended. But even without context and connotation, it matters how a character is said. The Mandarin dialect has five tones: 1st to 4th and a neutral. When transliterated into English, pronunciation markings are placed over the vowels to indicate which tone the character should be said with.

I’ll use the letter “e” with markings to show which is which:

1st tone = ē — high pitched and level tone

2nd tone = é — rising pitch

3rd tone = ĕ — dips then rises

4th tone = è — high then descends

Neutral = e — short and undefined pitch

There are many resources out there with sound files that can give you a more specific idea of what each tone sounds like, and this isn’t a lesson on tonality, so I’ll leave you to research further.

I will now list the few prominent names in the MDZS-verse with markings so that you can see the combination of pitches used. I’m going to separate the transliterations into their 2 or 3 component parts so it’s more clear which word applies to which character. (Generally, the double given name is squashed together—that’s the convention that someone chose.) Hope this can inspire you in creating your original character names!

NOTE: I apologize that I use the term “character” for both a Chinese word and a personality in a story. I’m just so used to using the term to mean two different things that I don’t always realize it’s confusing.

魏嬰 Wèi Yīng — 4th + 1st
魏無羨 Wèi Wú Xiàn — 4th + 2nd + 4th

藍湛 Lán Zhàn — 2nd + 4th
藍忘機 Lán Wàng Jī — 2nd + 4th + 1st

江澄 Jiāng Chéng — 1st + 2nd
江晚吟 Jiāng Wǎn Yín — 1st + 3rd + 2nd

江厭離 Jiāng Yàn Lí — 1st + 4th + 2nd

藍思追 Lán Sī Zhuī — 2nd + 1st + 1st
藍願 Lán Yuàn — 2nd + 4th
溫苑 Wēn Yuàn — 1st + 4th

藍景儀 Lán Jǐng Yí — 2nd + 3rd + 2nd

藍渙 Lán Huàn — 2nd + 4th
藍曦臣 Lán Xī Chén — 2nd + 1st + 2nd

藍啟仁 Lán Qǐ Rén — 2nd + 3rd + 2nd

金凌 Jīn Líng — 1st + 2nd
金如蘭 Jīn Rú Lán — 1st + 2nd + 2nd

金子軒 Jīn Zi Xuān — 1st + neutral + 1st

金光瑤 Jīn Guāng Yáo — 1st + 1st + 2nd
孟瑶 Mèng Yáo — 4th + 2nd

聶明玦 Niè Míng Jué — 4th + 2nd + 2nd

聶懷桑 Niè Huái Sāng — 4th + 2nd + 1st

溫情 Wēn Qíng — 1st + 2nd

溫 寧 Wēn Níng — 1st + 2nd
溫瓊林 Wēn Qióng Lín — 1st + 2nd + 2nd

So, you see, there’s quite the variety to be had!

Chapter Text

Surnames

Chinese surnames mostly have both meanings in and of themselves as well as ancient and sometimes convoluted histories. Below are the top 10 according to a 2007 census in China. I’ve also provided a brief bio for the few most prominent ones found in MDZS (and no, they do not fall in the top most common; if they rank in the top 100, I’ve included the number beside them).

1. 王 (Wáng) - "King" (a title that became a surname)
origins: a royal prince of the Zhou dynasty was demoted, but because he was of royal descent, his descendants were allowed to use his former rank/title as a surname.

2. 李 (Lǐ) - "Plum" (the family name of the rulers of the Tang dynasty)
origins: the original surname was 理 (Li), after the rank/title of an ancestor working for the Emperor-sage Yao, but because of persecution by the last emperor of the Shang dynasty, the family fled and settled in a new place, where they survived off plum trees. Adopted the homophonic 李 as their new surname.

3. 張 (Zhāng) - "Great archer"; "extend, stretch"
origins: the Yellow Emperor's grandson invented the bow and arrow, so his descendants had this surname created for their use.

4. 劉 (Liú) - "To destroy" (the family name of the rulers of the Han dynasty)
origins: descendants of Emperor Yao who settled in the State of Liu acquired its name as their surname.

5. 陳 (Chén) - "Exhibit"; the name of an ancient state (therefore a place name becoming a surname)
origins: descendants of the governor of the Zhou vassal state of Chen acquired the name as their surname.

6. 楊 (Yáng) - "Poplar"
origins: a royal prince of the Zhou dynasty was given a title that got turned into the family surname.

7. 黃 (Huáng) - "Yellow" (more popular as a surname in southern China; 王 (Wang) is more popular in northern China)
origins: descendants of the governor of the Zhou vassal state of Huang used it as a surname (Spring and Autumn Period of Eastern Zhou dynasty).

8. 趙 (Zhào) - adopted from the ancient state of Zhao (the family name of the rulers of the Song dynasty)
origins: descendants of the governor of the Zhou vassal state of Zhao used it as a surname (Spring and Autumn Period of Eastern Zhou dynasty).

9. 吳 (Wú) - adopted from the ancient state of Wu
origins: descendants of the governor of the Zhou vassal state of Wu used it as a surname (Western Zhou dynasty).

10. 周 (Zhōu) - "circumference"
origins: descendants of a general of the Yellow Emperor named Zhou Chang used the first character of his name as their surname (few people had surnames back then; just personal names).

藍 (Lán) - “blue; indigo plant”
origins: from the Lanyi tribe of Shandong who liked to use an indigo dye for cloth.

45. 魏 (Wèi) - adopted from the ancient state of Wei
origins: a royal prince of the Zhou dynasty was given the vassal state of Wei and his descendants used it as a surname (Spring and Autumn Period of Eastern Zhou dynasty).

75. 江 (Jiāng) - “large river”
origins: descendants of the vassal state of Jiang used it as a surname (Shang dynasty).

溫 (Wēn) - “lukewarm”
origins: 3 possible origins, either as a surname derived from an ancient state of the same name or a personal name or rank/title that became a surname.

聶 (Niè) “whisper”
origins: another surname with several possible origins, the most common as a surname derived from a place.

62. 金 (Jīn) - “gold; metal in general”
origins: another surname with several possible origins, one of which is a rank/title that became a surname.

If you’re interested in a particular surname’s origin, please ask in the comments—I’ll try and find out!

Chapter Text

“Wei Ying.”

“Hmmm… what is it, Er-Lang?”

“A-Yuan will be coming of age in six months. He should be given a courtesy name.”

“Aiya, Laaaan Zhaaaan! Don’t remind me! Our baby is growing up too fast! I can’t stand it!”

“Nonetheless, he deserves to have a proper courtesy name. Whom would you like to choose it for him?”

“You mean we can ask someone other than your uncle?! Are you sure?! I mean, great and all, but if he’s going to give A-Yuan a hard time about not consulting him—”

“He will understand. A-Yuan has been so blessed to have so many mentors in his life that it would not be thought untoward to ask one of them to decide his courtesy name.”

“That’s true! Hey, what about Song Lan? He’s not a relative from any of A-Yuan’s extended, mixed family, and he taught our Yuan-bao a supplementary meditation technique that’s even more superior than the Lan one! A-Yuan even beat your record time for longest session!”

Lan Wangji pressed a fierce kiss that made Wei Wuxian’s knees buckle. “Mn. Ying-Lang knows my mind. I, too, thought of Song-qianbei first.”

“Lan Zhan-ah, I guess dual cultivation isn’t only for core growing.”

“Mn.”

Multiple Names

In response to Railway Station’s request (and what a coincidence that I was looking up exactly this topic recently!), here’s a brief introduction to why men (again, patriarchal society also means that the men received at least a rudimentary formal education) could have more than one name they were known by in one lifetime.

In ancient times, scholars and poets liked to have several names, aliases, nom de plumes throughout their lifetime (the women were mostly illiterate, so never mind the lack of opportunity to become a scholar and therefore having multiple names!). It's rare for modern Chinese men to have more than one, though I presume some with literary conceits/hopes may still be keeping this custom alive; this practice became pretty much obsolete with the great-grandfather and grandfather generations.

In any case, the different types of names an educated guy could have had back then:

1. Birth Name 名 (乳名、幼名)

As the name implies, this is the name given to the newborn at birth (or very soon after; definitely by the month-old celebration, the baby had better have been given a name) and the one that they were called within the home. Very often, the name chosen would be based on the kid's 時辰八字, their eight characters, the date and time of birth and which of the 5 elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) were present—there's usually one element missing, so the name would usually have a character(s) that contained that element so that the child would be "whole/complete".

2. Generation Name 譜名

Very often, a clan had a poem that could be found in the ancestral shrine. Each generation takes one character from the poem and uses it as their name (when I say "they use the character from the poem", I mean that the parents/grandparents/elders would decide on a name for the kid using the character that represented the kid's generation of boys—and yes, boys only). This is the name that is recorded in the clan generation book. Sometimes, this is the birth name.

There usually was an educated family member, usually a proper scholar, who maintained and updated the clan book. This person could also be consulted for the generation name. In other instances, a scholar or fortune teller in the larger towns and cities would be paid to provide a generation (even birth) name for families with limited education. Names were supposed to help with having good fortune and success in life, so it was paramount that the boys be given meaningful names; if this meant getting external assistance, so be it.

NOTE: Up until recently, only the males of the family got their names added to the clan book—girls married out and didn’t count. This is another barrier for the overseas Chinese trying to look up matrilineal roots. I know some clans are now including the daughters, but not all. And many clans don’t even have a clan book anymore.

3. School Name 學名

Once the boy is old enough to receive formal lessons (whether by a private tutor or at a school), they are given another name. This is the name classmates/schoolmates/teachers will call him. This is usually decided by elders in the family.

4. Style, Courtesy name 字 (表字)

Once a guy hits his 20s (and in some cases has gone through a specific coming-of-age ritual) and is considered an adult, he's given a style or courtesy name. This is also usually decided by elders in the family or a respected scholar/teacher. The meaning of the name usually indicates personal achievements/merits. And this name generally replaces the previous names the guy is called (with possibly the exception of close family, who may still use their birth names within the home). You'll often see this name linked to poets, e.g., 李白字太白 (Li Bo, styled/courtesy name Tai Bo).

Some women were allowed a style/courtesy name upon marriage, but this was usually among the wealthier, literate classes.

In MDZS, the men had courtesy names by the time they were teens. I will assume this is a deliberate choice by the author and the practice within the world she created.

5. Alias, Nom de Plume, Pseudonym 號

A guy could have several aliases throughout his lifetime, much like the emperors had regnal titles (or modern fictional spies have multiple passport identities). This is a name that the guy (must be an adult; kids don't have aliases) chooses for himself. It could follow the traditional naming conventions (one or two characters) or be several characters long. Another famous poet would be thus referred to: 蘇軾字子瞻，別號東坡居士 (Su Shi, styled Zizhan, alias Layman of the Eastern Slope).

Please do not confuse this with the 外號 (I'll call this the moniker/nickname since I haven't found a term) found in wuxia/xianxia novels (and in history), the name that is given to the hero/heroine by others, e.g., Hanguang-Jun 含光君, The Light-Bearer. In the Confucian tradition of humility, one would hardly call oneself super flattering names like "bringer of light", so these are names/titles/addresses others create for a person based on what they're famous for.

Railway Station, I hope this helps!

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Variations in Spelling of Surnames

According to one online source, there are around 46 million “overseas Chinese” worldwide, as a result of the most recent Chinese Diaspora that occurred in the past 150 years and more due to many reasons, including political, religious, and just plain survival needs.

But because of this mass migration to practically every corner of the globe, the original surnames brought with them to the new home have also gone through transformation, due to the original dialect spoken, the language of the new country, and plain misspellings. So, below are some of the ways the original surname has been transliterated around the world. This is not an exhaustive list and I’m listing only the most popular overseas surnames I’ve quickly researched.

