Chapter 1

In the Tang Dynasty, the terms used by children to address their mothers are not unfamiliar to modern people. The most common terms derived from "娘" (niáng) include "阿娘" (ā niáng) and "娘娘" (náng niáng), which are ordinary terms for children to call their mothers, not specifically for addressing empresses. If you consider yourself an adult with status and need to be formal and serious in front of your mother, you can call her "母亲" (mǔ qīn).

For addressing the emperor in person during the Tang Dynasty, popular terms included "圣人" (shèng rén), "主上" (zhǔ shàng), and "大家" (dà jiā) (used by those close to the emperor, not generally by ministers). The traditional term "陛下" (bì xià) could also be used. The term "皇上" (huáng shàng), which became popular in later times, seems to have been a written form in the Tang Dynasty, with no examples of it being used in direct address. "万岁" (wàn suì) was used to flatter the emperor when the crowd was emotionally excited, but it was not used as a regular form of address in daily life.

Compared to the "娘" (niáng) series for addressing mothers, the terms for addressing fathers in the Tang Dynasty seem more unfamiliar, varied, and potentially confusing. The most popular terms were derived from "耶" (yé) (meaning "father"), such as "耶耶" (yé yé) (grandfather) and "阿耶" (ā yé) (father). The combined term "耶娘" (yé niáng) for parents was very common, as seen in Du Fu's "The War Chariots" ("耶娘妻子走相送，尘埃不见咸阳桥") and "The Ballad of Mulan" ("爷娘闻女来，出郭相扶将").

However, there was another term for addressing fathers, which was "哥哥" (gē ge). In the "Old Book of Tang," Emperor Xuanzong said, "四哥仁孝……" (Sì gē rén xiào...), where "四哥" (Sì gē) refers to his father, Emperor Ruizong (the fourth among his brothers with the same mother). In the "Old Book of Tang," Prince Yan of Didi said, "惟三哥辩其罪人," where "三哥" (Sān gē) refers to his father, Emperor Xuanzong (the third among his brothers). In a letter written by Li Shimin to his son Li Zhi, he signed off as "哥哥" (gē ge).

The term "哥哥" (gē ge) was used to address both fathers and elder brothers in the Tang Dynasty, such as when Emperor Xuanzong called his elder brother, Prince Ning, "大哥" (dà gē) or "宁哥" (níng gē) in public. It is said that this term was introduced from the nomadic tribes and had not yet standardized in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, I strongly advise time travelers not to casually call strangers or even their own elder brothers "大哥" (dà gē) or "哥哥" (gē ge), as this term can easily lead to misunderstandings about seniority. The safe terms for addressing elder brothers in the Tang Dynasty were "阿兄" (ā xiōng) or "(rank) + 兄" (xiōng).

For addressing fathers, you could affectionately call them "耶耶" (yé yé) or "哥哥" (gē ge) in spoken language, but in written language or formal settings, you should call them "父亲" (fù qīn) or "大人" (dà rén). The term "大人" (dà rén) as a direct form of address in the Tang Dynasty was only used for parents and, in some cases, direct senior relatives. It was never used to address officials as "张大人" (Zhāng dà rén), "王大人" (Wáng dà rén), or "李大人" (Lǐ dà rén).

When did "大人" (dà rén) become a term for addressing officials? The exact time is unclear, but the evolution of "大人" (dà rén) and "爷" (yé) (lord) followed a similar process, expanding from terms for addressing fathers to broader usage. This phenomenon, known as the "externalization of kinship terms," combined with flattery, eventually led to "大人" (dà rén) being used to address officials and "爷" (yé) (lord) being used to address masters and nobles.

In the Tang Dynasty, you could not call officials "张大人" (Zhāng dà rén) or "王大人" (Wáng dà rén). The following are some common ways to address officials in the Tang Dynasty:

1. "姓" (xìng) + "官爵" (guān jué): The "官爵" (guān jué) does not have to be the full title. For example, if someone held the position of "散骑常侍" (sàn qí cháng shì), they would be called "刘常侍" (Liú cháng shì). Each official title had some conventional forms of address, such as "赵尚书" (Zhào shàng shū) for "兵部尚书" (bīng bù shàng shū) and "钱尚书" (Qián shàng shū) for "礼部尚书" (lǐ bù shàng shū).

2. "姓" (xìng) + "公" (gōng) or similar respectful terms, which were widely used in both civilian and official settings. If you traveled back to the Zhenguan era and greeted Fang Xuanling with "房公安好" (Fáng gōng ān hǎo) or Wei Zheng with "魏公万福" (Wèi gōng wàn fú), they would think you were well-mannered. Additionally, addressing someone by their courtesy name or place of origin was also common, such as "太白今日又得新句未?" (Tàibái jīn rì yòu dé xīn jù wèi?) or "柳河东何时动身南行?" (Liǔ Hé dōng hé shí dòng shēn nán xíng?).

3. "姓" (xìng) + "官名别称" (guān míng bié chēng): For example, county magistrates were called "明府" (míng fǔ), so Zhang the county magistrate and Li the county magistrate would be called "张明府" (Zhāng míng fǔ) and "李明府" (Lǐ míng fǔ), respectively. High-ranking officials in the Zhongshu and Menxia provinces were also called "阁老" (gé lǎo).

