In ancient times, there were four honorifics: Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Excellency and Your First Step.
The four appellations mean the same thing: I dare not look at your face, because your position is too high and your face is too big.
I dare not look at the emperor's face when I see him. I only dare to look under your platform-as we all know, the emperor's dragon chair has a platform, and there are steps on the platform, which is called position;
I dare not look at your face when I see a prince or a prince. I only look under your palace;
I dare not look at your face when I meet the Prime Minister. I only dare to look under your castle.
Seeing a distinguished friend, I dare not look at your face. I only dare to look at your feet, which means bow your head. Strength is in the first step, see which direction the foot goes under the first step. This is called decisiveness, and what you raise will carry weight.
Your Majesty
Whether watching historical TV series or movies, as long as there is an emperor in the play, you will hear ministers calling the emperor "Your Majesty" on the left and "Your Majesty" on the right. Why do you call the emperor "Your Majesty"? "Your Majesty" refers to the steps of the palace. Shuowen: by going up one flight of stairs. From the mound, there was a sound. "The original intention is the steps. Especially the steps of the palace. " Jing ke stabbed the king of Qin: "Qin Wuyang presented the map box to your majesty." "In ancient times, the emperor's guards stood guard on both sides of your majesty." "Your Majesty" is a courtier's title of respect for the emperor. When the emperor was talking to his courtiers, he dared not call the son of heaven directly. He had to call the waiter under the steps to tell him first. Therefore, it is called "Your Majesty", which means to convey the words of the humble to you through the princes at your feet, indicating that the humble speaks to the distinguished. Cai Yong's "Arbitrary" volume: "Those who call your majesty, the princes, the son of heaven dare not criticize the son of heaven, so they call your majesty and tell them because of their humility." Later, "Your Majesty" became a tribute to the emperor. Historical records. Biography of Qin Shihuang: "Now your majesty Xingyi soldiers, punish the remnant thieves, pacify the world, the country is a county, and the laws and regulations are unified." Not seen since ancient times, the five emperors are inferior. "From' Your Majesty' to' Chasing', this is the meeting of the emperor." "The Biography of Dai Feng in the Later Han Dynasty": "Bus collection, expectations, countermeasures first. "
Your/His/Her (Royal) Highness
Your highness and your majesty mean the same thing. It turned out to be a title of respect for the son of heaven. However, with the development of history, the appellation objects have also changed. After the Han dynasty, it evolved into a title of respect for princes and princes. Xie Zhuang's "Celebrating the Supreme Table of Crown Prince's Clothing": "Your Highness Fu Wei, Ming Er Cheng, Er Cheng." There is also Qiu Chi's "Book with Chen Bo": "Your Highness Linchuan, the China army, is known far and near and is always loyal." According to, Liang Wudi's younger brother, Xiao Hong, was named king of Linchuan County. The Emperor of Heaven in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was also called "Your Highness". Title record. Tian Zi; "Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties called Your Highness." After the Tang Dynasty, only the Prince, Empress Dowager and Empress were called "Your Highnesses". "Shi Ji Yuan" Volume II: "Since the Han Dynasty, the crown prince and all kings have called him Your Highness, which is still in use today." Also, in the Three Kingdoms, the empress dowager is called Your Highness. Look at the Three Kingdoms. Shu Wei. Three little emperors.
Your Excellency/him/her
Used as a courtesy title for people in the old days. It is also often used in letters. The original intention is also because it is not convenient for relatives and peers to meet by their first names, and they often call attendants to tell them first, calling them "Your Excellency". Later, it gradually evolved into a tribute to relatives and friends. Today it is mainly used in diplomatic occasions.