陳 (Chén): Chan, Can, Chun, Chin, Chean, Tan, Tang, Ting, Thin, Tran, Zen, Lo-Chin, Ding, Tjhin, Dan, Chern, Chia, Seng, Taing, Qin, Jun

李 (Lǐ): Lee, Lei, Ly, Lie, Ri, Yi, Dy, Dee, Sy

黎 (Lí): Lai, Le, Loy, Lee, Le, Yeo, Lye, Looy, Roy

林 (Lín): Lam, Lim, Lum, Lem, Ling, Liam, Lewn, Leng

黃 (Huáng): Wong, Ong, Vong, Ng, Ung, Uy, Wee, Bong, Uong, Waon, Whang, Hoang, Hwang, Oeij, Ooi, Wui, Ahwong

吳 (Wú): Ng, Ing, Ung, Eng, Go, Goh, Ngo, Woo, Oh

伍 (Wǔ): Ng, Ing, Ung, Eng, Go, Goh, Ngo, Woo, Oh

王 (Wáng): Wong, Vang, Ong, Bong, Heng, Vong, Uong, Waon, Whang, Vuong, Ahwong

汪 (Wāng): Wong, Ong, Vong, Uong, Whang, Waon, Ang

蔡 (Cài): Tsai, Choy, Choi, Tsoi, Toy, Chua, Chai, Tsa, Thai, Sai, Choa

許 (Xǔ): Hui, Hsu, Heoi, Hoi, Kho, Ko, Koo, Koh, Hi, Hee, He, Hai, Hua, Deung, Teng, Khouw

張 (Zhāng): Cheung, Chang, Zoeng, Cheong, Chong, Tiu, Tio, Teo, Teoh, Tong, Thong, Truong, Jang, Tiong, Tjong, Tir

洪 (Hóng): Hung, Ang, Fung

楊 (Yáng): Yeung, Joeng, Yeong, Young, Ieong, Iu, Io, Yeoh, Yeo, Yo, Yong, Iong, Duong, Neo, Rhiong, Yan

鄭 (Zhèng): Cheng, Zeng, Cheang, Chiang, Te, Tee, Tay, Teh, Thang, Zen, Trinh, Jeong, Tinn

何 (Hé): Ho, Hou, Hor, Ha

劉 (Liú): Lau, Lao, Lou, Low, Liew, Lew, Lieu, Yu, Lua

廖 (Liào): Liu, Lew, Leow, Liew, Lio, Lieu, Ryo

馮 (Féng): Fung, Fong, Pang, Phung, Foong, Vong, Lo-Fung

阮 (Ruán): Yuen, Nguyen, Won, Woon, Un, Neon, Yan, Inn, Nam, Nguang

葉 (Ye): Yip, Ip, Yap, Diep, Eap, Yeep, Yeh, Quoy, Rhab, Yiap

余 (Yu): Yu, Yue, Wor, U, I, Ryi, Yi, Jie, Du, Tsia, Eu

One of the tragedies of being an overseas Chinese in some countries is that the original surname is forcibly lost due to prejudiced laws. In Thailand, all Chinese residing there were forced to adopt Thai surnames to gain citizenship, so very few nowadays retain (or even know) the original Chinese surname. Same thing happened in Indonesia. Likewise with Trinidad and Tobago when it was still a British colony: ethnic groups were forced to adopt English surnames. I’m sure there are other examples where, to avoid discrimination, many overseas Chinese chose to adopt local surnames. (And, of course, intermarriage also means that daughters of overseas Chinese cannot pass even the knowledge of their ancestral surnames to their children because they themselves don't know.)

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Examples of Exceptional Chinese Names

Here are some examples of names I’ve come across over the years that I think are especially brilliant in their composition. With one exception, all of these are names of real people.

1. Using the same component for all characters in name

霍震霆 - component = 雨 (rain, precipitation)
Character meaning: sudden + tremor + thunder
Overall meaning: extraordinary, outstanding

郎朗 - component = 良 (good)
Character meaning: gentleman + bright
Overall meaning: brilliant man

2. Painting a scene: poetry in a name

向海嵐
Character meaning: toward + sea + mist
Overall picture: mountain mist spreading toward the sea

3. Beauty: it’s easy to use characters for beauty (e.g., 美, 麗) or find associate terms (e.g., words in the 玉 jade radical group, words in the 糸 silk radical group, words in the 艸 flora radical group) and a lot harder to be more abstract in the praise of beauty.

王語嫣
Character meaning: (surname meaning excluded) speech + charming
Overall meaning: description of a woman who speaks well and is, by extension, elegant, gracious, lovely

4. Simplicity (minimal number of strokes): this is actually the hardest to accomplish. It’s easy to find words that have great meaning and then pairing them together to produce great names. Finding simple characters that, combined, give great meaning takes more work and thought.

方力申
Character meaning: (surname meaning excluded) strength + extend
Overall meaning: powerful, energetic, capable

林太乙
Meaning: 太乙 is actually a compound word that means “the essence of all matter in the universe”, is a philosophical concept; it’s also the name of a star, HD 119476

Surnames are often excluded in the overall meaning of the name; for one thing, many surnames don’t have intrinsic meanings. So, the ability to incorporate the surname into the overall meaning is brownie points.

Chapter Text

“Hello, Da-bo.”

Lan Xichen’s head snapped around and he gaped at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian grinned. “Don’t look at me like that! Just because I insist on calling you Xichen-ge on a regular basis doesn’t mean I don’t know what the proper address is! Madam Yu would’ve taken a page from the Gusu Lans and insisted on me copying out the terms for every single family member until I could recite them in my sleep!”

“How are you, Di-fu?”

“I’m good! And you?”

Lan Xichen’s brow furrowed slightly at the enthusiastic tone. “I’m well. Is there something I can help you with?”

“You know, now that you mention it…”

In-Laws

Just when you thought you had the hang of all those terms for your dad’s and your mom’s sides of family, here’s another bunch to add to your list: those on your spouse’s side! Yes, your spouse’s immediate family have a set of honorifics, too! For the non-Chinese, aren’t you so glad you can save more braincells for complicated passwords instead?

Bonus Terms
親家公/親家母 (qingjia-gong/qingjia-mu) – how the parents-in-law refer to each other
恩伯 (en-bo) & 恩伯母 (en-bomu) – what you call your sibling’s parents-in-law
妯娌 (zhouli) – how wives of brothers are referred to collectively
連襟 (lianjin) – how husbands of sisters are referred to collectively

Again, the terms have no consideration for same-sex couples, so there’s more flexibility for those families to agree on the terms of address!

I’ve got a whole storage room of Emperor’s Smile that I pilfered from Wei Wuxian, should anyone need a cup of two to tackle these additional terms!

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Other Familial Terms

In the 21st century, “family” is no longer restricted to just blood relations and relations by conventional marriage. So, a few more terms to add to the chaos:

繼父 (ji-fu) & 繼母 (ji-mu) - step-parents
繼子 (ji-zi) & 繼女 (ji-nu) - step-children
繼兄 (ji-xiong) / 繼姐 (ji-jie) / 繼弟 (ji-di) / 繼妹 (ji-mei) - step-siblings
同父異母兄弟姐妹 (tong fu yi mu xiong-di-jie-mei) - collective term for half-siblings sharing the same father
同母異父兄弟姐妹 (tong mu yi fu xiong-di-jie-mei) - collective term for half-siblings sharing the same mother

養父 (yang-fu) & 養母 (yang-mu) - adoptive parents
NOTE: there are alternative terms with same meaning: 義父 (yi-fu) & 義母 (yi-mu) that are only used in period dramas and wuxia/xianxia novels; these are the archaic terms for adoptive parents and tend to have a martial arts connotation (in the same way that shifu and shimu are martial terms); also, the terms 義兄 (yi-xiong) & 義弟 (yi-di) are the ones for blood brothers, and you see how the archaic forms of adoptive parents are related, conceptually.

乾爹 (gan-die) & 乾娘 (gan-niang) - godparents
乾哥 (gan-ge) / 乾姐 (gan-jie) / 乾弟 (gan-di) / 乾妹 (gan-mei) - god-siblings

未婚夫 (weihun-fu) & 未婚妻 (weihun-qi) - fiancé & fiancée (yes, the spelling matters)

男朋友 (nan-pengyou) / 女朋友 (nu-pengyou) - boyfriend & girlfriend
NOTE: I don’t know if they have the concept of common-law in Mainland China; they do in Hong Kong/Macau, and the common-law spouses are generally referred to as 同居男/女朋友 “live-in boy/girlfriend”

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I really thought I was done, but while perusing some fics, I noticed some things that made me realize that non-Chinese would not know certain conventions, so mistakes made are understandable. Just thought I’d point out a few things. I may add to this down the road as I think of them.

1. You don’t call someone older than you by age and/or generation by their given names. This is still true today and not just “for the olden days”. So, your older siblings you would call “Ge-ge” (brother) and “Jie-jie” (sister) (or variations therein). Those older than you by age and/or generation can call you by your given name.

   I specify someone older by generation as well because even if that person is younger than you in years, if s/he is one or more generations above you (i.e., same generation as your parents or grandparents), you call them by the appropriate familial term and not by their given name. For example, if your grandmother married early and had kids early, and her brother married late and had kids late, there’s a high possibility that his kids, of the same generation as your respective parent, could be the same age if not younger than you. However, you’d still be expected to call him/her the appropriate “uncle” or “aunt” term. And they, in turn, would call you by your given name.

   Another scenario where someone younger can call you by your given name is if they are of higher rank, whether from birth or through marriage or another form of social elevation. For example, once Jiang Cheng became Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang, he had the right to call Wei Wuxian by his given name and style because Wei Wuxian was now his subordinate. He could still call and refer to him as his shixiong, of course, but it would not be disrespectful to call him “Wuxian” or even “A-Ying/A-Xian”.

   When addressing those older than you, just use the appropriate term. Without adding their given name. You only tack on their given name when you refer to them to another party and just want to specify of whom you’re speaking. For example, Wei Wuxian would call Jiang Fengmian “Shu-shu” to his face but could refer to him as “Jiang Shu-shu” or “Fengmian Shu-shu” to another person. Likewise, Lan Wangji would call Lan Qiren “Shu-shu” or “Shu-fu” and not “Qiren Shu-shu” (the frequency with which I have seen “Uncle Qiren” is increasing).

   If there is a familial term that you can call someone, you use it. Again, don’t tack on their given names before the familial term.

2. For the non-blood relation/family friend/acquaintance who is the same generation as your grandparents, call him/her “Gong-gong” (males) or “Po-po” (females) to be respectful. Likewise, those of your parents’ generation would be referred to as “Shu-shu” (males) or “A-Yi/Yi-yi” (females). Those of your generation who are older than you can also be called “Ge-ge” (males) and “Jie-jie” (females); the younger ones you call by their given names or “Di-di” (males) and “Mei-mei” (females).

   For those that you can refer to in this familiar way, using “familial” terms, it means that you are on good terms (with the exception of the “Gong-gong” and “Po-po”, which is just being respectful to call the elderly in this way, even if you’re not acquainted)—you are friends or they are family friends. As such, it is acceptable to tack on their given names before the honorific, e.g. Wuxian-ge or Qing-jie. I’ve been seeing the wrong honorifics tacked onto given names and surnames, and it is confusing me. I haven’t paid close enough attention to the novel and adaptations to know if this is the author’s chosen convention, but there are certain Chinese conventions regarding what is paired with which parts of a name.

3. For acquaintances, colleagues, bosses, and others that you aren’t close with but need to show respect for, there are a lot of honorifics (as suffixes) to use and tack onto their surnames. I will just give some examples. I’m pointing this out specifically to contrast with the previous point about only using “familial” terms for those you are close with. (And yes, in modern AUs, it’s fine for Wei Wuxian to call everyone “ge-ge” and “jie-jie” when they haven’t become close, i.e., when he first meets Lan Wangji, because it’s understood that he’s teasing and quasi-mocking and also because he’s a gremlin, but under normal circumstances, it’s improper to use these overly-familiar terms with strangers.)

   Here are some to start you off:

   • 公子 gongzi (males) and 姑娘 guniang (females): in ancient times, this address is used for young, unmarried persons, the children of the family
   • 夫人 furen (females): in ancient times, this address is used for married women, a suffix to their maiden surname (I’ve had this discussion elsewhere, but briefly: women kept their family name after marriage, they did not take on their husband’s surname. The author of MDZS decided on her own conventions, so follow those to be canon-compliant but know that it isn’t traditional convention.) I’m purposely avoiding the corresponding male term because there isn’t a fixed one. Most husbands would have a defining position in society, and you would use the proper honorific to reflect that. Xiansheng is a modern term to mean “Mister” so-and-so; if you used this term in ancient times, it meant a very specific social position, so avoid.
   • 先生 xiansheng (males) and 太太 tai-tai (females): in modern day, this is “Mr” and “Mrs” and would be tacked on as a suffix to the husband’s surname. Xiansheng in modern context can also be used as the honorific for any man, as a sign of respect.
   • 小姐 xiaojie (females): this is the modern equivalent of guniang, like calling the lady “Miss” as a sign of respect. Its corresponding term is xiansheng for guys.
   • 女士 nushi (females): this is the equivalent for “Ms” and is tacked onto the married woman’s maiden surname to indicate that she has not taken on her husband’s surname. It’s the modern equivalent of furen. In some cases, when a woman reaches a certain age and remains unmarried, she may prefer this honorific instead of xiaojie.
   • 小朋友 xiao-pengyou: a friendly way to address a small child nowadays. It’s rare to use honorifics for the children of the family who are underaged—the parents generally introduce them by their given name, which means you have been given permission to call them by their given name. Some may choose to use 少爺 xiaoye (males) and 小姐 xiaojie (females) in deference to the parents (whom they respect and want to impress), but it’s not a requirement. Judge the circumstances and the relationship between the adults.

