Chinese Terms, Honorifics And Mythologies

Relations in Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan Novels : Part 1

公子 / Gōngzǐ / Master:

You will see this translated in a variety of different ways - master, young master, sir... But depending on the situation, gongzi can be a whole hodgepodge of things.

Master: The most commonly used version in MDZS. This is a separate meaning of master from some of the honorifics discussed below - it is specifically used to address either:

Your literal master if you are a servant in the household
A somebody from a distinguished household in a polite way
General honorific: Gongzi can also be used between strangers/acquaintances as a respectful term. Gongzi is, in some ways, an indicator of respect of the other person's status. So oftentimes you'll find two young masters from different sects referring to each other as gongzi politely. It's usually used to address someone younger or a similar age as you. If you're talking to someone who is clearly your older, use:

前辈 : Qiánbèi (senior)
Or
先生 : Xiānshēng (gentleman)

There's variants of this -
小公子/ Xiǎo gōngzǐ
This is typically young master, although I think some translations just directly use the young master for gongzi. It can also mean the younger master if there is an older sibling in question here.

Example : Wen Chao was referred to as
温小公子 / Wēn xiǎo gōngzǐ (Young Master Wen)
as he was the younger son, although you can also use
二公子 / Èr gōngzǐ (second master or second son),
as many do when referring to Lan Wangji. It sounds a little less juvenile.

This term is used for guys - I would say the female equivalent could be

千金 : Qiānjīn (daughter).
Or
小姐 : Xiǎojiě (miss).

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宗主 / Zōngzhǔ / Sect Leader:

This can only refer to the sect leader - it is a title, and it is passed down. There is typically only one sect leader at any one time, and his eldest male heir will be the successive leader of the sect. I'm going to take this chance to clear up some misconceptions:

1. Unless Lan Xichen bears no male heirs before his death, Lan Wangji will not succeed him. Lan Sizhui, given that he is not a Lan by birth, will likely never be the Lan sect leader. Yes yes, we all know he's the adoptive son, but adoptive means literally nothing in the progenical world of Chinese history. Plus, he's not even the adoptive son of Lan Xichen, so he is a long, long way down from ever being sect leader unless he forms his own, which he would likely never because that's kind of like betraying your family.

2. On that same topic, Nie Huaisang succeeded Nie Mingjue because Nie Mingjue died without an heir and Nie Huaisang was the closest blood relative.

3. For the Jin sect, the succession would have been Jin Guangshan -> Jin Zixuan -> Jin Ling. We all might have thought that it was Jin Zixun first in line for succession, but it's totally blanked because he was actually a cousin and NOT the son of JGS. Since Jin Zixuan died, it became Jin Guangyao - Jin Ling is next in line as he is of the next generation and too young at that time to rule. Honestly, if Jin Ling was older at the time of Jin Zixuan's death and if this was a Chinese historical palace drama, there would probably be some serious internal political intrigue going on as Jin Guangyao's claim over the seat would arguably be weaker than Jin Ling's since he is illegitimate.

4. For the Jiang sect, Jiang Cheng is the heir even though Jiang Yanli is older because he is male. The question of who will inherit his seat which remains open if he doesn't marry and have a heir. In my option, there is a less than zero chance that Jin Ling succeeds him unless Jiang Cheng specifically demands for it, but he likely wouldn't because he is all about decorum and also it would put Jin Ling in an incredibly difficult situation, which is the last thing he would want for his nephew. If he doesn't end up producing heirs, the seat will likely go to whomever he names as successor, even if non-blood related - maybe the current head disciple.