Chapter 15 Section 3 Language Appellation

Language is the most important way for people to communicate with each other in daily life. It is used not only to convey things, but also to exchange feelings.Civilized language is an important part of Chinese civilization, an important aspect of ancient etiquette, and an important embodiment of politeness.This is most prominent in people's mutual address, that is, appellation, respecting oneself and respecting each other. Using modest terms to address yourself actually shows the speaker's humility and self-cultivation, and it is also a respect for the other party.But speaking rudely and without shame is regarded as rude, frivolous and lacking in self-cultivation.The humble words commonly used by the ancients are: stupid, despicable, poor, humble, stealing, servant and so on.These words all have the meaning of being stupid, inexperienced, inexperienced, and ignorant.When using these words, of course, it is not that you are really ignorant, but to improve the identity of the other party with the speaker's self-effacing.Such as claiming to be a foolish brother, a humble person, a poor person, a humble person, etc.;Stealing and servant also have another meaning of expressing their humble status.Stealing has the meaning of private and selfishness, and its use usually has a rash and abrupt meaning, such as eavesdropping, eavesdropping, snickering, etc. ; , The meaning of service.When scholars or literati are self-effacing, in addition to using words such as Xiaosheng, Wanxue, and Latesheng to indicate that they are new learners, they also often use words such as "not talented", "not sycophant", and "unworthy" to humbly refer to their lack of talent or mediocrity.Officials are generally called lower officials, minor officials, last officials, minor officials, etc. modestly.The ancients sat at the banquet, the elders were on top, and the juniors or those with lower status claimed to be below.Those with a certain status are self-effacing and small, which means that they are not worth mentioning.When the elderly are self-effacing, they often use words such as old man, old man, and old man to express that they have entered their twilight years and aging is useless.In addition, the word old and clumsy is often used, which means old and clumsy.There are a large number of self-modest words used in ancient China.People of various social status and identities use these self-modest words, so Chinese society has always maintained a trend of modesty and civilization, and Chinese people have a demeanor of being humble and studious.

"望" was the emperor's special self-proclaimed word in the period of Chinese feudal society.But before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, the use of the word "zhen" did not indicate the supreme status and distinguished status. In Qu Yuan's "Li Sao", there were such words as "the descendant of Emperor Gaoyang, and the emperor called Boyong". Zhen here is just a self-proclaimed word, "Zhen, Shen Ye" ("Erya · Interpretation").It was only after Qin Shihuang unified the six countries that he regarded himself as the emperor, so he used "zhen" as his own special pronoun, which made it a symbol of the emperor's power.Despite this, the ancient emperors still had a lot of words of humility in calling themselves, even in conversations with their ministers, they often used modest titles such as lonely and widowed.Solitary, also known as a lonely family; widowed, also known as a widow.The words solitary family and widowed person both have the meaning of lack of virtue, which means that one is a person with little virtue. "Bugu" is also a self-effacing word commonly used by emperors and monarchs.Grain, as a food crop, is used to feed people, and by extension it means goodness.Bugu is a metaphor for not being able to provide for people like a valley, and further extension means that one is not a wise person, or cannot treat others with virtue.

While respecting themselves, the ancients called each other with respect.The salutation often has the emotional color of respect, admiration, and praise.The ancients often called people with noble character and wisdom "sages". For example, Confucius was called a sage, and Mencius was called a sage (meaning a person who is second only to a sage).Later, it was used exclusively for the emperor, and the emperor was called the emperor, the emperor, and even the things related to him were given the word "holy", such as the emperor's decree, also known as the imperial decree and the imperial decree.The emperor also has a specific appellation, that is, "Long Live", but the word "Long Live" was originally a cheering language used by the ancients to celebrate drinking and celebrate birthdays.But after having an emperor, the officials cheered "Long live" more than the court to express their best wishes to him, so this word gradually evolved into a respectful title for the emperor, and other people could no longer use it.Since the emperor is "Long Live", the kings enshrined by the Emperor are honored as "Thousand Years".Among the honorific titles dedicated to the emperor, there is also the word "drive".Driving originally refers to the emperor's ride (car carrying people).The ancients believed that the emperor should take the four seas as his home instead of the palace as a fixed residence, and should travel around the world by car. Therefore, the word "drive" was borrowed to honor the emperor, such as Shengjia and Zunjia; Banquet and death.