Chapter Text

Because stiltonbasket has been asking for some assistance with getting royal honorifics correct, I thought I’d share what we’ve figured out. Please note that each dynasty had their own hierarchical terms, whether for royals or officials at court, so if your story is set in a particular dynastic era, please research the correct terms of address. The following are some general/common terms that are acceptable/used across most time periods in Chinese dynastic history, so if you want to write Royal AU but don’t want to specify the era, then these should come in handy.

Royal Family

1. Emperor
   • The Chinese term for emperor after unification under the Qin dynasty is 皇帝 Huangdi
   • When addressing the emperor, call him 皇上 Huangshang, 聖上 Shengshang, or 陛下 Bixia (all of which are equivalent to calling him “Your Imperial Majesty”)
   • One can also refer to the emperor as 天子 Tianzi ("Son of Heaven")
   • The emperor refers to himself as 朕 zhen (the “royal we”)
   • The emperor’s children call him 父皇 Fuhuang
   • The emperor calls his children 皇兒 huang'er (“royal child(ren)”)
   • It was common for emperors to have regnal titles and for the years of his reign to be numbered according to that regnal title, e.g., 貞觀一年 Zhenguan Year 1 for Emperor Taizong of the Tang
   • After the emperor died, he’s given a posthumous name and a temple name
2. Empress
   • The Chinese term for empress is 皇后 Huanghou (this term was coined in the Han dynasty)
   • When addressing the empress, call her Huanghou Niang-niang (娘娘 niang-niang is a generic term with roughly the same connotation as “Your Royal Highness”)
   • The empress refers to herself in front of the emperor as 臣妾 chenqie (please see “other facts” below for explanation)
   • All children born to the emperor, regardless of who their biological mother is, call the empress “royal mother” 母后 muhou
   • Ruler of the inner palace, i.e., the household/imperial family of the emperor
   • Usually has her own “sub-palace” within the inner palace complex, so would refer to herself (before the royal wives and servants) as 本宮 bengong
   • There is only one empress at any given time; if the first one dies, the emperor can select a concubine to become the new empress or choose to not have another empress; if there is no official subsequent empress, then the Empress Dowager 皇太后 Huang-taihou (the empress of the previous emperor, who is usually the current emperor’s father) is in charge of the inner palace; address the Empress Dowager as 太后娘娘Taihou Niang-niang; the widowed Empress Dowager refers to herself as 哀家 aijia
   • The alternative, if there is no new official empress, is to have one of the concubines promoted to the highest rank within the hierarchy and be recognized as the “head of the inner palace” and call the shots
3. Royal Concubines, the Royal Harem
   • Collectively known as 妃嬪 feipin
   • There is a strict hierarchy within the royal harem, and the concubine’s rank is obvious by the title she’s given
   • When addressing the royal concubine, call her by her rank + niang-niang, e.g. Guifei Niang-niang
   • You can refer to a royal concubine by her surname + rank, e.g. Chen Guifei
   • The royal wife refers to herself in front of the emperor as 臣妾 chenqie (please see “other facts” below for explanation)
   • The royal wife can refer to herself to others of equal or higher social standing as 妾身 qieshen and 本 ben + rank when referring to herself to servants, e.g. ben Guifei
   • The children of royal wives addressed them by their titles and not “mother”
   • The royal wife can be promoted to a higher rank by the emperor if they gain favour (often after giving birth to a son)
4. Princes, sons of the Emperor
   • The Crown Prince 皇太子 Huang-taizi or 太子 Taizi is the heir to the throne; his wife is the Crown Prince Consort 皇太子妃 Huangtaizi-fei or 太子妃 Taizi-fei; he is addressed as 太子殿下 Taizi Dianxia, she is addressed as 太子妃 Taizi-fei
   • The Crown Prince usually has his own “sub-palace” within the inner palace complex, so would refer to himself (before the royal wives and servants) as 本宮 bengong
   • The Crown Prince is usually the eldest son of the empress because dynastic succession generally followed primogeniture rules; if the crown prince dies young, before succeeding his father and producing a son(s), then the next eldest son of the empress becomes crown prince by default (and so on); it’s very rare for sons of concubines to succeed to the throne (unless they usurp or are formally adopted by an empress who failed to birth sons)
   • The princes are called 皇子Huangzi and can be addressed as 殿下 dianxia or 殿下爺 diangxia-ye
   • The princes refer to themselves in front of the emperor as 兒臣 erchen
   • (With few exceptions) all princes are given titles after they are born, so they can also be addressed and referred to by their titles (the titles often end in 王 Wang)
   • The 1st/primary wife of a prince is referred to by his title + 妃 fei, e.g. Qinwang-fei
   • The princes are numbered by birth order, regardless of who their mother is
5. Princesses, daughters of the Emperor
   • The Chinese term is 公主 Gongzhu (the term was coined during the Warring States period)
   • The princesses can be addressed as 公主殿下 Gongzhu Dianxia
   • The princesses refer to themselves in front of the emperor as 臣女 chennu
   • (With few exceptions) all princesses are given titles after they are born, so they are usually addressed and referred to by their titles (the titles often end in 公主 Gongzhu)
   • The princesses are numbered by birth order, regardless of who their mother is
   • The husbands of the princesses are called 駙馬 Fuma and usually addressed as 駙馬爺 Fuma-ye
6. Royal Relations
   • For the most part, tack the prefix 王 Wang to the patrilineal family terms, and you’ve got the names for uncles, aunts, and siblings (i.e., 王伯父 Wang-bofu & 王叔 Wangshu for older & younger uncles, 王姑 Wanggu for aunts, 王兄 Wangxiong & 王弟 Wangdi for older & younger brothers, 王姐 Wangjie & 王妹 Wangmei for older & younger sisters)
   • 王爺 wangye is both the collective term for male royals and a generic term to address a particular male royal; the male royal’s wife would be referred to as 王妃 wang-fei, his eldest son and heir 世子 shizi, his other sons 王子 wangzi, and his daughters 郡主 junzhu
   • With few exceptions, all royal relations have titles, and one generally refers to them by their titles (you’ll notice there’s no “Wang” term for cousins—they are addressed and referred to by their titles rather than the equivalent cousin terms)

Announcements

You’ll come across the following a lot in historical dramas set in dynastic times:

皇上駕到 huangshang jia dao (“His Majesty arriveth!”) - the emperor couldn’t possibly just enter a room, he has to be properly announced so that his subjects can kowtow and give obeisances; this is the most common announcement by the eunuch, official, or whoever’s job it is to say it in ringing tones

擺駕(回宮) baijia (huigong) (“Prepare the horses (to return to the palace)!”) - when the emperor is ready to depart, he gives the indication, and the eunuch/official will say this phrase in ringing tones to announce the departure of the emperor

駕崩 jiabeng (lit. “the imperial chariot collapsed” to mean “the passing of”) - the official proclamation of the death of an emperor uses this term to announce that he has passed away; the recently deceased emperor is often referred to as 大行皇帝 da xing huangdi (yes, they gain honorifics even after death—and I really do mean in plural: posthumous name, temple name, generally, but some may have others on top of these)
NOTE: this term is also used to announce the death of the Dowager Empress and the emperor’s paternal grandmother (who was usually Empress in her time)—she’s known as 太皇太后 tai huangtaihou

奉天承運皇帝詔曰 feng tian cheng yun huangdi zhao yue (“By the grace of the Heavens, the Emperor hereby decrees…”) - this is the typical starting line of official, written proclamations from the emperor to the entire nation, beginning from the Ming Dynasty (but is pretty much the only phrasing used in c-dramas); the written proclamation itself is called 聖旨 shengzhi and it receives its own announcement when it arrives (聖旨到 shengzhi dao “the royal proclamation arrives!”)

欽此 qinci - this is how the emperor signs off his royal proclamations (like how you’d put “sincerely” or “all the best” at the end of letters and emails, but in this case, these are the last words of the proclamation—they are not followed by the emperor’s name)

Other Facts

• Being Emperor is for life, but on the rare occasion that an emperor abdicates, he’s addressed and referred to as 太上皇 Taishang-huang (“Emperor Emeritus”)
• While official decrees and certain appointments are still decided/issued by the emperor, he usually leaves the running of the inner palace/imperial household to the empress, so her word is law
• Unlike how period dramas portray life in the inner palace, access was strictly monitored; only members of the imperial family (royal wives, children, grandchildren), servants, and guards were allowed inside; even the extended family of the emperor couldn’t just wander in; the natal families of the royal wives were not permitted to visit—if she wanted to see her natal family, the emperor had to give permission, and after that, it was a huge hullabaloo to arrange the visit, complete with entourage and security (if the last dynasty, the Qing, was indicative of the typical protocol, a separate wing had to be built within the familial complex to specifically house the royal wife and her entourage; and when she arrived, even her great-grandparents and grandparents had to kowtow to her and her kids)
• The other royal wives of the previous emperor were housed in a separate palace from the main complex where the imperial family lived
• Two collective terms 親王 qinwang and 郡王 junwang are for male royals, with the former closer in blood to the emperor (usually sons and brothers) than the latter (usually uncles, nephews, cousins); the wife and first-born son of the 親王 qinwang are 親王妃 qinwang-fei and 世子 shizi, respectively
• The term 本 ben means “this one, this person” and can be tacked onto generic titles to refer to oneself, e.g., 本王 benwang “this male royal”, 本公主 ben-gongzhu “this princess”, 本貴妃 ben-guifei “this concubine of the gui rank”
• The term 臣妾 chenqie is a collective noun for the ministers 臣 chen and concubines 妾 qie of the emperor, those who are subservient to him; therefore, 臣 is a masculine term, 妾 is a feminine term
  HOWEVER: royal wives can refer to themselves as 臣妾 chenqie because (1) chen in this context is used as an adjective and is therefore gender-neutral; and (2) the relationship between the emperor and all his subjects is the master-and-servant (君臣 jun-chen) relationship, so all his subjects, regardless of gender, should refer to themselves before the emperor as 臣 chen
• Likewise, the term 奴婢 nubi is a collective noun for servants: 奴 nu refers to male servants, 婢 bi to female ones
  HOWEVER: when used as an adjective, female servants can refer to themselves to their masters as 奴婢 nubi (they can also use the term 婢子 bizi); the male servants can refer to themselves as 奴才 nucai (or 小人 xiaoren)
• Court Officials’ positions are ranked by importance (the most common hierarchy consisted of 9 ranks), the 1st being the most important (prime ministers, generals, royal tutors) and 9th being least; the ranks come with specific salaries, court dress, other emblems of office, the whole works—one look at how the official is dressed tells you everything about their rank
• Officials/ministers at court refer to themselves in front of the emperor as 微臣 weichen (“this lowly minister”) or 下官 xiaguan (“this lowly official”) and refer to themselves to other officials/ministers of lower rank as 本官 ben guan or 本府 benfu; those of lower rank would also refer to themselves to a higher ranked official/minister as 下官 xiaguan; military personnel (especially generals) refer to themselves in front of the emperor as 末將 mojiang (“this lowly soldier”) and refer to themselves to other military personnel of lower rank as 本帥 ben shuai (generals would use 本將軍 ben jiangjun); officials will address each other as “surname + 大人 daren” and refer to other officials with "surname + official title/rank"; the emperor addresses individual ministers as 卿家 qingjia and the collective as 眾卿(家) zhong qing(jia)

Chapter Text

Referring to Family in the Presence of Others

The following honorifics and terms are completely extra! Because being polite and respectful is a chronic Chinese condition, there are ways to speak of family members that’s above and beyond necessity. Therefore, while these terms can still be used today, to do so generally makes one seem super pretentious because it’s just rare to use these in everyday life. You mostly encounter these terms in period dramas (wuxia/xianxia fall under this umbrella category). But in case you wondered…

First off, a quick explanation about the prefixes:

家 jia is used to refer to one’s own family members. It means “family”, so you’re literally saying “the [relative] of my family”.

令 ling is used to refer to another person’s family member. There isn’t an equivalent in English, but there is in French: vôtre in the singular context (the polite “your”).

