awanderingbard | (Reply)

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Honorifics are important in 'ancient' times set stuff, but not so much today. But there are still some interesting things regarding names now, like (as far as I understand) no one will ever call someone but a single syllable name. It's very likely that even if someone is a good friend you will call them by Surname Givenname if that given name is a single syllable name. There are diminutives that could be used so (to use characters from a modern set police drama I loved, Under the Skin) the main characters are Du Cheng and Shen Yi. Du Cheng has an older sister, she calls him "A-Cheng" (I don't totally understand the A/Ah, it's just a prefix attached to people's names sometimes), his mentor called him "Xiao Cheng" (Xiao = small/young but in a familiar, this person is younger than me/is a subordinate I am fond of, kind of way), his partner calls him Du Cheng and others he works with (including friends) call him that or Captain Cheng.