The Addressee's Family Members
The following terms are still in use today:
| Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 令尊 | 令尊 | lìngzūn | Your father | Literally means "the beautiful and respected one". "Lingzunweng" (Chinese: 令尊翁; pinyin: lìngzūnwēng) is sometimes used. |
| 令堂 | 令堂 | lìngtáng | Your mother | Literally means "the beautiful and dignified one". "Lingshoutang" (simplified Chinese: 令寿堂; traditional Chinese: 令壽堂; pinyin: lìngshòutáng) is sometimes used. |
| 令閫 | 令阃 | lìngkǔn | Your wife | Literally means "the beautiful door to the woman's room". |
| 令兄 | 令兄 | lìngxiōng | Your elder brother | Literally means "the beautiful elder brother". |
| 令郎 | 令郎 | lìngláng | Your son | Literally means "the beautiful young man". "Linggongzi" (Chinese: 令公子; pinyin: lìnggōngzǐ) is sometimes used. |
| 令愛 | 令爱 | lìng'ài | Your daughter | Literally means "the beautiful and beloved one". Another form of "ling'ai" (simplified Chinese: 令嫒; traditional Chinese: 令嬡; pinyin: lìng'ài) is sometimes used. |
| 令千金 | 令千金 | lìngqiānjīn | Your daughter | Literally means "the beautiful one who is worth a thousand gold". |
| 尊上 | 尊上 | zūnshàng | Your father | Literally means "the respected one above". |
| 尊公 | 尊公 | zūngōng | Your father | Literally means "the respected lord". "Zunjun" (Chinese: 尊君; pinyin: zūnjūn) and "zunfu" (Chinese: 尊府; pinyin: zūnfǔ) are sometimes used. |
| 尊堂 | 尊堂 | zūntáng | Your mother | Literally means "the respected and dignified one". |
| 尊親 | 尊亲 | zūnqīn | Your parents | Literally means "the respected and loved ones". |
| 尊駕 | 尊驾 | zūnjià | You, the respected one | Literally means "the respected procession". Used when referring to a guest or a person of higher social status. |
| 賢喬梓 | 贤乔梓 | xiánqiáozǐ | You, the virtuous father and son | |
| 賢伉儷 | 贤伉俪 | xiánkànglì | You, the virtuous husband and wife | |
| 賢昆仲 | 贤昆仲 | xiánkūnzhòng | You, the virtuous brothers | |
| 賢昆玉 | 贤昆玉 | xiánkūnyù | You, the virtuous sisters |
Read more about this topic: Chinese Honorifics, Addressing or Referring To Others
Famous quotes containing the words family and/or members:
“Providing for one’s family as a good husband and father is a water-tight excuse for making money hand over fist. Greed may be a sin, exploitation of other people might, on the face of it, look rather nasty, but who can blame a man for “doing the best” for his children?”
—Eva Figes (b. 1932)
“The members of a body-politic call it “the state” when it is passive, “the sovereign” when it is active, and a “power” when they compare it with others of its kind. Collectively they use the title “people,” and they refer to one another individually as “citizens” when speaking of their participation in the authority of the sovereign, and as “subjects” when speaking of their subordination to the laws of the state.”
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778)