So, I’ll group them together by generation (NOTE: usually only immediate family are referred to in this way, though extended family could also be thus referred):

Grandparents

When referring to one’s own grandparents:

家祖父 (jia zufu) - my paternal grandfather
家祖母 (jia zumu) - my paternal grandmother

家外祖父 (jia wai-zufu) - my maternal grandfather
家外祖母 (jia wai-zumu) - my maternal grandmother

When referring to another’s grandparents:

令祖父 (ling zufu) - your paternal grandfather
令祖母 (ling zumu) - your paternal grandmother

令外祖父 (ling wai-zufu) - your maternal grandfather
令外祖母 (ling wai-zumu) - your maternal grandmother

Parents

When referring to one’s own parents:

家父 (jia fu) / 家嚴 (jia yan) / 家尊 (jia zun) - my father
家母 (jia mu) / 家慈 (jia ci) - my mother

When referring to another’s parents:

令尊 (ling zun) - your father
令堂 (ling tang) - your mother

Siblings

When referring to one’s siblings:

家兄 (jia xiong) - my older brother
家姊 (jia zi) - my older sister
家弟 (jia di) / 舍弟 (she di) - my younger brother
家妹 (jia mei) / 舍妹 (she mei) - my younger sister

When referring to another’s siblings:

令兄 (ling xiong) - your older brother
令姊 (ling zi) - your older sister
令弟 (ling di) - your younger brother
令妹 (ling mei) - your younger sister

Spouse

When referring to one’s spouse:

外子 (waizi) - my husband
內子 (neizi) / 內人 (neiren) - my wife

I haven’t found the equivalent when referring to another’s spouse.

Children

When referring to one’s children:

小兒 (xiao er) / 犬兒 (quan er) - my son
小女 (xiao nu) - my daughter

When referring to another’s children:

令郎 (ling lang) / 令公子 (ling gongzi) - your son
令愛 (ling ai) / 令嬡 (ling ai) / 令千金 (ling qianjin) - your daughter

Chapter Text

Nicknames and Some Terms of Affection

Just responding to a query from constantly_confused_sheep, asking about nicknames. I thought it’d be better organized in a chapter rather than a reply. I decided to also briefly discuss some common terms of affection, since we’re on a similar topic.

While it’s polite to use honorifics and to call someone by their proper name, it’s obviously permissible and preferred to be less formal with family and friends as signs of affection. There is a bit of a catch and double-standard when it comes to those older than oneself: you can’t be too familiar, to the point that you forget the inherent social hierarchy. No matter how close you are, you still would not call your parents and grandparents by their given names, for example.

And just to point out that among family and friends, it’s fine to (appropriately) call someone only by their given names without need of surnames. So, Lan Qiren calls his nephews “Xichen” and “Wangji”, Lan Xichen calls his brother “Wangji”, and Wei Wuxian can call the younger Nie brother “Huaisang”. Again, the younger person won’t call the older person by their given name (so Lan Wangji would never call his brother “Xichen” or "Huan-ge").

So, in terms of nicknames, there are some conventions to follow as well as prefixes and suffixes that can be tacked onto a single-character given name or one of the characters of a double-charactered given name.

Conventionally, a nickname has two characters (probably stemming from the fact that it’s more common to have double-character given names but I have no proof of this), and you can either (1) double-up the single-charactered given name (e.g., lan zhan becomes zhan-zhan) or one of the characters of the double-charactered given name (e.g., nie huaisang becomes sang-sang) or (2) you can add prefixes or suffixes to one of the characters of the given name.

For the latter, here are some popular prefixes and suffixes to use (I’ve already mentioned the use of familial terms as suffixes in a previous chapter, so I won’t be focussing on those here):

1. A 阿 (prefix) - a general term that shows affection and (a high level of) intimacy; can also be added to familial terms
   
   EXAMPLE: Both Yanli and Wuxian can use “A-Cheng” for Jiang Cheng
   EXAMPLE: Jiang Cheng uses “A-jie” for Yanli (reminder that “jie” means “older sister”); in modern AU, Wei Wuxian would also call her “A-jie”
   EXAMPLE: those of the younger generation can also refer to the older generation with this prefix, i.e., A-ba (dad), A-ge (older brother), A-bo (dad’s older brother or respectfully to an older gentleman), A-yi (mom’s younger sister or generally in the “auntie” sense)
   
   NOTE: When the homophonic 啊 “a(h)”, an exclamatory particle, (the two can be easily confused) is used, it’s usually in exasperation or resignation. For example, when Wangji is tired of Xichen’s teasing, he might utter, “Ge-a(h)” in protest. Yu Ziyuan may yell at Wuxian after he’s gotten into a scrape with “Wei Wuxian-a(h), you’d better fix this right now if you want dinner tonight!” You’ll sometimes hear someone say “A-jie-a(h)!” in a whiny or exasperated tone, so that’s written as 阿姐啊, FYI.
2. Da 大 (prefix) - meaning “big, older”; when people refer to someone older than themselves
   
   EXAMPLE: Xichen, Guangyao, and Huaisang call Nie Mingjue “Da-ge”
   EXAMPLE: in modern times, people often use this prefix to express admiration for someone, regardless of age (for example, despite being the youngest cast member, Zheng Fanxing (Lan Sizhui) could be affectionately called “Da-xing” by the rest of The Untamed's cast)
3. Xiao 小 (prefix) - meaning “little, younger”; referring to someone younger than oneself
   
   EXAMPLE: Nie Mingjue could call Wangji “Xiao-Zhan” if he were so inclined
   EXAMPLE: in modern times, people often use this tacked onto a surname of a close friend, like “Xiao-Zhang”, “Xiao-Li”, or “Xiao-Ouyang”
4. Lao 老 (prefix) - meaning “old”; tacked onto surnames; almost exclusively used by males of the same generation (I say “mostly” because that’s the convention, but I also don’t know all 3 billion Chinese around the world, so I can’t say for sure that women do not use the term—it’s not forbidden, though women in general tend to be tetchy about being seen as “old”)
   
   EXAMPLE: actors Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo call each other “Lao-Xiao” and “Lao-Wang”
5. Er 兒 (suffix) - not commonly used in modern times; used by the older generation to refer to or affectionately call those of the younger generation, especially if they are children
   
   EXAMPLE: Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan can call their son “Cheng-er” (even after he becomes an adult)
   EXAMPLE: Lan Qiren may have called his nephews “Huan-er” and “Zhan-er” when they were young
   EXAMPLE: If they had been closer, Xiao Xingchen could call Wuxian “Ying-er/Xian-er” (for Wuxian’s courtesy name to become a nickname, it only makes sense to use the “Xian” rather than the “Wu” because the name means “without envy”, so it’s a bit rude to call him “Wu-er” or even “A-Wu”)
   
6. Yeh 爺 (suffix) - tacked onto surnames as a quasi-respectful nickname—it’s not disrespectful, but there’s an element of teasing and slight mockery (depending on context) when used in modern times (in ancient times, it was definitely only used in the respectful sense, when referring to a man of wealth and power and good social standing)
   
   EXAMPLE: Modern AU Wuxian would most likely refer to Sect Leader Yao as “Yao-Yeh” in a gremlin way
7. Zong 總 (suffix) - means “chief” and can be tacked onto the surname of a supervisor, manager, or other workplace superior with whom one has a good relationship and said person would not be offended by such an informal means of address
   
   EXAMPLE: In modern AU, if Jin Guangyao were a subordinate of Nie Mingjue, he could call his boss “Nie-Zong”

Please also be aware that the doubling-up of a character to form a nickname isn’t restricted to the characters of a given name; a completely different character can be used. The most obvious example would be how everyone calls Luo Qingyang “Mian-Mian”. I’m pretty sure the nickname stems from another term for sheep, “mian yang 綿羊”, since the “Yang” of her name is “sheep”.

NOTE: When figuring out which character of the double-charactered given name to use in creating the nickname (whether doubling-up or using prefixed/suffixed terms with), determine which character has the primary meaning for the name overall. Generally, the second character is the one with the primary meaning, with the first character acting as modifier/quantifier/descriptor. But this isn’t a fixed rule—the first can possess the primary meaning or both are equally meaningful (in which case, you can choose either one to be used for the nickname).

EXAMPLE: Wei Wuxian: Wu (no) + Xian (envy) = “without envy”; therefore, you’d use “Xian” for the nickname—hence why Jiang Yanli called him “A-Xian”.

EXAMPLE: Lan Xichen: Xi (dawn) + Chen (minister at court) = “minister of the dawn”; therefore you’d use “Xi” for the nickname, e.g. A-Xi, Xi-er, Xi-xiong, Xiao-Xi, etc.

EXAMPLE: 張美穎 Zhang Meiying (non-MXTX character): Mei (pretty) + Ying (clever) = “pretty and smart”, so you can use either, e.g. A-Mei, Xiao-Mei, Mei-er, A-Ying, Xiao-Ying, Ying-er, etc.

And finally, some terms of affection still in use today:

1. Bao-bao 寶寶 - meaning “precious, treasure, jewel” and used in affection for babies and young children
2. Baobei 寶貝 - a variation of “bao-bao” and meaning “precious object”; mostly used for babies and young children, but can be used between lovers or very close friends, e.g. Wuxian could thus say or refer to Wangji:「我的寶貝藍湛」“My treasured Lan Zhan”
3. Xingan 心肝 - translates literally as “heart and liver” but the connotation is “my heart and soul” or “my life-force”; most commonly used for babies and young children (grannies tend to like using this term for their grandkids), although the concept seems to have been extended to lovers
   RELATED TERM: Xingan Baobei 心肝寶貝 combines two terms of affection and used for babies and young children
4. Shagua 傻瓜 - meaning “silly” with the same connotation as the English usage toward lovers
5. Laogong 老公 (males) and Laopo 老婆 (females) - literally “old grandfather” and “old grandmother” and used as affectionate terms between husbands and wives, regardless of the actual ages of the couple

I welcome other queries from my baobei readers! Hopefully I can answer them!

Chapter Text

Birth Order, Familial Terms, and Honorifics

I just wanted to further expand on a reply to marhalf’s query about Lan Wangji being called “Lan er ge-ge” by Wei Wuxian and Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen being called “Da-ge” and “Er-ge”, respectively.

To begin with, we’ll start with the easiest concept of the Chinese numbering system, which is base-10.

• the pinyin for numbers 1 to 10 are as follows:
  1 = yi, 2 = er, 3 = san, 4 = si, 5 = wu, 6 = liu, 7 = qi, 8 = ba, 9 = jiu, 10 = shi
• numbers 11-99 are named following the pattern of n x 10 + (1 to 9), where n is 1 to 9 to represent 10, 20, 30… 90
  so, 11 is 10+1, 12 is 10+2, 25 is 2x10+5, 39 is 3x10+9, 99 is 9x10+9
• you’d then add n x 100 to 1-99 for the hundreds, then n x 1000 for the thousands, and so on

So, when addressing or referring to siblings of the same and across any generation, you can use the number denoting their birth order in addition to the appropriate familial term to be more specific about who you are addressing or referring to. Traditionally, boys and girls were counted separately; nowadays, most will go by birth order regardless of sex. You can then also apply the same concept to honorifics that use patrilineal terms.

Please note that when addressing or referring to the oldest in age of that generation, use 大 “da” (meaning big/eldest) rather than “yi” (one/first).

Therefore, if you have four great-uncles who are your paternal grandfather’s brothers, they would be addressed Da (1) Bo-gong, Er (2) Bo-gong, Si (4) Shu-gong, Wu (5) Shu-gong (assuming your granddad’s the middle brother). Your three maternal aunts would be addressed as Da (1) Yi-ma, Er (2) Yi-ma, and (4) Si-yi (if your mom is the 3rd sister).

This is also why "Uncle Four" (Wen) is a mistranslation (it should be translated as "Fourth Uncle"). An English speaker will think his name is Four, when he's the fourth son who has a proper name that's just not mentioned. While the illiterate families did name their children with numbers to indicate birth order, this practice was restricted to daughters. If they had one or more sons, they absolutely, definitely gave each son a proper name.

As already mentioned in a previous chapter, a younger person can use patrilineal terms as honorifics (e.g., "Bo-bo", "Shu-shu", "Ge-ge", and "Jie-jie") to address an older person in a respectful and intimate manner. Conversely, as a sign of affection and intimacy, an older person could also call a younger person by a patrilineal honorific such as "di-di" and "mei-mei". This applies to martial relations and blood brothers as well.

The Twin Jades of the Lans could, respectively, be called "Lan da-ge" and "Lan er-ge" by a younger person well-acquainted with them.

The younger Yunmeng disciples would call Jiang Yanli “Da Shi-jie”, Wei Wuxian “Da Shi-xiong”, and Jiang Cheng “Er Shi-xiong”; the younger disciples in turn would be called “San Shi-mei” or “Ershi-liu (26) Shi-di” and so on, depending on their place in the hierarchy, by the Jiang siblings.

The Venerated Triad, being blood brothers, would also follow birth order when addressed and referred to, with Nie Mingjue being the oldest—Nie Mingjue is "Da-ge", Lan Xichen is "Er-ge", and Jin Guangyao is "San-ge". Even though Nie Huaisang is not a part of the brotherhood, he calls the three in this manner because one's brother's blood brothers become one's brothers by extension. In turn, Nie Mingjue would affectionately call Lan Xichen "Er-di" and both Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen would call Jin Guangyao "San-di". Nie Huaisang would only be called "Di-di" or "Huaisang".