Among the many honorific words in Chinese history, words such as Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Excellency, Your Majesty, and Your Foot are the most commonly used. "Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the emperor has spoken of His Majesty, the crown prince has spoken of His Highness, the general has spoken of his subordinates, the envoys have called Jiexia and Hub [gugu] Xia, and the two thousand stone chiefs have spoken of His Excellency. "Youyang Miscellaneous Zu"), originally refers to the steps of the palace. Cai Yong wrote in "Arbitrariness": "Your Majesty, the steps are also the reason for the promotion. Don't worry about it." It means that your majesty, that is, the steps, is the only way to enter the palace.Every time the emperor ascends to the palace (enters the main hall), he must send reliable ministers to stand next to his majesty with weapons in hand to prevent accidents.When the ministers spoke to the emperor, they "did not dare to denounce directly, so they called 'the one in your majesty' and told them, because of the meaning of being humble."That is to say, the original meaning of "Your Majesty" refers to standing under His Majesty, and then refers to the emperor's high status with a low status, becoming a respectful title for the emperor. "Your Highness" is the same as "Your Majesty", and it is also called because of meeting the officials in the palace, but "His Royal Highness" is usually used to respect the crown prince and kings, and some dynasties also use "Your Highness" to respect the empress dowager and empress. It was also used to refer to the emperor during the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties. The word "Your Excellency" is a kind of respectful title for people with a certain social status.The pavilion is a kind of building in ancient China. The people who own the pavilion are undoubtedly princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials. The subordinate officials and officials under these dignitaries respectfully call the people in the pavilion "Your Excellency" in turn because of their own inferiority.However, the appellation "Your Excellency" can be used in a relatively wide range, and there are no strict restrictions. Except for people with social status, this honorific title can generally be used when expressing respect for the other party.With the development of history, the use of the two honorific terms "Your Majesty" and "Your Excellency" has been established and gradually standardized."Your Majesty" is used when addressing emperors and monarchs, and "Your Excellency" is used when addressing chief executives.Hui is the flag used to command the army in ancient times, which symbolizes or represents the chief general and the commander-in-chief. "Under the command" is a kind of respectful title for the general and the coach from subordinates and subordinates.

The origin of the word "one step" has not yet been verified, but there is a saying that the appellation "one step" began with the story of a man named Jie Zitui (also known as Jiezhitui, Jietui) in the Spring and Autumn Period.Jie Zitui was a hermit in the state of Jin.When Duke Xian of Jin was in power, he loved Li Ji very much.Later, Li Ji gave birth to a son, Xi Qi. In order to register him as the crown prince, Li Ji resorted to conspiracy and spread slander to kill the registered prince Shen Sheng, and forced the other princes out of the palace, including Chong Er.Chong'er has been in exile for 19 years, and his uncle Hu Yan and Jie Zitui have always accompanied him, going through hardships and sharing weal and woe.Later, with the support of Qin Mugong, Qin State sent troops to escort Chong'er back to Jin State.On the way, Hu Yan asked Chong Er for credit in order to be reused in the future.Jie Zitui was very disgusted by this, and he didn't want to go with someone like Hu Yan anymore, so he left without saying goodbye.After Chong'er returned to the state of Jin, he became the king of the state (that is, Duke Wen of Jin). All those who accompanied him in exile were rewarded for their merits, but Jie Zitui was the only one left out.At this time, in order to show his innocence, Jie Zitui took his mother to live in seclusion in the mountains of Mianshang (southeast of Jiexiu, Shanxi today), and never met Jin Wengong until his death.In order to find him out of the mountain, Wen Gong made people search the mountain, but failed to find Jie Zitui.So Wen Gong ordered to set fire to the mountain to force him out, but Jie Zitui hugged a tree and burned him to death.Knowing this, Duke Wen rushed to the place where Jie Zitui's mother and son were hiding, patted the tree Jie Zitui was hugging before he died, and lamented endlessly.He asked someone to cut down the tree, made a pair of clogs (wooden shoes, similar to today's slippers), and put them on his feet.From then on, Duke Wen often looked down at the clogs on his feet, and said sadly: "My step is sad", intending to blame himself. The term "one step" was originally used as an honorific title between upper and lower, and between peers, but later it was generally only used between peers.

The civilization and politeness of ancient Chinese language are not only reflected in interpersonal communication in society, but also in family.Children never call their parents, elder brothers, or even other relatives by their first names.Even in conversations with outsiders, when referring to relatives such as parents and elder brothers, some titles containing humility and respect are also used, which is also an important content of ancient etiquette. When addressing one's relatives, family, house, xian, and death are often used as honorific terms.Home and house both refer to one's own family and house, which itself has a humble and ordinary emotional color.Use home and homes as titles, and they are used for living relatives of the same family.When addressing family members who are senior or older than yourself in front of others, you must use the word "jia". etc.; "She" is used to refer to family members who are younger or younger than oneself, such as brother, sister, nephew, etc.It can be seen that when "jia" and "she" are used, there is a strict distinction between senior and young. Both "xian" and "death" contain the meaning of mourning and nostalgia. Therefore, the ancients used these two words to refer to deceased family members, and they also used them according to their age.First, it is used for deceased family members who are older or older than oneself. For example, ancestors refer to grandfathers, fathers and ancestors refer to fathers, and mothers and concubines (bi ratio) refer to mothers.Death is used for those whose seniority is lower than oneself or younger, such as deceased friends, deceased brothers, deceased children, etc.

