Today I will introduce to you one of my favorite lessons that I teach my foreign students. This topic is about how we address each other in China. It's quite different from how people in the west address each other. In particular, I will explain to you all of the different ways that a man might address his wife throughout their lifetime together.
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
你 叫 什么 名字? 
What is your name?
This question is fairly straightforward in western countries. In professional situations, you may include your job title. In educational situations, "Mr." and "Mrs." may be used. In friendly, social situations, when it comes to addressing one another, first names are generally used in western countries. However, in China, we will usually introduce ourselves with:
First: family name 姓 (xìng)
Second: given name 名 (míng)
We can look at this as a series of six stages:
1. 初见 (Chūjiàn) First meeting. From the first time that Mr. Zhang meets his future wife, he may call her "李丽红 (Lǐ Lìhóng)". In Chinese, 李 (Lǐ) is the family name, and 丽红(Lìhóng) is the given name of the woman. In China, when we meet or are introduced to strangers, we will address them by family name and then given name. This formality indicates that the relationship is not yet very close. If Mr. Zhang were to address his future wife as "丽红 (Lìhóng)" when they just met, he would be seen as overly bold and presumptuous.
2. 熟悉 (Shúxī) Be familiar with each other. As Mr. Zhang begins dating 李丽红 (Lǐ Lìhóng) 1-on-1, Mr. Zhang will begin to call her 丽红(Lìhóng), omitting the family name. This indicates a closer relationship between the two, as he now uses the first name to replace the full name that he used before.
3. 恋爱 (Liànài) In a relationship. Once Mr. Zhang becomes even closer with 李丽红 (Lǐ Lìhóng), to the point he considers her his girlfriend, Mr. Zhang will simply call his girlfriend...Read More
