Teachers were called in ancient times: sir, master, master, mountain chief, and teacher.
1. Sir
When the word "Mr." was mentioned in the past, it was natural to think of Mr. Teacher or Mr. Private School. This word was mostly used to refer to a cultural person with broad knowledge.
In modern times, it is more commonly used to address men, but it can also be used to address very accomplished and high-level people. It is not necessarily limited to men, such as Qian Zhongshu, who makes us extremely awe-inspiring. His wife was respectfully called "Mr. Yang Jiang".
2. Master
The term "master" is a general term for teachers in ancient times. Both words are the names of some official positions in ancient times. They were mainly responsible for teaching the prince. It seems that he was also very high in knowledge and moral character.
In the article "The Biography of Gu Liang·The Nineteenth Year of Zhaogong", there is a relevant record: "It is the father's sin not to be a master if he is restrained until he grows up."
Up to now, the title "master" is still widely used, but it is more used to describe teachers with certain experience in certain industries.
3. Confucius
When it comes to this word, it is necessary to mention the founder of Chinese traditional culture "Confucius". The word "Master" was originally just the honorific title given by Confucius's disciples to their teacher.
Some articles in "The Analects of Confucius" are related to it. For example, "The Analects of Confucius·Zizhang" said, "If the Master does not learn, how can he always have a teacher!" Later, in many literary works, There are also many people in Chinese who refer to teachers as "Master". In modern times, this word is rarely used.
4. Mountain Chief
The word "mountain chief" sounds very strange. Today, we have basically no longer used it at all. This word first appeared in "Jing Xiangjinshi" and was a title for the main lecturer in the middle school.
According to legend, during the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there was a highly respected scholar named Jiang Weidong who lived in seclusion in Hengshan to give lectures. At that time, many people went to listen to his lectures, which had a profound influence, and he was called "The Chief of the Mountain" by everyone. ”, later, this word developed into a collective term for teachers.
During the Yuan Dynasty, it was used very frequently, and it was also followed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. However, in the Qianlong period, the word "山" was changed to the word "yard", which seemed to be more effective. It felt like a college, but by the end of the Qing Dynasty, it returned to the previous name of "mountain chief". After the abolition of the imperial examination system, the term was also abolished.
5. Teacher
As for this word, we need to start with an allusion. When Emperor Liu Zhuang of Han Ming Dynasty was still the crown prince, he had a master named Huan Rong. He was deeply favored by his master. After he ascended the throne, he respected his master even more. He would often visit his master and listen to his stories. Lectures on scripture history.
In the Han Dynasty, there were certain rules for the order. Turning from west to east was the position of honor. Although Liu Zhuang was already the emperor at that time, he still put the master in the position of honor to show respect. After that, "teacher" became an honorific title for teachers.