Common terms like "官人" (guān rén) and "大官人" (dà guān rén) were often used by commoners to address officials.

When you are out, you can call women "娘子" (niáng zǐ) and young women "小娘子" (xiǎo niáng zǐ). Do not casually call them "小姐" (xiǎo jiě), as this term did not exist in the Tang Dynasty and later became a derogatory term, initially referring to palace maids and later to courtesans.

For men, you can call them "大郎" (dà láng).

For familiar men, you can call them by their family rank, such as "李三郎" (Lǐ sān láng) or "王七郎" (Wáng qī láng).

For women, you can call them "刘十一娘" (Liú shí yī niáng) or "刘十一姐" (Liú shí yī jiě).

In the Tang Dynasty, the terms for addressing siblings were also different. If you were the eldest son, you would call your younger brothers and sisters by their rank, but not "二弟" (èr dì) or "三弟" (sān dì). Instead, you would call them "二哥" (èr gē) and "三哥" (sān gē). Similarly, you would call your sisters "二姐" (èr jiě) and "三姐" (sān jiě). The terms only indicated the order of birth.

In Chinese folk culture, spouses often call each other "老公" (lǎo gōng) and "老婆" (lǎo pó). It is said that this term first appeared in the Tang Dynasty and has been in use for over a thousand years.

There was a man named Mai Aixin in the Tang Dynasty who, after achieving success, found his wife old and unattractive and wanted to take a new wife. However, he felt it was too cruel to divorce her outright, so he wrote a couplet and placed it on his desk: "荷败莲残，落叶归根成老藕" (hé bài lián cán, luò yè guī gēn chéng lǎo ǒu). His wife, who was tidying his study, saw it and wrote a response: "禾黄稻熟，吹糠见米现新粮" (hé huáng dào shú, chuī kāng jiàn mǐ xiàn xīn liáng). After reading her response, Mai Aixin felt ashamed and abandoned his plan to divorce her.

Seeing her husband's change of heart, his wife wrote, "老公十分公道" (lǎo gōng shí fēn gōng dào), and Mai Aixin replied, "老婆一片婆心" (lǎo pó yī piàn pó xīn). Thus, the terms "老公" (lǎo gōng) and "老婆" (lǎo pó) became widely used in the folk.

In the Tang Dynasty, the terms used by emperors and nobles to address their relatives were different from those in other dynasties. For example, the emperor referred to himself as "朕" (zhèn), sometimes using "我" (wǒ) or "吾" (wú). For his sons, he could use their nicknames, names, or ranks, such as "九郎" (jiǔ láng). For his aunts and other female relatives, he would use terms similar to those used by common people.

In "A Casual Talk on Tang Dynasty Titles," Ji Shuike mentions that the emperor would call his aunts and other female relatives "姑" (gū) or "姊" (zǐ), as seen in Li Deyu's "Imperial Edict to Princess Tahe" in "The Complete Works of Li Deyu": "姑远嫁绝域, 二十馀年, 跋履险难, 备罹屯苦, 朕每念于此, 良用惘然……想姑见旧国之城邑，能不销魂，望汉将之旌麾，必当流涕……" (Your aunt has been far away in a distant land for over twenty years, enduring hardships and suffering. Whenever I think of this, I feel deeply distressed... I imagine that when you see the cities of your old country, you must be heartbroken, and when you see the banners of the Han generals, you must shed tears...).

When addressing his uncles and brothers, the emperor often used their titles along with their ranks. For example, in "The Comprehensive Records of the Court and the Country," it is recorded that Emperor Gaozong (the Great Emperor) said, "腾叔、蒋兄自解经济，不劳赐物与之" (Téng Shū, Jiǎng Xiōng, you understand economics well, so there is no need to give you gifts). In "The Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital," it is recorded that Emperor Minghuang (the Bright Emperor) said, "宁哥大能处置此僧也" (Níng Gē, you are very capable in dealing with this monk). In "The Record of Conversations," it is recorded that Prince Ning spat a mouthful of rice directly onto the emperor's face, and the emperor said, "宁哥何以错喉" (Níng Gē, why did you choke?).

When addressing his nephews and nieces, the emperor often used their titles along with their ranks. For example, in Yuan Zhen's "The Poem of Lianchang Palace," he notes, "念奴, 天宝中名倡, 善歌。每岁楼下酺宴, 累日之后, 万众喧隘。严安之、韦黄裳辈辟易不能禁, 众乐为之罢奏。明皇遣高力士大呼于楼上曰: '欲遣念奴唱歌, 邠二十五郎吹小管逐, 看人能听否'?" (Niàn Nú, a famous singer during the Tianbao era, was skilled in singing. Every year, during the banquet downstairs, after several days, the crowd became noisy and chaotic. Officials like Yan Anzhi and Wei Huangshang could not control them, and the music stopped. Emperor Minghuang sent Gao Lishi to shout from upstairs: 'I want Niàn Nú to sing, and Prince Bīn's twenty-fifth son to play the small flute. Let's see if people can listen!'). Prince Bīn's twenty-fifth son was Prince Chengning, the son of Prince Bīn, who was the son of Prince Zhanghuai and the emperor's cousin.

This article is excerpted from the internet.

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