Name Guide
Names, Honorifics, & Titles
Courtesy Names
A courtesy name is given to an individual when they come of age. Traditionally, this was at the age of twenty during one’s crowning ceremony, but it can also be presented when an elder or teacher deems the recipient worthy. Generally a male-only tradition, there is historical precedent for women adopting a courtesy name after marriage. Courtesy names were a tradition reserved for the upper class.
It was considered disrespectful for one’s peers of the same generation to address someone by their birth name, especially in formal or written communication. Use of one’s birth name was reserved for only elders, close friends, and spouses.
This practice is no longer used in modern China but is commonly seen in wuxia and xianxia media; as such, many characters have more than one name. Its implementation in novels is irregular and is often treated malleably for the sake of storytelling.
It was a tradition throughout some parts of Chinese history for all children of a family within a certain generation to have given names with the same first or last character. This “generation name” may be taken from a certain poem, with successive generations using successive characters from the poem. In Scum Villain, this tradition is used to give the peak lords their courtesy names, so all peak lords of Shen Qingqiu’s generation have courtesy names starting with Qing.
Diminutives and Nicknames
XIAO-: A diminutive meaning “little.” Always a prefix.
EXAMPLE: Xiao-shimei (the nickname Ming Fan uses for Ning Yingying)
DA-: A prefix meaning “eldest.”
EXAMPLE: Da-shixiong (how Ning Yingying addresses Ming Fan)
-ER: A word for “son” or “child.” Added to a name, it expresses affection. Similar to calling someone “Little” or “Sonny.” Always a suffix.
EXAMPLE: Ling-er (how Sha Hualing refers to herself when she is trying to be cute)
A-: Friendly diminutive. Always a prefix. Usually for monosyllabic names, or one syllable out of a two-syllable name.
EXAMPLE: A-Luo (the nickname Ning Yingying uses for Luo Binghe)
-GE/-GEGE/-DAGE: A word meaning “big brother.” When added as a suffix, it becomes an affectionate address for any older male, with the -gege variant being cutesier and more often used by young girls. Meanwhile, -dage is more often used by men to address someone they revere deeply. As the term implies hierarchy, it always carries a connotation of respect, which can be exploited for sarcasm. Can also be used by itself to refer to one’s true older brother.
EXAMPLE: Qi-ge (what a young Shen Jiu calls his childhood friend)
-DI: A word meaning “younger brother.” Can achieve a juxtaposition effect with “-ge,” though is an affectionate suffix by itself.
EXAMPLE: Hua-di (as Shang Qinghua sarcastically called himself)
-MEIZI: A very informal term for girls and women. Not recommended to use as a suffix in real life.
EXAMPLE: Sha-meizi (how Sha Hualing is known by her fans)
-JIE/-JIEJIE: Older sister or unrelated female friend. Either can be used as a suffix or on its own.
-MEI/-MEIMEI: Younger sister or unrelated female friend. Either can be used as a suffix or on its own.
Formal
-JUN: A suffix meaning “lord.”
-XIANSHENG: A respectful suffix with several uses, including for someone with a great deal of expertise in their profession or a teacher.
-LAOSHI: Another respectful suffix, though more modern, used for teachers and instructors.
EXAMPLE: Shen-laoshi (Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s nickname for Shen Qingqiu)
Cultivation and Martial Arts
ZHANGMEN: Leader of a cultivation/martial arts sect.
SHIZUN: Teacher/master. For one’s master in one’s own sect. Gender neutral. Literal meaning is “honored/venerable master” and is a more respectful address.
SHIFU: Teacher/master. For one’s master in one’s own sect. Gender neutral. Mostly interchangeable with Shizun.
SHINIANG: The wife of a shifu/shizun.
SHIXIONG: Senior martial brother. For senior male members of one’s own sect.
SHIJIE: Senior martial sister. For senior female members of one’s own sect.
SHIDI: Junior martial brother. For junior male members of one’s own sect.
SHIMEI: Junior martial sister. For junior female members of one’s own sect.
SHISHU: The junior martial sibling of one’s master. Can be male or female.
SHIBO: The senior martial sibling of one’s master. Can be male or female.
SHIZHI: The disciple of one’s martial sibling.