Chapter Text

Me, Myself, and I

So, I thought I’d do a little blurb on the different ways that you see characters refer to themselves in period dramas and novels. Many of the terms are historically accurate, some are conventions found in those genres.

In general, the Chinese did not use the pronoun “I” (我 wo) to refer to themselves and, instead, referred to themselves in the third person using other pronouns. Here are some common ones:

1. 在下 zaixia “this humble one; this lowly one” (literal translation is “[this one who is] beneath”): humility is a virtue, so it is a sign of good breeding and mindfulness to refer to oneself as inferior to the person one is speaking to, especially if that person is older in age and/or generation or superior in rank and/or social standing. NOTE: Used by males, not females. I’ve seen this term translated as “this one” for the period dramas, including CQL, and it’s caused some misunderstanding in FF because I’ve seen WWX use this term to refer to himself when speaking to the juniors, and that is absolutely wrong! He’s older than them in both age and generation (even if he’s inhabiting a body that would be about the same age as them, though one generation above, since MXY is a half-brother of JZX & JGY).
2. Surname + 某 mou “a certain person of the [surname] family”: used by males to refer to themselves, usually to other males.
3. 晚辈 wanbei “this one of a younger generation”: self-explanatory (you would address the person of the older generation with the term 前辈 qianbei and refer to them to a third party as your 長輩 zhangbei “[one of the] older generation”)
4. 1. 本人 benren “this person”: self-explanatory
   2. 本 ben + rank/position/title: you can add this prefix to your rank/position/title as a way to refer to yourself (e.g., if you’re an imperial concubine of the guifei rank, you’d refer to yourself as 本貴妃 ben guifei; if you’re a court official, you could refer to yourself with this non-ranked term 本府 benfu “this officer”; if you’re a teacher, you could refer to yourself with 本師 benshi—martial arts masters could use this term)
5. 1. 愚兄 yuxiong “this unintelligent senior” (males): used by the male who is older than the person being addressed, using the familial terms; only used when there is a high level of intimacy/familiarity and when the interacting persons are not related by blood (NOTE: I haven’t found an equivalent for a senior female)
   2. 小弟 xiaodi “this junior” or 愚弟 yudi “this unintelligent junior” (males): used by the male who is younger than the person being addressed, using the familial terms; only used when there is a high level of intimacy/familiarity and when the interacting persons are not related by blood
   3. 小妹 xiaomei “this younger woman” (females): used by the female who is younger than the person being addressed, using the familial terms; only used when there is a high level of intimacy/familiarity and when the interacting persons are not related by blood
6. 老夫 laofu “this old man” (males) and 老身 laoshen “this old body” (females): how the elderly referred to themselves (apologies if I gave you an earworm; I certainly gave myself one).



If a person had a specific social position, whether court official, civil servant, or other rank, they could also refer to themselves with the following terms:

7. 1. 小人 xiaoren “this little man”: used by males, usually in a position of servitude.
   2. 小女(子) xiaonu(zi) “this little woman”: used by females but not necessarily in a position of servitude, just of lower rank/social standing
8. 小生 xiaosheng “this later-born one”: usually used by scholarly males (and often interchangeable with 學生 xuesheng - see that entry for more details)
9. 學生 xuesheng “this student” (males): usually used by scholars or other learned males
10. 弟子 dizi “this disciple”: used by students when addressing their teacher (used in both the scholarly/academic sense and the martial arts sense by the 徒弟 tudi)
11. 為 wei + familial term “I, as your [relationship term]”: used by an older person by age and/or generation and/or rank when addressing a younger person (e.g., parents would use 為父 weifu (father) and 為母 weimu (mother); older brothers would use 為兄 weixiong; martial arts masters (shifu) would use 為師 weishi)
12. 1. 老衲 laona “this old and patched one” (males): used by elder/senior monks (to refer to their tattered robes)
    2. 貧僧 pinseng “this penniless monk” (males): used by (Buddhist) monks
    3. 貧尼 pinni “this penniless nun” (females): self-explanatory
    4. 貧道 pindao “this penniless priest/priestess”: used by Taoist practitioners
13. 卑職 beizhi “this inferior officer”: how lower-ranked officials referred to themselves to their superiors
14. 奴才 nucai “this slave” (males) and 奴婢 nubi/婢子 bizi “this slave” (female): used by paid/indentured servants and lowly (male) officials
15. 草民 caomin “this worthless commoner” (males) and 民女 minnu “this common woman”, 民婦 minfu “this common wife” (females): how a regular citizen refers to themselves before the emperor (should s/he have the honour of meeting the august person)

When one is addressing a family member or an elder for whom one uses familial terms to address, one uses either one’s given name(s), one’s nickname, or the (variant) familial term that the elder would use to address one. For example,
16. 孩兒 hai’er “your son” and 女兒 nu’er “your daughter”
17. 侄兒 zhi’er / 外甥 waisheng / 姨甥 yisheng “your nephew”; 侄女 zhinu / 外甥女 waishengnu / 姨甥女 yishengnu “your niece”
18. 孫兒 sun’er “your grandson” and 孫女 sunnu “your granddaughter
19. 兒臣 erchen “your servant-son” (prince to emperor/empress) and 臣女 chennu “your servant-daughter” (princess to emperor/empress)

And likewise when the older/senior family member refers to themselves to the younger/junior member, they use the term that the younger would address them as.

If you come across other pronouns, honorifics, or forms of address that you’d like explained, please ask in the comments!

Chapter Text

Professions Old and New

Thought I’d list a few term equivalencies for some popular professions in ancient times and their modern counterparts. May add to this down the road as I think of more!

Teacher

OLD:
先生 xiansheng (this is what the students call Lan Qiren)

NEW:
老師 laoshi for regular teachers (xiansheng is still okay, but because the term has been delegated to being used to refer to males re: “mister”, laoshi is more commonly used instead)
教授 jiaoshou professor of a college/university (if Lan Qiren taught at a modern university, he’d be called Lan Jiaoshou/Professor Lan)
講師 jiangshi lecturer
校長 xiaozhang school principal, schoolmaster
博士 boshi for those with a PhD
導師 daoshi tutor

Medical Profession

OLD:
大夫 daifu physician
穩婆 wenpo midwife

NEW:
醫生 yisheng or 醫師 yishi medical doctor
外科醫生 waike yisheng surgeon
牙醫 yayi dentist
藥劑師 yaojishi pharmacist
護士 hushi nurse
物理治療師 wuli zhiliaoshi physiotherapist
針灸師 zhenjiushi accupuncturist

Politics & the Civil Service

OLD: under the imperial system, there were a shit-ton of position and court officials, so only listing some of the most common

丞相 chengxiang or 相國 xiangguo Grand Chancellor (highest ranking official at court, the equivalent of a prime minister)
太常 taichang Minister of Ceremonies
太史令 taishiling Court Astronomer
尚書 shangshu Chief Steward (head of their respective ministries)
衛尉 weiwei Minister of the Guards
光祿勳 guangluxun Minister of the Household
廷尉 tingwei Minister of Justice
大司農 dasinong Grand Minister of Agriculture
太傅 taifu Grand Tutor (the crown prince’s tutor who often remains in the position after he ascends)
太醫 taiyi Imperial Physician
太監 taijian eunuch

NEW:
總統 zongtong President of a country
總理 zongli Prime Minister of a country
參議員 canyiyuan Senator
州長 zhouzhang Governor
國務卿 guowuqing Secretary of State
外交大臣 waijiao dachen Foreign Minister
總督 zongdu Governor-General
外交官 waijiaoguan diplomat
警察 jingcha police
消防隊員 xiaofang duiyuan firefighter
郵差 youchai postman

Artisans & Craftsmen

OLD:
工匠 gongjiang collective term for craftsmen
金匠 jinjiang goldsmith
木匠 mujiang carpenter
廚師 chushi chef
畫匠 huajiang painter, calligrapher
鐵匠 tiejiang blacksmith
石匠 shijiang stonemason
染匠 ranjiang dyer
裁縫 caifeng tailor
船工 chuanggong shipwright

NEW:
設計師 shejishi designer in general
技術員 jishuyuan technician in general
藝術家 yishujia artist in general
廚師 chushi chef (still the same!)
鐵匠 tiejiang blacksmith (still the same!)
木匠 mujiang carpenter (still the same!)
建築師 jianzhushi architect
工程師 gongchengshi engineer
電工 diangong electrician
水管工 shuiguangong plumber
攝影師 sheyingshi photographer
學徒 xuetu apprentice

Businessmen

OLD:
商人 shangren collective term for businessmen
老板/老闆 laoban “boss”, for proprietors, shop owners, storekeepers in general
掌柜 zhanggui shopkeeper

NEW: there are many more specialized terms nowadays

總裁 zongcai Chairman or Director-General of a company, organization, etc
首席執行官 shouxi zhixingguan Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
經理 jingli for managers in general
會計師 kuaijishi accountant
秘書 mishu secretary
職員 zhiyuan office clerk; office worker in general
服務員 fuwu yuan attendant (including waiter/waitress); term for service provider in general
店員 dianyuan shop assistant, salesperson
侍應 shi ying waiter/waitress (more specific term)

Chapter Text

“Wei Ying.”

“Lan Zhan, you’re home! How was the meeting?”

“Fine.”

Wei Wuxian looked puzzled at the deep furrow of his husband’s brow. “Is something the matter, Lan Zhan?”

“The villagers said many words of encouragement and comfort. They seem to be under the impression that I have recently completed mourning.”

“How silly of them! Did they try to introduce you to eligible young maidens from their village?”

“Wei Ying!”

“Ah, Lan Zhan, it’s only natural that they would want to ensure the happiness of their benefactor. Besides, a formal alliance with Gusu-Lan entails so much prestige and wealth. Being the Lan Er-furen is nothing to turn one’s nose up at.”

Lan Wangji wrapped his arms possessively about Wei Wuxian’s waist. “And is my Lan er-fujun happy to have married the priggish second master?”

“Lan Zhan! You know I was just teasing you with that term! My Lan Zhan is the kindest, sweetest man ever, and I’m so happy he’s mine!”

“The villagers are not wrong, though. I did consider myself a widower for thirteen years.”

“Aiya, my poor Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian peppered Lan Wangji’s face with kisses. “Wait, does that mean that the me in my former body was your wang-fu?”

Lan Wangji smirked. “Wang-qi.”

Wei Wuxian burst into laughter. “Lan Zhan!”

~*~*~*~

Dearly Departed

Death is inevitable, the whole Circle of Life thingie (sorry, again, for the earworm). As such, there is a term used to refer to departed relations, and it is 先 xian “former/previous”.

So, just going to mention the most common terms you may need to use when referring to departed family members, by generation:

Grandparents

You would use the more formal terms of 祖父 zufu (males) and 祖母 zumu (females). So:

先祖父 xian-zufu - my late paternal grandfather
先祖母 xian-zumu - my late paternal grandmother

先外祖父 xian-waizufu - my late maternal grandfather
先外祖母 xian-waizumu - my late maternal grandmother

Parents

先父 xian-fu - my late father (can also use 亡父 wang-fu)
先母 xian-mu - my late mother (can also use 亡母 wang-mu)

Spouses

先夫 xian-fu - my late husband (can also use 亡夫 wang-fu)
先妻 xian-qi - my late wife (can also use 亡妻 wang-qi)

NOTE: Children normally don’t pre-decease their parents, so there aren’t really terms to refer to departed sons and daughters; likewise grandchildren. You could describe them with this term: 夭折 yaozhe “die prematurely” (anyone who dies younger than 25 can be thus lamented); but you would not tack on the familial term as a suffix—it’s used on its own to inform on the status of that departed beloved.

For siblings, the term 先 xian is not used. With the exception of spouses, the term is usually for those older in age and/or generation. It’s possible to use 亡 wang (i.e., 亡兄 wang-xiong, 亡姊 wang-zi, 亡弟 wang-di, 亡妹 wang-mei), but like 先 xian, 亡 wang is quite formal, and both terms tend to be used in written rather than verbal communication.

Loved Ones Who Remain

Loved ones left behind have terms as well:

鰥夫 guan-fu - widower
遺孀 yi-shuang - widow (this is the polite way to refer to one’s widow; 寡婦 gua-fu is the modern, less nice term)
遺孤 yi-gu - orphan (again, this is the polite way to refer to one’s orphaned children; 孤兒 gu-er is the less nice term)

Others

先帝 xian-di - the former (departed) emperor; this usually refers to the preceding one, usually the father of the current emperor (先皇 xian-huang is also an acceptable alternative)

先人 xian-ren - ancestors (can also use the terms 祖先 zu-xian and 鼻祖 bi-zu)
NOTE: the corollary is 後人 hou-ren “descendants” (and collectively, the two terms refer to “those who came before” and “those who come after”)

NOTE: The polite way to inform that a person has died is to say they 已過世了 yi guoshi le “have already passed from this world” or 不在 bu zai “are no longer here”. In modern times, it’s more typical to refer to the deceased as 已過世的 yi guoshi di + relationship term.