Early childhood
Children depend on their parents' knees when they are young, so "below the knee" is childhood. Later I borrowed it from my parents, which means kindness. "The book of filial piety. Three Records: "So, I am at my own knee." Zheng Xuan's note: "Below the knee, it means when the child is young." Later used to express love for parents; And it is used as a tribute when communicating with parents. Yuwen Hu's "Report to Mother": "Knee violation, thirty-five years." This means that I have been away from my mother for 35 years.
common
The "people" under his command belong to the standard and are the flags used by generals. "Zhou Li. Spring palace. Towel cart: "Build a great people." Call is also called "command" and "wave". Under the general banner. Historical records. Biography of Wei An Hou: "Two men and their slaves rode into Wu Jun, came under the command of Wu, and killed dozens of people." Li Hanguang Biography: "Lian is widely appreciated, so you should eat and drink separately." Song Xin Qi Ji's Broken Array. Send it to Chen Tongfu in Zhuang language: "Eight hundred people in Li Xi are hot, and fifty strings are over the Great Wall." "Subordinate" is also a title of respect for generals. The Biography of the Three Kingdoms Wu Shu Zhang Xi 'an exhorts Sun Ce to "value my talents, look at the world, and not make the country afraid."
I
Used in the old days to boast of courtesy. Ancient people sat at the table with their elders above them, so they claimed to be below. The third fold of Wang Ziyi's "Wrong Entry into Taoyuan": "Let's all go and wait until next year."
Polite address between friends.
In ancient times, "the first step" was used as a title or as a kind of equivalence: it meant "you". The first step is the courtesy of the other party. Le Yi's "Letter to the King": "I am afraid of hurting the wisdom of my ancestors and hurting the righteousness of my ancestors, so I fled Zhao." It means: I fled to Zhao for fear of damaging the image of my late king Yingming and your reputation of benevolence and righteousness. Historical records. Chronicle of the First Qin Emperor: "Yan Le is the second before, saying,' One step is arrogant, and you can't punish it. The first step is the world's * * *, and the first step is your own plan.' Yan Le approached Hu Hai, Qin Ershi, and criticized Hu Hai, saying, "You are arrogant and arbitrary, killing people at will, and the whole world has betrayed you. Please think for yourself. " This is an example of a courtier claiming to be a monarch. Another example is the Warring States Policy. Yan Ce Yi, in which Su Dai said to Yan Zhaowang, "If the first step is enough, then I will do nothing." It means: "if you think this is enough, then I don't have to wait on you here." "The warring states policy. Han Ce II: "Yan Zhongzi stood alone because Nie Zheng said,' I have enemies and traveled to many princes. But when I came to Qi, I heard that the first step was very meaningful. "Historical Records" also said to Xiang Yu: Xie: "... I would like to be a pair of white jade, and then offer the first step to the king; Fight a pair of jade and then worship the general. " "
After the Warring States period, not only the corps commander was honored as the monarch, but also his peers could be called the "first step". For example, Biography of Historical Records of Ji Bu: "When Cao Qiudao arrived, he met Ji Bu and said,' ... I am a public servant of the Chu people, and I was also a Chu person first. Servants walk in the name of the first step in the world, regardless of evil? How deep are the servant's feet? ""It means that when Cao Qiudao arrived, he bowed to Lu Bu and said, "Besides, I'm from Chu and you're from Chu. I spread your reputation everywhere, okay? Why do you reject me?
Whether it is top-down or peer-to-peer, "one step away" carries respect. The Appellation Record said: "When people were called gentlemen in ancient times, they were also called' first step', so' first step' was regarded as a respectful title." So, why use the word "first step" to address each other respectfully? According to Liu's "Different Gardens", Volume 10 records: "Mesons push Lu to hide and burn trees. Wen Gong (Zhong Er, Jin Wengong) beat wood and cut it to make bricks (wooden shoes). Every time I feel the merit of cutting stocks (when Jietui fled in Zhong Er, Jietui cut off the meat on his thigh to feed Zhong Er, also known as "cutting meat to serve the king"), I look down at his coffin and say,' This is a sad step!' The name' Step One' begins here. "
The interpretation of "the first step" in Art Garden is very interesting, but most people disagree with this view. Historical Records of the First Qin Emperor is a collection of quotations from Cai Yong at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It explains: "All officials and scholars are modest, saying that your highness, your majesty, your first step, assistant ministers and deacons are modest." In other words, "the first step" is just a humble title, used to address each other.