The emperor called his wife Zitong;
The prime minister called his wife a lady;
Scholars call me a fool;
An elegant scholar is called a broom handle.
Merchants call it a wife;
Scholars call their wives.
A scholar is called a lady;
The plowman's name is Auntie.
Extended data:
Before the Yuan Dynasty, it was wrong to call a wife "madam". Before the Song Dynasty, "Niangzi" specifically referred to unmarried girls, with the same meaning as today's girls.
In the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong loved Yang Guifei, and her position in the harem was unparalleled. She was called "Madam" in the palace. The lady here obviously doesn't mean a girl, but it can't be understood as a title for his wife. In the Yuan Dynasty, married women were generally called "ladies" in society.
In the Ming Dynasty, it was customary to call young women "Miss", which had a charming flavor.
With the popularity of calling a wife a "lady", most women are called a certain mother. For example, midwives are called "old mothers", witches are called "teachers", prostitutes are called "flower mothers", women with ambiguous relationships are called "husbands" and women are called "wives" contemptuously. In operas, there are "xianggong" and "madam" between husband and wife.
References:
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