Chapter Text

Just for a change of pace, thought I’d try my hand at translating the sub-theme song of The Untamed. There are allusions and metaphors here and there, so I’m not going for a straight translation because it won’t make sense.

無羈 （《陳情令》片尾曲）Carefree (sub-theme of The Untamed)
曲: 林海 melody: Lin Hai
詞: 澄一、冥凰 lyrics: Cheng Yi, Ming Huang
唱: 肖戰、王一博 sung by: Sean Xiao, Wang Yibo

聞笛聲獨惆悵 Listening to the sound of the flute, alone and disheartened
雲深夜未央 Night at Cloud Recesses is still young
是與非都過往 Right and wrong now water under the bridge
醒來了怎能當夢一場 Awakened, can’t dismiss as a dream

紅塵中毀譽得失如何去量 How can slander, gains and losses be measured while immersed in worldly affairs
蕭蕭血熱刀鋒涼 Hot-blooded, cold blade
山高水遠又聞琴響 Across the distance (metaphor: high mountain, faraway waters), a guqin resonates
陳情未絕 Chenqing hasn’t perished*
臥荻花月如霜 Bleakness (metaphor: wilted silvergrass, cold moon)

煮一壺生死悲歡祭少年郎 Offer up a flagon of life and death, joy and sorrow to young men
明月依舊何來悵惘 Life as usual (metaphor: the moon as of old), no room for disappointment
不如瀟瀟灑灑歷遍風和浪 So, let's endure hardships (metaphor: wind and waves) with nonchalance
天涯一曲共悠揚 One song to eclipse the horizon

穿萬水過千山 Traverse the vast distances (metaphor: a million streams, a thousand mountains)
路盡人茫茫 The ends of the road, the vast crowds
是與非都過往 Right and wrong now water under the bridge
醒來了就當它夢一場 Awakened, deem it all a dream

紅塵中毀譽得失如何去量 How can slander, gains and losses be measured while immersed in worldly affairs
蕭蕭血熱刀鋒涼 Hot-blooded, cold blade
山高水遠又聞琴響 Across the distance, a guqin resonates
陳情未絕 Chenqing hasn’t perished*
笑世事多無常 Laugh at life’s unpredictability

煮一壺生死悲歡祭少年郎 Offer up a flagon of life and death, joy and sorrow to young men
明月依舊何來悵惘 Life as usual, no room for disappointment
不如坦坦蕩蕩歷遍風和浪 So, let's calmly endure life’s hardships
天涯一曲共悠揚 One song to eclipse the horizon

*i chose to translate this bit literally; note that the name of Wei Wuxian’s flute, Chenqing 陳情 means “old feelings” or “old affections”, so the lyrics could also be translated as old affections remain

Chapter Text

LGBTQ2S+

Because traditional Chinese familial terms are sex-specific, with no concept of a neutral gender or non-binarism, there aren’t recognized terms for use by the LGBTQ2S+ community (to be fair, I don’t live in China proper, so if you’re aware of such terms, please let me know in the comments!).

Full disclosure: I’m still very much an ignorant when it comes to terms and definitions and labels, so I apologize for any insensitivity and offence caused—it is definitely not my intent, and I would appreciate being informed in the comments (though please don’t yell).

So, I would like to propose some terms for use—your thoughts on these are also appreciated!

1. for the “them” pronoun, a single word is impossible, so I thought the plural forms for “she” and “he” would be the most appropriate, namely:
   he/them: 他們 ta-men
   she/them: 她們 ta-men
   These two terms would also be used to refer to a non-binary person (he/they, she/they)
2. to address or refer to a non-binary family member (or a close friend that you use familial terms for), I thought that the plural form 們 men could be tacked onto familial terms as a suffix. For example:
   爸們 ba-men - dad
   媽們 ma-men - mom
   哥們 ge-men - older brother or older friend identifying as he/him/they
   姐們 jie-men - older sister or older friend identifying as she/her/they
   弟們 di-men - younger brother or younger friend identifying as he/him/they
   妹們 mei-men - younger sister or younger friend identifying as she/her/they
   子們 zi-men - son
   女們 nu-men - daughter
   公們 gong-men - for person of grandparents’ generation identifying as he/him/they
   婆們 po-men - for person of grandparents’ generation identifying as she/her/they
   叔們 shu-men - for person of parents’ generation identifying as he/him/they
   姨們 yi-men - for person of parents’ generation identifying as she/her/they
   

It’s not perfect because there’s still a lot of gender baggage inherent in the terms. But I thought I’d try!

Please do take the time to read Avescor's excellent post below--there are some excellent links as well for further reading!

Chapter Text

Mental Health

Mental health is still very much a taboo subject among the Chinese to this day. I have a Psychiatrist friend who is Chinese and dedicating his life to educating the local Chinese community on mental health issues in the hopes of breaking barriers and facilitating safe conversations, but it’s an uphill battle and long-term war against outdated attitudes.

But given that mental well-being (or lack thereof) is a theme in MDZS, I wanted to list some terms, both ancient and modern, related to mental health and negative emotions.

I’ll start with terms already existing as terms/phrases/idioms in Chinese literature and poetry:

孤獨 gudu - alone, lonely, solitary; solitude, loneliness
孤寂 guji - lonely
孤單 gudan - lonely
寂寞 jimo - loneliness, solitude
落寞 luomo - desolate
冷落 lengluo - desolate; treat coldly, cold-shouldered; indifferent
無主孤魂 wuzhu guhun - lonely soul, wandering spirit
孤苦零丁 guku lingding - alone and helpless, without kith or kin (often used to describe orphans)
高處不勝寒 gaochu busheng han - loneliness at the top; taken from a poem 《水調歌頭》 by Su Shi 蘇軾
無助 wuzhu - helpless
束手無策 shushou wuce - helpless, to have one’s hands tied
悲 bei - sad; sorrow; sadness; sorrowful; mournful
悲酸 beisuan - sadness, grief; bitterness
悲楚 beichu - anguish, dismay, distress; grief, mourning; misery, sadness, sorrow
辛酸 xinsuan - sadness; bitterness
心酸 xinsuan - sadness; grief
傷心 shangxin - sad, hurt
傷悲 shangbei - sadness; grief, mournful
難過 nanguo - sad, sorrow
愁思 chousi - sad thoughts; anxiety
憂愁 youchou - sorrow, grief
哀怨 aiyuan - sadness; lamenting
灰心 huixin or 心灰 xinhui - to be discouraged
惱 nao - annoyed; unhappy
不快(樂) bukuai(le) - unhappy; displeased; indisposed, under the weather; out of sorts
可憐 kelian - pity, pitiful, pitiable
凄涼 qiliang - pitiful; sorrowful; dreary
淒慘 qican - wretched; pitiable; miserable; tragic
沉悶 chenmen - depressed
鬱悶 yumen - depressed, gloomy, miserable
苦悶 kumen - depressed, dejected, feeling down
沮喪 jusang - dispirited, dejected, dismayed, depressed
悶悶不樂 menmen bule - feeling down; depressed
悲觀 beiguan - pessimistic
絕望 juewang - desperate; hopeless; desperation; hopelessness
哭 ku - cry, crying
泣 qi - cry, crying; weep, weeping
哭泣 kuqi - crying
流淚 liulei - cry, shed tears
淌淚 tanglei - cry, shed tears
啼哭 tiku - cry; wail; whimper
痛哭 tongku - to cry (or weep) bitterly; to wail
感慨 gankai - to sigh; to lament
遺憾 yihan - regret what’s happened; lament
累 lei - tired
倦 juan - tired
疲累 pilei - tired, exhausted
疲倦 pijuan - tired; fatigue
着急 zhaoji - anxious, impatient
憂慮 youlv - anxiety, concern, worry
緊張 jinzhang - anxious
驚 jing - frightened; surprised; startled
害怕 haipa - to fear, be afraid
畏懼 weiju - fear, dread
恐懼 kongju - fear, dread
驚慌 jinghuang - panicked; alarmed; frightened
怒 nu - anger; fury
憤 fen - anger, indignation
生氣 shengqi - angry
怨 yuan - resent; blame; hate
怨恨 yuanhen - resentment; grudge

Even though it is a taboo subject, the Chinese aren’t so out of touch that they don’t have modern psychiatric terms and medical diagnoses for mental disorders, so here’s a brief list used by clinicians:

精神病 jingshen bing - mental illness
(上)癮 (shang)yin - addiction
危機 weiji - crisis
譫妄 zhanwang - delirium
妄想症 wangxiang zheng - delusion
癡呆 chidai - dementia
殘疾 canji - disability
恐慌症 konghuang zheng - panic attacks
恐怖症 kongbu zheng - phobia
精神錯亂 jingshen cuoluan - psychosis
自殘 zican - self-harm
恥辱 chiru - stigma (NOTE: in general, the term means insulting, humiliation)
自殺意念 zisha yinian - suicidal ideation
症狀 zhengzhuang - symptom(s)

急性應激障礙 jixing yingji zhangai - Acute Stress Disorder
焦慮症 jiaolu zheng - Anxiety Disorder
攻擊性障礙 gongjixing zhangai - Aggression Disorder
阿爾茨海默病 a er ci hai mo bing - Alzheimer’s
厭食症 yanshi zheng - anorexia (nervosa)
貪食症 tanshi zheng - bulimia (nervosa)
注意缺陷症 zhuyi quexian zheng - ADD
注意缺陷多動症 zhuyi quexian duodong zheng - ADHD
自閉症譜系障礙 zibi zheng puxi zhangai - Autism Spectrum Disorder
雙極性情緒障礙 shuangjixing qingxu zhangai - Bipolar Affective Disorder
抑鬱症 yiyu zheng - Depression
強迫症 qiangpo zheng - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
創傷後壓力症 chuangshang hou yali zheng - PTSD
產後抑鬱症 chanhou yiyu zheng - Postnatal Depression
精神分裂症 jingshen fenlie zheng - Schizophrenia

Good mental health to you all!

Chapter Text

The Whole Nine Yards

Here’s another one of those “in case you wondered” posts.

The Chinese have a phrase 祖宗十八代 zuzong shiba dai (lit. 18 generations of ancestors) to mean “all one’s ancestors”. But, in fact, the terms for these individuals are divided so that 9 are for those who precede oneself and 9 for those who succeed! A misnomer.

Anyway, here are the terms in order from oldest to youngest by generation:

鼻祖父 bizufu - 7th great-grandfather
遠祖父 yuanzufu - 6th great-grandfather
太祖父 taizufu - 5th great-grandfather
烈祖父 liezufu - 4th great-grandfather
天祖父 tianzufu - 3rd great-grandfather
高祖父 gaozufu - 2nd great-grandfather
曾祖父 cengzufu - great-grandfather
祖父 zufu - grandfather
父 fu - father

己 oneself (excluded from the count—does bring up the philosophical debate of whether the self is real or just a construct… or perhaps infinite, like the non-existent year 0 that used to divide time into BC and AD)

子 zi - son
孫 sun - grandson
曾孫 cengsun - great-grandson
玄孫 xuansun - 2nd great-grandson
來孫 laisun - 3rd great-grandson
晜孫 kunsun - 4th great-grandson
仍孫 rengsun - 5th great-grandson
雲孫 yunsun - 6th great-grandson
耳孫 ersun - 7th great-grandson

If you wanted to refer to the women of those generations, replace 父 fu with 母 mu for the forefathers and add 女 nu to the progeny terms beginning with “grand”.

Please note that these are formal terms. The use of the term 太 tai in this case refers to the 5th great-grandfather. However, in everyday usage, if you refer to your 太爺爺 tai yeh-yeh and 太奶奶 tai nai-nai, these are your great-grandparents. Yeah, not confusing.

The fowl that Lan Wangji stole are definitely calling foul!

Chapter Text

Collective and Pairings

Here’s another “extras” installment. These are terms that are nice to know but aren’t required. Please note that they are pater-centric, given that, traditionally, the paternal family was considered the “inner” one, one’s clan. Girls married out, so the maternal family is the “outer” one.

Grouping

These are collective terms used to refer to one’s relatives.

