This is the specific glossary for Three Years After Falling Off A Cliff (TYAF) novel. This page is in progress. Leave a comment if you want something to be added!
(warning: minor spoiler!)
Ode of Gallantry: The poem where Yun Fuyi’s name was taken “十步杀一人，千里不留行。事了拂衣去，深藏身与名” (‘He who kills one with every ten steps; leaving no trace after a thousand li. Once the deeds done, with a brush of his robes, he buries all and leaves no name, no trace.’). Her ‘legend’ misquotes it into: ‘是一步摧一人，事了拂衣去'(‘She who kills one with her every step and buries all with a brush of her robe.’)
Forms of Self-Address: In Imperial China, there were numerous ways to refer to oneself in the third person, particularly in formal settings. Rather than using the common pronoun 我 (I), individuals would use specific terms based on both their own status and that of the person they were addressing. Therefore, when a character begins to use 我 (I) in conversation—where they previously did not—it often indicates that they are becoming more comfortable or informal.
- This Emperor (朕 zhen): How the emperor addresses himself in front of his subjects.
- This Palace (本宫 běngōng): Self-address used by an empress, high-ranking consorts, daughters of emperors, and sometimes the crown prince. In the imperial palace, not everyone was granted a full palace to use. Low-ranking concubines, for example, only have apartments. So, the notion of This Palace refers to the fact that they are owners of a palace.
- This Dowager (哀家 Āijiā): Used by an empress dowager to address herself. It more or less translates as ‘the mourning one.’ Refers to her status as a widow (therefore, always in the mourning of his husband).
- This Subject (臣): How court official refers to himself in front of the Emperor or other imperial family members. The family members, in turn, use self-address forms related to their relationship with the court official (i.e. This subject daughter, This subject wife, etc.).
Nicknames by Birth Order: It is kinda common to call someone not by their given name, but by their surname followed by their birth order in the family. For example, from the name Liu Dalang (刘大郎) we know that he is the eldest son of the Liu family with Da means ‘eldest’ and Lang means ‘young man’ (its female counterpart being ‘niang’ or ‘nu’). Sometimes, we also find a format of surname+Xiao+number (i.e. Lu Xiaowu). In this case, ‘Xiao’ (lit: small), indicates that she or he is the youngest child in the family. So Lu Xiaowu is the fifth (wu) and youngest (xiao) of the Lu family.
- 大 (da): eldest (i.e. Dalang)
- 二 (er): second (i.e. Erlang)
- 三 (san): third (i.e. Sanlang)
- 四 (si): fourth (i.e. Shilang)
- 五 (wu): fifth (i.e. Wulang)
- 六 (liu): sixth (i.e. Liulang)
- 七 (qi): seventh (i.e. Qilang)
Polygamy System: China’s polygamy system acknowledges only one legal wife, with the rest being concubines (consorts for the imperial clan). Children born from the legal wife (or registered under the legal wife’s names) are called di children (嫡子), while children of concubines shu children. It’s not as simple as di being legitimate with shu being illegitimate, since shu-born children are equally recognized by their paternal clan and recorded in its genealogy. By modern standards, they are legitimate enough. It was children born from outside mistresses, whose mothers aren’t even proper concubines, who are considered illegitimate.
Rank of Imperial Examinations:
- Tongsheng (童生): an examinee who had passed the county/prefecture examination of the entry-level examinations.
- Shengyuan (生員) or Xiucai (秀才): an examinee who had passed the academy examination of the entry-level examinations.
- Juren (舉人): a scholar who passed the triennial provincial examination.
- Gongshi (貢士): a scholar who passed the triennial metropolitan examination.
- Jinshi (進士): a scholar who passed the triennial palace examination (the last and highest level, which takes venue in the imperial palace, often under the Emperor’s direct supervision). The three top scorers are given distinct titles: Zhuangyuan (狀元) for the top scorer, Bangyan (榜眼) for the second scorer, and Tanhua (探花) for the third scorer. The rest are simply called Jinshi.
List of Imperial Titles (Male):
- Emperor (皇帝)
- Prince or Imperial Son (皇子): All sons born from an emperor are called prince, but this is not a title. Once they reach adulthood, they will be conferred a Wang title. An imperial son is politely addressed as Dianxia (殿下), which roughly translates as ‘His Highness.’ Their main wife is called Huangzifei (郡王妃) or simply Princess Consort.
- Wang (王) or Qinwang (亲王): Prince of The First Rank. A title given to the adult sons of an emperor. A wang is politely addressed as Wangye (王爷), which roughly translates as ‘His Highness.’ His main wife is called Wangfei (王妃), which roughly translates as ‘Princess Consort.’
- Junwang (郡王): Prince of the Second Rank. A title given to the sons of a Wang born from his main consort. His main wife is called Junwangfei (郡王妃).
- Fuma (驸马): Prince Consort. A title given to the spouse of an imperial daughter/granddaughter.
List of Imperial Titles (Female):
- Empress Dowager (皇太后): Mother of the reigning Emperor.
- Empress (皇后): Wife of the Reigning Emperor. His concubines and consorts are divided into multiple ranks such as consorts (妃, fei), ladies (人, ren), etc.
- Princess (公主): Princess of the first rank. Title given to the emperor’s daughters. In each generation, the highest ranking princess is called Grand Eldest Princess (大长公主), usually conferred by the reigning emperor to one of his sisters.
- Junzhu (郡主): Princess of the Third Rank. A title usually granted to the daughter of a qinwang.
- Xianzhu (县主): Princess of the Fourth Rank. A title was usually granted to the daughter of a junwang or imperial shizi.
- Junjun (郡君): Lady of the First Rank. A title usually granted to a daughter born to a secondary consort of a qinwang.
- Xianjun (县君): Lady of the Second Rank. A title usually granted to a daughter born to a secondary consort of a junwang
Imperial Chinese Harem System: The ranks of imperial consorts have varied over the course of Chinese history but remained important throughout owing to its prominence in the management of the inner court and in imperial succession, which ranked heirs according to the prominence of their mothers in addition to their birth order. Generally, Empress (皇后) stood on the top as the Emperor’s only legal wife, followed by Imperial Noble Consort (皇貴妃; Huangguifei), Four Consorts which are Noble Consort (貴妃; Guifei), Shu Consort (淑妃, Shufei), De Consort (德妃), Xian Consort (賢妃, Xianfei). Not all dynasties have Imperial Noble Consort, and in its absence, Noble Consort Guifei led the four consorts, second in position only to the empress.
List of Imperial Offices:
- Yamen (衙门): A designation of bottom-level units of administration, mostly on the district level. The office mainly handles grassroots police duty and administration affairs.
List of Government Officials:
List of Ministries: Three Departments and Six Ministries system was the primary administrative structure in imperial China from the Sui dynasty to the Yuan dynasty. The three departments are:
- Chancellery (门下省)
- Department of State Affairs (尚书省)
- Secretariat (中书省)
The six ministries under the Department of State Affairs are:
- Ministry of Personnel(吏部)
- Ministry of Revenue (户部)
- Ministry of Rites (礼部)
- Ministry of War (兵部)
- Ministry of Justice (刑部)
- Ministry of Works (工部)
List of Nobility Ranks: Peerages below the royal ranks are divided into five levels that may or may not come with fiefdom. Many peerages are also limited, which means they can only be inherited by a few generations, after which the peerages are either returned to the crown or downgraded.
- Duke (公)
- Marquis (侯)
- Count (伯)
- Viscount (子)
- Baron (男)
Shizi (世子): Heir apparent to a title. In some dynasties, Shizi is considered a title—similar to how a crown prince is different from regular princes—and their