When addressing the relatives of the other party, respectful titles such as Ling, Zun, and Xian are used.Orders have the meaning of kindness and beauty. When used, they are not restricted by generation or age, and can be used universally for relatives of the other party.For example, when addressing each other's parents, they can be called father, son, father, mother, mother, hall, and compassion; the wife of the opponent is called wife, and Zheng; the son of the opponent is called son, son, and the daughter is lingai. , Qianyuan; call the other party's son-in-law Lingtan, Lingtan; Lingxiong, Lingdi, Lingjie (sister), Lingmei, etc. "Respect" and "virtuous" must be strictly distinguished when they are used to address relatives of the other party. "Whoever speaks to others, calls his grandparents, real parents, parents and eldest aunt, all add the word Zun; if his uncle and parents have been descended, add the word Xian." The word "zun" is used for people above the uncle of the other party. You can call the grandfather of the other party Zunzu, the father is Zunfu, Zunweng, Zundaren, Zungong, Zunmajun, and the mother is Zuntang, Zunshang, Zunmai; the other party's uncle The following relatives are virtuous uncle, virtuous brother, virtuous brother, virtuous sister (sister), virtuous sister, virtuous nephew, virtuous friend, virtuous nephew, virtuous son-in-law, etc.;Zun is sometimes used to address things related to the other party. This is the same as the usage of the word "gui", and it belongs to a kind of honorific title, such as Zun's surname, Gui's surname, Zunfu, Guifu, Guiti, Guixiang, etc.

Since ancient times, people have been used to addressing their wives' parents as father-in-law, mother-in-law or father-in-law, mother-in-law, as well as Taishan and Taishui. These titles are also respectful titles.In ancient times, the zhang and the stick were connected, and most of the people who leaned on the stick were old people, so the old people were called "zhang".There is a peak on Mount Tai named Zhangren Peak.Named after the mountain, it has the meaning of wishing health and longevity, so after the Tang Dynasty, "zhangren" was used to refer to the wife and father, and the wife and mother were naturally honored as "mother-in-law".Yue, Shan Ye, addressing father-in-law and mother-in-law, has the same meaning of blessing as father-in-law and mother-in-law.As for the respectful title of "Mount Tai", in addition to being named after Mount Tai's Zhangren Peak, it is also related to the allusion that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty enshrined Mount Tai, and Prime Minister Zhang Shuo took the opportunity to promote his son-in-law Zheng Jianguan to the fourth rank.It is precisely because of the actor Huang Fanchuo's explanation that "this is the power of Mount Tai", there is a saying that "Mount Tai" refers specifically to his wife and father.The mountain is yang, and the water is yin, so the wife and mother also added a new honorific name, namely "Taishui" (see Volume 12 of Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Zazu").

Of course, among the titles in ancient times, there are too many words of modesty and respect, and the ancients used them as a kind of etiquette in communication, and regarded it as an act of politeness, which is also a virtue of the Chinese nation to treat others with humility.However, titles are only a small part of language conversations, and respect and humility in speech are also very important to the ancients, and they are also regarded as a manifestation of politeness.For example, when the other party is speaking, you must concentrate on "listening" instead of being careless, let alone interrupting other people's topics.And when you speak, you should keep your eyes on the other person, and your tone should be gentle, and you can't force your words and put on a domineering posture.The ancients have made specific regulations on the etiquette of language conversation, and even on the art of conversation, which are all recorded in "Book of Rites·Shaoyi".

For example, "You are more senior than yourself, and dare not ask his age." That is, when talking with an elderly person who is older than yourself, don't ask his age. "See you, please leave." For elders, you can ask for a meeting.But after the conversation is over, don't ask to leave immediately, but wait for the elder to signal before leaving. "Serve and sit on the emissary, don't hold the harp, don't draw the ground, have no hands, and don't move [shasha]." When talking with the elders, if there is no order from the elders, you can't play the qin or the harp.Nor can you be smart enough to make suggestions for the elders and tell him what to do.Not to mention waving your hands like a fan to express your disapproval to the elders.

