Addressing others with respect
Updated May 25, 2003
Chinese names appear in a different order than Western names. Each person has, in this order, a family, generational, and first name. Generational and given names can be separated by a space or a hyphen, but are frequently written as one word. The generational designation is usually the first word of a two-worded first name. This is still popular in some families, especially among the southerners and the overseas Chinese from the south. Most modern Chinese first names are single worded. The first names of those born during the cultural revolution era usually carries political meaning showing support toward Chairman Mao and his wife, Jiang Qing.
Most people should be addressed with a title and their last name. If a person does not have a professional title, use ¡°Mr.¡±, ¡°Madam¡±, ¡°Miss¡±, plus the last name.
A married Chinese woman usually retains her maiden name; she will use her husband's last name on occasions for formal addressing only.
Many Chinese adopt an English first name to make it easier for North Americans and other Westerners to address them. You can expect to hear some rather odd and rare English names as they try hard to be different from others.
Address people using official titles such as ¡°General¡± ¡°Committee Member¡±, or ¡°Bureau Chief¡± whenever possible. It is customary to address the deputies by skipping the word 'deputy,' such as, 'Chief' for 'Deputy Chief,' 'Chairman' for 'Vice Chairman' 'General Manager' for 'Assistant General Manager.'
Unless you're a Communist, never refer to someone as ¡°Comrade.¡±
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