Abstract

Chinese politeness has a long native proto-scientific research history in comparison with many other languages. The origin of modern Chinese politeness principles derive from ancient times and have evolved from the past. Although parts of ancient polite languages have disappeared, the principles have not yet vanished. We argue that current Chinese politeness and historical Chinese politeness are in essence very similar. Although there are new polite expressions used, there is continuity between historical Chinese politeness and modern Chinese politeness. This paper elaborates the notion of li礼 (rites) at five levels and compares the difference between Chinese li礼 (rites) and western culture. It also explores the origin of modern Chinese politeness strategies mainly self-denigration/other-elevation, attitudinal warmth, and refinement. By illustrating examples from Confucian Classics, the paper shows that modern Chinese politeness strategies are in line with historical Chinese politeness strategies and that the modern phase has inherited from the essence of li礼 (rites) of the historical phase.