In Chinese-speaking societies around the world, an honorific title is attached after the family name of an individual when addressing that person. Aside from addressing colleagues or family of equal or lesser rank, it is considered impolite to refer to others by their name only.
Honorific titles
The most common honorific titles are similar to the English Mr, Sir, Mrs, Ms, Miss, Madam, etc. The Chinese titles, unlike in English, always follow the name of the person and can stand alone.
Men
Xiānshēng 先生 : This is a term commonly used as a respectful form of address for and male law enforcement officials other men. Originally it was reserved for teachers and other professionals such as doctors and lawyers, but its use widened during the Republic of China era to include all male members of society. It can either follow the surname or the given names. In common speech, the former is more common, but in formal contexts, the given names are often used as if they were the two character courtesy name. This can be combined with formal titles to indicate even more respect. It is the same as sensei in Japanese, though its use is much less restrictive, more like how san would be used in Japanese. It is also used as a title for a man of respected stature.
Gōng 公 : Today, this respectful honorific is mainly applied to deceased male relatives. In imperial times, it was a title of nobility equivalent to duke. Whenever it is used, it always follows the surname of the person being referred to.
Women
Xiǎojiě 小姐, Miss: This honorific was originally used to refer to a young and unmarried woman. It follows the surname of the woman or can be used alone as a title of address. 小姐 indicates only that the maiden name is being used and does not refer to marital status anymore. Today, however, it could in the northern regions of the People's Republic of China be associated as a slang term for "prostitute" or in restaurants addressing waitresses, by means of verbal inflections of tone or other indications.
Tàitai 太太 : This honorific is used to refer to an married woman. It is added after the surname of the husband or can be used alone as a title of address. It is used in familial and personal relations, but completely absent in formal business contexts since it emphasizes age and marital bond.
Nǚshì 女士 : In proper usage, this title follows a married woman's maiden name only. For example, Hillary Rodham 女士, not Hillary Clinton 女士. However, it is loosely used by those looking for a Chinese equivalent of "Ms." An older single woman is often addressed as 女士, but this term presumes the woman is married.
Fūrén 夫人 : Traditionally used to refer to a lady of high rank, the term has fallen into disuse since the late 20th century except in formal contexts: President Hu Jintao and Mrs. Hu are 胡锦涛主席和夫人, Hú Jǐntāo zhǔxí hé fūrén. It is used following the husband's full name or surname, or can be used as title on its own. It can also be used to address female law enforcement officials.
Occupational titles
Chinese people often address professionals in formal situations by their occupational titles. These titles can either follow the surname of the person in reference, or it can stand alone either as a form of address or if the person being referred to is unambiguous without the added surname.
Academia
Lǎoshī 老師, when addressing a teacher.
Xiàozhǎng 校長, when addressing the school headmaster or principal. Chinese does not have specific titles for heads of universities, so this term is applied in higher education as well. Generally, the wordzhăng is added to an institutional name to refer to the leader of that institution.
Jiàoshòu 教授, when addressing a professor.
Xiānshēng 先生, when addressing a teacher, currently less used but still remains legitimate
The use of the term equivalent of "Doctorate / doctor" is less common in Chinese as it is in English. The term boshi is used both as an honorific title and a name for the degree. Like in English, holders of a doctorate can have the title added to their names, but use of the undistinguishing xiānshēng or nǚshì is much more prevalent.
Wěiyuán 委员 : This term can be used to refer to any member of a committee or council. This was especially prevalent in the system of party and state committees the Kuomintang used to govern China in the 1930s and 1940s. The Communist Party of China also operates under a system of parallel committees, but prefer the more proletarian term tóngzhì.
Tóngzhì 同志 : This term is commonly used by political party members to address each other. Its use expanded to all segments of society during the rule of Mao Zedong. It is still used by leaders of the Communist Party of China on formal occasions, and to a much lesser degree, leaders of the Kuomintang.
Medicine
Yīshēng 醫生, most commonly used when addressing a doctor; used for practitioners of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine.
Yīshī 醫師, is a more formal title when addressing a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, but is also used for doctors and for practitioners of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwan.
Láukun 老君, is a common Hokkien term for Doctor influenced by Taoism and is mainly used in Southeast Asia but can also mean wise man.
Dàfū 大夫, an older title used to address high officials in ancient times, now used colloquially when addressing a doctor.
Xiānshēng 先生 historical, no longer used.
Martial arts
A list of titles when addressing a martial arts master. The titles below are listed by the Mandarin pronunciation which is the national language in China. In the West, the titles are more commonly known by their Cantonese pronunciation which are given in brackets.
Shīfu 師父, used when addressing one's own martial arts instructor. But can also be used for teacher/instructors of other kind.
Shīgōng 師公, used when addressing the teacher of one's Shifu.
Shīmǔ 師母, used when addressing the wife of Shifu.
Zōngshī 宗師, technically the founder of a discipline or branch, used when addressing a great master.