家人 (jiaren) - one’s family
闔家 (hejia) - the whole family
家族 (jiazu) - clan
鄉親父老 (xiang-qin-fu-lao) - (general term) clansmen, the folks back home
叔伯兄弟 (shu-bo-xiong-di) - (more specific term) clansmen, the collective (male) members of the clan; meant to refer to the entire bunch of relatives, but does place more emphasis on the male members (lit. “uncles and brothers”)
親戚 (qinqi) - relatives (this term can be used to describe the maternal relatives too)
親朋戚友 (qin-peng-qi-you) - kith and kin; friends and family
外家 (waijia) - woman’s natal family (lit. “outer family”)
姨表 (yibiao) - “maternal” relatives (not limited to mother’s side of family; refers also to grandmother’s family, aunt’s family; basically, non-patrilineal)
姻親 (yinqin) - in-laws
兄弟姊妹 (xiong-di-zi-mei) - siblings
族兄弟姊妹 (zu-xiong-di-zi-mei) - collective cousins of the clan, i.e., those that share the same surname
(the individual can be referred to as 族兄/族弟/族姊/族妹 depending on his/her age in relationship to oneself)
兄弟 (xiongdi) - brothers (can be broadened to refer to blood brothers, even “band of brothers”)
子女 (zinu) - children
子孫 (zisun) - descendants (lit. “sons and grandsons”)
子姪 (zizhi) - next generation of kids in the family (lit. “sons and nephews”)

長輩 (zhangbei) - elders, relatives of higher generation
平輩 (pingbei) or 同輩 (tongbei) - relatives of the same generation
後輩 (houbei) - relatives of the younger generation (including children)

Pairs

These are terms describing pairs of relatives, used to refer to them (some can be used by one/both in the pair to refer to themselves). The terms are often prefixed by 兩 liang “the/this pair of”. (There are some repeats here as I’ve used them in other chapters.)

爺孫 (yesun) - grandfather and grandson (nowadays can be used for grandfather and granddaughter as well)
婆媳 (poxi) - mother-in-law and daughter-in-law
父母 (fumu) - parents (use 兩 liang as a suffix to refer to one’s parents)
雙親 (shuangqin) - parents (does not use 兩 liang as a prefix because shuang already means “a pair”)
夫婦 (fufu) or 夫妻 (fuqi) - husband and wife
姑嫂 (gusao) - sisters-in-law (specifically man’s wife and his sister)
妯娌 (zhouli) - sisters-in-law (specifically the wives of brothers)
連襟 (lianjin) - brothers-in-law (specifically the husbands of sisters)
父子 (fuzi) - father and son
父女 (funu) - father and daughter
母子 (muzi) - mother and son
母女 (munu) - mother and daughter
兄弟 (xiongdi) - older and younger brothers (also a collective, as already noted above)
姐妹 (jiemei) - older and younger sisters (can also be a collective for a sisterhood, “the girls”, e.g. bridesmaids; be aware that in period dramas, prostitutes also referred to each other as “sister”, so the group also uses this term)
兄妹 (xiongmei) - older brother and younger sister
姐弟 (jiedi) - older sister and younger brother

Chapter Text

Mi casa es su casa

twilightarc asked if there could be a more focussed discussion on the traditional Chinese concept of sworn brotherhood 結拜兄弟 jiebai xiongdi or 結義兄弟 jieyi xiongdi. So, here goes!

Sworn Brothers (AKA Blood Brothers, to use the more Western term) are viewed like the Greek platonic relationship: it’s a very close bond but without any sexual desire and romance and all that those entail. People who insist there is a homosexual subtext are viewing the relationship with modern lenses. Historically, there are specific terms to describe homosexual relationships during those eras where it was more socially acceptable, and these terms are different from the ones used for sworn brotherhood. (This is not meant to be judgemental on my part, just stating what I know and briefly read up on.)

The concept of sworn sisters 金蘭姊妹 jinlan jiemei exists, but literature being male-dominant means that the sworn brotherhood is definitely given the limelight and the acclaim.

And I just want to make it clear that sworn brotherhood is a separate type of relationship from both the familial and martial ones, as well as adoptive ones. The sworn brothers are not only not blood-related but of different affiliations (e.g., different sects, different professions). While it would be more common for martial arts practitioners or cultivators to swear allegiance, it’s not unheard of to have a brother(s) who is completely not of their world (i.e., a “commoner” or regular citizen). Sworn brothers usually share similar principles or just “click”, personality-wise. And it’s this commonality that makes them want to go through the formal ceremony of swearing loyalty to one another. Once they’ve done so, they are recognized by kith and kin as being bonded.

The bond between sworn brothers is like that of biological brothers—they are considered family. And as such, patrilineal terms are used among the brothers themselves and by their biological families to refer to and address them. Forgive me for re-hashing some old information from previous chapters that touched on the subject, but it’s necessary to tie it all together:

Just some final things to point out:

A shout-out to Chinjou for helping with the research!

Chapter Text

Dysfunctional Family

Alas, despite the emphasis on family, things aren’t always harmonious among the Chinese—there will be arguments and in-fighting and politics and splits. So, below are some terms related to the breaking up or loss of a family.

滅門 (mie men) - familicide, kill off the whole family (by others)
家破人亡 (jiapo renwang) - with one's house in ruins and family members dead
無家可歸 (wu jia ke gui) - homeless
離家出走 (li jia chu zou) - run away from home
舉目無親 (ju mu wu qin) - to be a stranger in a foreign land, without friends or family; to have noone to turn to
客死異鄉 (ke si yixiang) - to die in a foreign land
孤苦零丁 (guku lingding) - alone in the world; helpless
孤家寡人 (gujia guaren) - loner
非親非故 (feiqin feigu) - lit. neither kith nor kin; not well-acquainted with, strangers
六親不認 (liuqqin bu ren) - disowning one's family
幫理不幫親 (bang li bu bang qin) - justice above relations, to stand on the side of justice rather than one's family
脫離關係 (tuoli guanxi) - to cut ties

分居 (fen ju) - to separate (married couple); to live apart
離婚 (li hun) - to divorce
婚變 (hun bian) - a change in a marriage such as a divorce or separation
不歡而散 (bu huan er san) - to part on bad terms
抛妻棄子 (pao qi qi zi) - (a man who) abandon one's wife and children; (a man who) run out on one's family
妻離子散 (qi li zi san) - lit. wife leaving, kids scattering; breaking up of a family
單親家庭 (dan qin jiating) - single-parent household

婚外情 (hun wai qing) - n. extramarital affair
姦情 (jian qing) - n. adultery; infidelity; an adulterous affair
偷情 (tou qing) - n. adultery; extramarital relationship; illicit relationship
通姦 (tong jian) - v. to commit adultery
私生子 (si sheng zi) - illegitimate child

心碎 (xinsui) - heartbreak, heartbroken
失戀 (shilian) - to lose one's love, breakup; lovelorn, broken-hearted, disappointed in love
負心 (fuxin) - heartless; betray one's love
薄情 (boqing) - fickle
絕情 (jueqing) - heartless, cruel
忘恩負義 (wang en fu yi) - betray, be disloyal, be ungrateful, be dishonourable (often used to describe the one who bails from the relationship; can be used to describe any betrayal of a relationship of trust/honour)
寡情薄義 (gua ching bo yi) - heartless

吵架 (chaojia)/吵嘴 (chao zui) - to argue; to quarrel
打架 (dajia) - to (have a physical) fight

家庭暴力 (jiating baoli) - domestic violence
虐待兒童 (nuedai ertong) - child abuse
身體虐待 (shenti nuedai) - physical abuse
情感虐待 (qinggan nuedai) - emotional abuse
言論攻擊 (yanlun gongji) - verbal abuse
性騷擾 (xing saorao) - sexual harassment
強姦 (qiang jian) - rape

孽種 (nie zhong) - the devil of the family; the bringer of bad luck

Chapter Text

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

I’ve resisted and held out on tackling this topic for the longest time because it’s complicated and of all the familial terms, references, and honorifics, these are the most varied by region and are the least standardized. The terms presented below represent the simplest form of the most common terms I found. Again, research the terms for the region of interest and beware that TV dramas don’t always get the terms right because we’re into the fourth(?) and fifth(?) generations of the One-Child Policy, so there are scriptwriters who have parents and grandparents who are only children; they never grew up needing to know the terms for extended family because they don’t have any!

Anyway, please also be aware that the multiple wives included here represent those who were “officially recognized” by the husband and had been brought into the ancestral home to live and raise their children. The mistresses aren’t counted. While the man usually paid for the upkeep of said mistresses and any children from those relationships, and this included school/tutor fees for the sons (yes, yes, I’m rolling my eyes too), the sons from these extra-marital affairs had no right to the inheritance that the other “recognized” sons did.

Men in ancient times only had one official wife, the primary wife (嫡妻 diqi or 正室 zhengshi). He could have as many concubines/lesser wives and mistresses as he could afford to support. And the man properly married his primary wife, following the full protocol laid out by the Three Letters and Six Etiquettes (三書六禮 sanshu liuli). The primary wife had to come from a family of exact/similar social standing. The rest of the “harem” did not get a wedding ceremony at all; most were bought like property and brought into the ancestral home to live, their main purposes to be broodmares.

But because a man only had one legal wife, for purposes of inheritance, it mattered very much who birthed his sons. The sons of the primary wife were collectively called 嫡子 dizi, AKA the main branch (don’t confuse this term with Chenqing, please; the intonation is slightly different); those by the concubines/lesser wives were collectively the 庶子 shuzi, AKA the cadet branches. The oldest son of the primary wife was known as the 嫡長子 dizhangzi, and he inherited the man’s titles, the rule of the ancestral home, and the biggest share of the inheritance because he had to maintain the residence as well as provide monthly allowances to his other brothers’ households. The other sons inherited a portion of the liquidable assets and, combined with the monthly allowances, lived quite comfortably. In the event that the oldest son died prematurely, the one to succeed him was his oldest son (known as the 嫡長孫 dizhangsun); if he didn’t have any sons, then his next eldest brother succeeded. It was very rare that the sons from the concubines/lesser wives rose to become the successor.

Why did women (or, more correctly, their families desire them to) become concubines? They usually came from the lower classes and their families weren’t well-off. By marrying a wealthy man, their social standings were elevated and even if their children didn’t enjoy the same privileges as those born of the primary wife, these children were still raised in a more affluent environment and the sons would have received a proper education as befitting a scion of a wealthy household. There was still strength in numbers, which the children of concubines made up, and they were a good means of forming alliances with other wealthy households through marriage.

Similar to royal children, the sons and daughters were (separately) numbered by birth order, regardless of who their biological mothers were. The primary wife was “mother” to all the children; the concubines/lesser wives were “aunts”, even to their own biological offspring. So again, I used this to “simplify” my charts.

Okay, onto my visual aids.

The first chart summarizes the terms used to refer to and/or address the members of the household; third parties and the servants would use these terms. Please note that the head of the household is the laoye. It was rare to have the father of the laoye still alive; but in cases where this elderly gentleman was alive but had formally “retired” and passed the title to his eldest son, he would be referred to/addressed as the tai-laoye. I’ve included this in the chart as extra information; please note that, consequently, this is an atypical household schematic.

So, the children of the laoye were referred to and/or addressed by birth order as either shaoye (male) or xiaojie (female). Their children also had the same honorifics but they were distinguished from their parents by having the honorific suffixed to their given names. So, the party doing the referring/addressing obviously knew who the parents of these “grandchildren” were, but it’s not apparent in the honorific used.

The extra info at the bottom of the first chart is just for cases where one needed to address or refer to the members of the households of every single brother in the family. Since each household used the same terms, prefixing with the one as related to the birth order helped clarify which brother's household was being addressed/referred to.

The second chart summarizes how the laoye’s children would address his multiple wives as well as the multiple wives of the laoye’s brothers and sons. Once the oldest son inherited the title and became head of the household, it was more common for his younger brothers to move out of the ancestral home and form their own households. The households would still visit and keep in touch, so the children were expected to know how to address the multiple aunts and first cousins.

I’ve focussed on just the paternal familial terms pertaining to the brothers of the laoye because the sisters married out and became part of their husbands’ families, and they rarely visited their natal families. So, for the children of the laoye, they called their older siblings by birth order as xiong (male) and jie (female), prefixing said terms with a term or number, and their younger siblings by name (and referred to them with the appropriate birth order prefixes + di (male) or mei (female)).

For their paternal first cousins, the children used the sibling terms suffixed to the given names of these cousins (so as not to be confused with their own siblings, given that within those first cousins’ households, they were numbered by birth order and called the appropriate number prefix + sibling term amongst themselves).

Again, I “simplified” the chart by having the bofu’s children be older and the shufu’s children be younger; obviously, the reference is oneself, so what correct term to use depends on one’s relative age to the person being addressed.

The terms used in both charts are the more formal/archaic ones because polygamy is technically illegal nowadays. Also, the terms are the ones used in the Ming and Qing dynastic eras; please research the dynasty-specific terms for older eras.

As always, feel free to seek clarifications in the comments!

Chapter Text

Possibilities

DISCLAIMER: These terms are not recognized/standarized by the Chinese communities around the world! They are only my suggestions and, as such, should not be treated as the only ones that can be used! As I’ve said before, given that LGBTZ2S+ relationships are not bound by conventional terminology, the individuals are free to choose whatever terms they want!