"Don't spy on secrets, don't go sideways [xia box], don't talk about old stories, don't play with sex." When talking with others, you can't pry into their secrets.When sitting with an elder, refrain from teasing or making out with other people.When talking, don't always talk about the old things in the past, and your expression should be solemn. "Sit on the side of a gentleman, the gentleman stretches out, transports the wat, zes the sword head, returns the scorpion, asks if there is no flea in the sun, although you can ask to retreat." When talking with an elderly person with a certain status, if he has already yawned, Stretching, or fiddling with the chao wat, rubbing the hilt of the sword, or taking the shoes to one's side, or asking what time it is, all these are signs of sleepiness or impatience. In this case, you can ask for a refund. Pay attention to etiquette in normal conversations, but it is not blindly flattering and unprincipled. Even when dealing with emperors and monarchs, the ancients paid great attention to treating each other with sincerity. "For those who are subordinates, there is remonstrance but no embarrassment, death but no disease; praise but no flattery, remonstrance but no arrogance; laziness leads to arrogance and mutual respect; waste leads to rebellion and replacement, which is called the battle of the state. .” That is to say, as a subject of the monarch, he should advise the monarch face to face, and not ridicule or ridicule behind his back.If the advice is not accepted by the monarch, then leave him, but do not feel resentful because of it.If you are praising the monarch, you must also seek truth from facts and not flatter you.Persuasion must be sincere, not arrogant and contemptuous.Sometimes the monarch is lazy and cannot be diligent in government affairs. When admonishing and admonishing him, he should encourage him and help him with all his strength; if the system is corrupted, he must persuade the monarch to rectify and improve it.In this regard, Wei Zheng in the Tang Dynasty is worthy of being an outstanding model, and history said that he "has the talent for managing the country, and he is resistant to straightness, and he is unyielding" ("Old Tang Book·Wei Zheng Biography"). After Tang Taizong Li Shimin came to the throne, he made great efforts to govern. In order to achieve long-term peace and stability, he asked all civil and military officials to "uphold affairs", that is, put forward opinions and suggestions on governing the country, and also used rewards to encourage his ministers to speak out.But Li Shimin is the emperor after all, although he has repeatedly stated that he "speaks disobedience" to his officials and never "rebukes".But to criticize the emperor, what the ancients called "offending the dragon's face" and "offending the dragon's scales", still needs a certain amount of courage, otherwise it will become a mere formality.Wei Zheng is such a courtier who is both courageous and courteous.Once, Emperor Taizong of Tang asked Wei Zheng: "What is a wise ruler and a dark ruler?" Wei Zheng replied: "The reason why the ruler is bright is to listen; so the dark one is to listen." Wei Zheng used the principle of "listen to be clear, and partial faith to be dark" to persuade Tang Taizong to listen to opinions from all sides and not to believe in one-sided words so that he can correctly distinguish right from wrong.Every time Wei Zheng advised Tang Taizong, he was outspoken and frank, undisguised, and unobtrusive.He has always achieved "no face to follow, and retreat to say something later" ("Old Tang Book · Wei Zheng Chuan"), that is, he knows everything and says everything.In the first few years of Tang Taizong's accession to the throne, Wei Zheng had made more than 200 admonitions successively.In the more than 10 years of getting along with Tang Taizong, Wei Zheng has always been known for his direct advice, and Tang Taizong mostly obeyed him.This is of course directly related to Tang Taizong's great talent and general plan, and his ability to accept advice with an open mind, but it cannot be denied that Wei Zheng abides by the etiquette of monarchs and ministers, treats each other with sincerity, and convinces others with reason.Because of this, Tang Taizong appreciated Wei Zheng very much.In the first month of the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643 A.D.), Wei Zheng died of illness.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said with grief: "With copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; with ancient times as a mirror, you can know the ups and downs; with people as a mirror, you can understand gains and losses. I try to treasure these three mirrors to prevent my own mistakes. Today Wei Zhengju [ When cu 徂〕 passed away, a mirror will perish." (Liu Wei's "Jiahua of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" Volume 1) For this reason, he issued a special edict, ordering his officials to use Wei Zheng as a model, so as to be outspoken.After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong of Tang specially boarded Lingyan Pavilion, faced Wei Zheng's portrait, and mourned for him. When weeping on the cloud platform, there is no one left in the sky." (Volume 5 of Wang Fangqing's "Wei Zheng Gong's Remonstrance Records") once again expressed his nostalgia and grief for this admonishing minister.It is precisely because of Tang Taizong's wisdom and hard work, as well as the great help of a group of officials represented by Wei Zheng, that during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, there was a prosperous situation of political clarity, social stability, rapid recovery of production, and sustainable economic development, which was praised by historians. It is "the rule of Zhenguan".