Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

addressing others

22.4

22.4 addressing others

22.4.1 addressing friends

Close friends may address each other using family name and given name together, or, if they

are very close, by given name alone.

王莉花，早。

Wáng Lìhuā, zǎo.

Wang Lihua, good morning.

莉花，最近怎么样？

莉花，最近怎麼樣？

Lìhuā, zuì jìn zěnmeyàng?

Lihua, how have you been recently?

Friends or close acquaintances may also address each other using the prefix 老 lǎo ‘old’ or 小 xiǎo

‘small’ before the family name as follows:

老高 Lǎo Gāo Old Gao 小高 Xiǎo Gāo Little Gao

老王 Lǎo Wáng Old Wang 小王 Xiǎo Wáng Little Wang

老 lǎo and 小 xiǎo do not literally mean ‘old’ and ‘little’ here. 老 lǎo is used for those older

than oneself, and 小 xiǎo is used for those younger than oneself.

22.4.2 addressing family and others with kinship terms

In China, people use kinship terms rather than names to address relatives. Kinship terms are

also used in informal contexts to address people who are not relatives. The term that is used

depends upon the age and gender of the person whom you are addressing. Here are the kinship

terms most commonly used when talking with people who are not your relatives.

大哥 dà gē 大姐 dà jiě

older brother (title for man near your

age but older than you)

older sister (title for woman near your age

but older than you)

叔叔 shūshu 阿姨 āyí

uncle (title for man who is about your

father’s age)

aunt (title for woman who is about your

mother’s age or older)

爷爷/爺爺 yéye 奶奶 nǎinai

grandfather (title for man who is about

your grandfather’s age)

grandmother (title for woman who is about

your grandmother’s age)

22.4.3 Colloquial terms of address used with strangers

The following terms are used in informal contexts to address strangers

小伙子 xiǎo huǒzi young fellow (used to address young boys –

very colloquial)

小朋友 xiǎo péngyǒu little friend (commonly used to address children)

朋友 péngyou friend (often used by shopkeepers to address customers)

帅哥/帥哥 shuài gē handsome guy (used when addressing a young man

one does not know, especially in the context of

a restaurant or store)

美女 měi nǚ beautiful girl (used when addressing a young women

one does not know, especially in the context of

a restaurant or store)