As I was thinking about the possible terms to use for the spouses and pairing them up with the existing familial terms, I found that, overall, the terms of 夫 fū (“husband”) and 妻 qi ("wife") pair up very well with the existing familial terms and don’t make the new compound awkward to pronounce or sound silly. I’ve had to add diacritics so that you don’t confuse 夫 fū (“husband”) and 父 fù (“father”).

Again, because I’m a visual learner, I need to draw another family tree to illustrate. Since the spousal terms are the focus, I chose to combine both sides of family together.

Please note that there are only four generations depicted in the chart—the tang and biao relations are one’s first cousins. And for reasons of spacing, I’ve grouped together the niblings by sex rather than sides of family—please refer to my original familial charts to get a refresher on who’s whose children.

Since there are two dads and/or two moms, I’ve found alternate terms to help distinguish one parent from the other. It’s my headcanon to have the kids of two dads use patrilineal terms for both sides of family; likewise matrilineal terms for both moms’ relations. This, again, is not a recognized/standardized rule, so families can choose which terms they want the kids to use!

And I think those who identify as male or female can also use these terms. The whole thing does collapse when considering non-binary relationships, of course, and I do not mean to exclude them! I’m just not capable enough to come up with brand new terms for them.

Chapter Text

Crime and Punishment

The term for tribe 族 zu can mean two things: (1) the ethnic group of a locale; (2) a discrete family unit.

I'm going to focus on the latter definition.

What is defined as one (familial) tribe? It includes the following: parents, siblings, and children, i.e. one's first degree relatives. One's spouse is included even if she's not specifically listed. (一族 yi zu: 父母 fumu, 兄弟 xiongdi, 姊妹 jiemei, 兒女 ernu)

So, as you expand your tribal circles to include the extended family, they are grouped into their own tribes. These tribes are further categorized into patrilineal, matrilineal, and in-law groupings.

That’s great! You can use this shorthand to talk about your relatives!

It becomes a problem when the emperor chooses to use these tribal groupings to define who gets implicated when punishing the wrongdoings of an individual. The more serious the crime, the greater the number of tribes that get punished alongside the criminal.

The Chinese period dramas often throw around the concept of 誅(連)九族 zhu (lian) jiuzu “execution implicating the nine tribes” (AKA the nine familial/kinship exterminations). This is one of the most severe forms of punishment and is applied to the most serious crimes such as treason against the state.

The nine tribes are defined as follows:

(1) 父族四 fu zu si, the 4 patrilineal tribes:

• 己之同族 ji zhi tongzu, one's own tribe (parents, siblings, children)
• 姑及其兒子 gu ji qi erzi, tribes of one's paternal aunts and one's paternal aunts' sons (first cousins)
• 姊妹之子 zimei zhi zi, tribes of one's sisters’ sons (nephews)
• 女兒之子 nuer zhi zi, tribes of one's daughters’ sons (grandsons)

(2) 母族三 mu zu san, the 3 matrilineal tribes:

• 外祖父 wai-zufu, tribe of one's maternal grandfather
• 外祖母娘家 wai-zumu niangjia, tribe of one's maternal grandmother’s natal family
• 姨母及其兒子 yimu ji qi erzi, tribe of one's maternal aunts and one's maternal aunts’ sons (first cousins)

(3) 妻族二 qi zu er, the 2 in-law tribes:

• 岳父 yuefu, tribe of one's father-in-law
• 岳母娘家 yuemu niangjia, tribe of one's mother-in-law’s natal family

Remember, these are the tribes of each set of relatives, not just the individuals heading those family units. That is a shitload of people!

But if you thought that is scary…

There was one emperor who went one step further. This was the one and only time in Chinese history that an emperor implemented the 誅十族 zhu shi zu “execution implicating the ten tribes”.

Zhu Di was the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His oldest brother, Zhu Biao, was heir to the throne, but he died before succeeding their father; his son, Zhu Yunwen, was his successor and became emperor when Zhu Yuanzhang died. Zhu Di staged a coup d'état and usurped the throne. Zhu Di is better known as the Yongle Emperor.

Fang Xiaoru was an advisor and court official under Zhu Yunwen, and when it came time to draft an edict to legitimize Zhu Di’s ascension to the throne, Fang refused. Zhu Di threatened to annihilate Fang’s nine tribes, to which he retorted that he didn’t care if the usurper annihilated his ten tribes. Well! Zhu Di wasn’t about to let this man ruin his plans. And so, he passed the edict to annihilate Fang’s ten tribes; the tenth were the tribes of his students at the Confucian academy where he taught. Fang himself was executed by the 凌遲 lingchi method (popularly known as the “death by a thousand cuts”, a very painful way to die; whoever thought up this brutal method had to have been very familiar with human anatomy).

A total of 873 individuals were executed because Fang argued with the emperor. (Off with you, Queen of Hearts.)

誅(連)九族 Zhu (lian) jiuzu is usually considered 滅族 miezu “familicide”. However, if you’ve been keeping careful track, you’ll notice the families of one’s father’s brothers and one’s mother’s brothers are not listed in the patrilineal and matrilineal tribes. The individuals themselves, as one’s uncles, are included in the grandparents’ tribes, but their wives and children are not. No matter how tyrannical, an emperor was mindful of the importance of filial piety and the need to have people honour the ancestors and carry on the family name. Emperors weren’t so powerful that they’d risk offending the heavens.

Nonetheless, very nasty business!

P.S. The assets of each tribe were seized by the government. Nice way to boost the annual budget, hm? Consequently, even though there were family members left alive, they were destitute; the women were especially worst off because they were often sold as slaves or forced into prostitution.

P.P.S. twilightarc brought up a good point: why are the women’s families all of a sudden important if they were supposedly cut off from their natal families after marriage? well, while women were confined to the home, the men were not. and families of the same social standing tended to intermarry, so the men were of the same social and political circles—you could be in-laws with a fellow court official, you could have married your best friend and favourite drinking buddy’s sister, you could have gone to school with your maternal first cousins, etc. so, the men of each tribe could very well be in the same circles of influence and support each other, making them potential collateral damage.

Chapter Text

Based on an ask from twilightarc, I thought I’d further clarify some aspects of the use of familial terms as honorifics.

One obviously uses familial terms for one’s blood relations. So, “bobo” is one’s father’s biological older brother, “yima/yimu” one’s mother’s biological older sister, “meimei” one’s biological younger sister, for example.

But as a show of both respect and affection—especially towards those of one’s parents’ generation who have played a parent-like and/or teacher-like role in one’s life—the use of familial terms for non-blood relations is common. As I’d mentioned before, Chinese society is structured as a series of concentric circles. And because of this, the use of familial terms overlaps into several of these social groups. I’m going to break them down by proximity to the centre (i.e., oneself).

Close Family Friends

Those older generationally or in age with whom one has a parent-child or teacher-student type of relationship are often addressed with familial terms. And the terms used are the patriarchal ones, for the most part. The exception are for those of the grandparent generation: one uses “gonggong” (male) and “popo” (female) in modern times; terms such as “laobo”, “lao-popo”, and “qianbei” would be more commonly used in ancient times.

For those of the parent generation, “shushu” (male) and “ayi” (female) are the preferred terms in mainland China in modern times; due to British colonization, those in Hong Kong prefer to use “uncle” and “auntie”. The terms are used on their own to address the elder. When referring to them to a third party, the terms are appended to the given name(s) of the person. For ancient times, “bobo” (male) and “bomu” (female) were used to address the elders older in age than one’s parents and “shushu” (male) and “shumu” (female) for those younger in age. When referring to them, the terms were appended to the surname of the husband of the pair. (I know that I’ve emphasized that women kept their maiden-surnames and so would be addressed and referred to as “maiden-surname + furen”, but when it comes to honorifics using familial terms, one uses the husband’s surname for both. I didn’t make these rules.)

By the way, for those of the parent generation who were unmarried in ancient times, “bobo” and “shushu” for the males and “gugu” for the females.

For those of one’s generation, “gege” (male) and “jiejie” (female) are the modern terms; again, append these terms to their given name(s) when referring to them. In ancient times, the preferred terms were “xiong” (male) and “jie” (female); appended to their surnames when referring to them.

To further clarify the usage of “xiong” (male) in ancient times: while it’s a general rule of thumb to address anyone older than oneself by “surname + xiong”, there is a relaxation in the rules among those of the same generation who are friends, fellow classmates, and/or close acquaintances that one is on good terms with: one can refer to each other as “surname + xiong” even though it’s obvious that one or the other is actually older in age (even if by a few days/months/years). So, that is why Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang call each other “Wei-xiong” and “Nie-xiong”, respectively.

Household Servants

In ancient times, the master and mistress of the household would generally call their servants by their given names if they were low-ranking and by “their surname + title” if they were servants in a managerial position. The servants often had to forfeit their familial surnames and adopt the surname of their employer as a sign of their indenture. There were exceptions: those who had always been known by a specific nickname; everyone addressed and referred to them by this name, regardless of their place in the hierarchy. Sometimes, this nickname is their surname or given name appended with a familial term. For example, Wen-popo is either an older servant or former wet-nurse of one of the family members of Wen Qing and Wen Ning; if she were actually their maternal grandmother, (1) she would not have been living with them, since her daughter married out; (2) she would have been addressed as “waipo” or “wai-zumu” or whatever equivalent term and not the generic “popo”.

Strangers

One may choose to use familial terms when wanting to appear respectful and friendly towards a person from whom one desires a favour or service. So, the waiter at a restaurant, the street-food vendor, the farmer selling produce at the market, and the shopkeeper could be called, depending on age, “shushu” or “ge” (male) and “ayi” or “jie” (female). It is just as polite and respectful to address them by their occupational title or “laoban” (“owner”) or other such terms, but it’s also less friendly.

Chapter Text

For the Chinese, especially in dynastic times, it was total calamity and the height of humiliation to not have sons to propagate the new generation, care for the elderly parents, and pay obeisances at the ancestral shrine. So, it was common practice to acquire a son if there were no biological ones. This was especially critical for the eldest son, who inherited everything from his father. So, if a brother had several sons and another had none, one of the younger nephews (never the eldest son of that brother) could “be adopted” by his son-less uncle to become said uncle’s “son”. If a nephew was not available, the family would cast a wider net and adopt a son from within the clan. If that option was not available either, they could purchase a son from a poor family (or from the black market—there was quite the lucrative business of kidnapping young boys from poor and/or rural areas and selling them to wealthy families to become adopted sons). What mattered more was carrying on the family name and less about sharing blood.

The term for the nephew (or son of a clansman) who is “transferred” over to become the son of his uncle is 過繼 guoji (“to bring over and allow continuation”).

In more rare instances, another method of ensuring that the family name was propagated was to have a man marry into his wife’s family. The wife’s father would be well-off, not have sons, not be able (or did not want) to acquire a son among his clan, and chose not to buy one because he would prefer that the grandson who succeeded be a blood relation. So, the son-in-law married into the family (the wife’s family footing the bill for the wedding) and the eldest son from this union would inherit his maternal grandfather’s surname, title, estate, and wealth, and be considered a legitimate descendant of that family. This heir (and his siblings) would still call his male parent “father” and his female parent “mother”, but the rest of his mother’s relations were addressed and referred to using the patrilineal familial terms rather than the matrilineal ones. The son-in-law would call his in-laws by the patrilineal terms as well.

The term for a man who marries into his wife’s family is 入贅 ruzhui (“to acquire a son-in-law”). It was considered extremely emasculating to be a son-in-law who marries in, so 90% of the time, the man was an orphan. For the remaining 10%, they were either gold-diggers or were penniless enough and willing to denounce their clans and become a member of their wives’ clans. For these “shameless” men, they were considered “dead” to their natal families/clans, much like women were when they married out.

Traditionally, because there was a hierarchy among in-laws, with the husband’s family being superior to the wife’s, there are two terms for “to marry” that reflect this inequality:

娶 qu - to take a wife; this describes a man bringing a woman into the family and the family/clan acquiring a daughter-in-law
RELATED TERMS: 娶妻 quqi - to take a wife (by the man); 娶媳婦 qu-xifu - to acquire a daughter-in-law (by the parents)

嫁 jia - to give a daughter in marriage; this describes a woman leaving her natal family to marry into her husband’s family
RELATED TERMS: 嫁女 jianu - to give a daughter in marriage (by the parents); 出嫁 chujia - to marry out (by the woman); 嫁妝 jiazhuang - dowry

So, if Wei Wuxian properly married Lan Wangji, he would definitely be the one who married into the Lan clan. And being the gremlin that he is, he very likely would insist that Lan Wangji call him 娘子 Niangzi (wife) (or some variation therein) and Lan Sizhui call him 阿娘 A-Niang (mother).