China has been a country of etiquette since ancient times, and many places can reflect the modesty and respect of this ancient civilization. The ancients paid great attention to addressing, using courteous words when addressing themselves and respectful words when addressing each other.
When the ancients talked about themselves, their honorifics varied according to their status. Generally speaking, we can say "I", "I", "I'm young", "I'm not talented" and "I'm stupid", and a single word can say "servant", such as "servant is not inferior and almost helpless" (Sima Qian's "Reporting for Ren 'an"), which can be said to be "stupid" or "stealing". Ministers can say "minister", "minister" and even "slave" in front of the monarch (doesn't Little Shenyang often say this? ), committed a crime and said, "guilty minister." Officials at lower levels call themselves "Xiaguan" and "Beizhi" in front of their superiors. The junior generals call themselves "the last generals" in front of the commander-in-chief. The monarch calls himself "I am a widow", "lonely" and "I". The servant girl calls herself a "handmaiden" in front of her master. People say "little people" and "untouchables" in front of officials. Ancient women humbly called themselves "concubines", "concubines" and "concubines". Monks call themselves "poor monks", "poor people" and "poor people" These are the humble words of the ancients to themselves.
The ancients not only said modesty, but also said that family members used modesty. Talking about whether his son is a "dog", "black sheep" and "cheap interest" (Old Minister Cheats Shu Qi, Touching the Dragon and Talking about the Queen Zhao). Said his daughter was a little girl. Say that your parents are "my father", "my mother", "Yan Jia" and "Jia Ci". Said his wife "wife" and "wife". When talking about your own affairs, you also use modesty. Your home is humble, humble and deserted. His own articles are words of incompetence, contemptible words and my humble work, and my opinions are my humble opinion. When performing skills, he called himself "ugly" and his kung fu was "three-legged hair". Don't forget to say "throw a brick to attract jade" when you speak in front of others.
There must be many such examples. Through the above analysis, we will find that almost all courtesy names are used to express low status, shallow knowledge and low moral character. For example, "stupid" means stupid; The original meaning of "servant" is "servant". The emperor's "widowed husband" is a "man with few virtues", not to mention a "dog". The ancients used these "bad" words to express modesty, which can be seen everywhere in ancient Chinese. For example:
"May Your Majesty have mercy on your ignorance and sincerity and listen to my humble wishes" ("Chen Qingbiao")
"What does a young man know? Do your best, and die "(Wang Bo said that he was a child in Preface to Tengwangge, and children certainly knew little).
"Dare to exhaust your feelings and draw short quotations with a bow" ("Preface to Wang Tengting")
"He is like a vassal, and he is above the barren hills" (Gui Youguang's "Mountain Scholar" said that "talent" is knowledgeable and shallow)
Use "bad" words to belittle yourself, but you can't use these words when addressing each other. The ancients called each other "Zi", "My son", "Jun", "First Step" and "Your Highness", and there were "two or three sons" in the plural. Courtiers call the king "Your Majesty" and the prince "Your Highness". The original meaning of "Your Majesty" is under the stairs, and "Your Highness" means "Your Highness". When courtiers address the emperor and the prince, they can't address him directly, so they use "Your Majesty" and "Your Highness" to show respect. The same is true of addressing ordinary people as "the first step" and "your Excellency". The king called his courtiers "Ai Qing". The ancients called each other's parents "your mother", "your father" and their children "your lover" and "your son". The original meaning of "order" here is "beauty". Saying that other people's opinions are "high opinions" and "high opinions". Other people's articles are masterpieces. They call their brothers "brothers", their brothers "good brothers" and their wives "your wife". Other people's apprentices are "high apprentices". Other people's home is "home". Call monks "eminent monks" and "holy monks". Respect for teachers, respect for teachers, respect for teachers, gentlemen and sages.
Honorific words are very common in ancient Chinese, such as:
"Today looks like" ("Touching the dragon and saying Zhao Hou")
"Dare to provoke the deacon" ("Candle Forces Retreat the Qin Division") (Don't directly address Qin Mugong, but address his subordinates as Mu Gong. )
As can be seen from the above, honorific words and modest words are just the opposite, and most of them are expressed in words that express beauty and nobility. These honorifics should be part of our cultural heritage, and many of them are still in use.
Some people say that the ancients were such mothers-in-law, so "you, me and him" means everything. Look at the "old man", "hello", "that man" and "this guy" everywhere in the street. Are we modern people qualified to say that the ancients were conservative?