[Analysis].
In ancient China, there were many and many different names, especially for the people closest to us, parents. Some of these names are derived from dialects, some are influenced by foreign cultures, and some are created with the change of time. Below, let's walk into the long river of history and understand the ancient Chinese name for "father".
During the Tang Dynasty, the word "elder brother" had a special meaning. It can be used to address one's brother as well as one's father. However, in more formal or special public occasions, people still choose to refer to their father as "father" or "adult". This is not much different from what we call fathers now, at least in formal settings, we still use "father" or "daddy".
So, where did the title "brother" come about? In fact, "brother" was not originally the name of the Central Plains, it was introduced from foreign cultures during the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, "elder brother" was generally used to refer to the father, but in some special cases, it could also be used to address the elder brother. This point is also recorded in "Sou Shen Ji": "At the beginning of the year, when he was five years old, he cried at home and called for songs." The "song song" here is the father, which also confirms the statement that "brother" is a fake word for "song".
However, the term "brother" does not apply in all cases. On special occasions or in private, we can call our father "elder brother". For example, it is recorded in "The Biography of Nanshi Xie Zhi": "Father! The big husband is a corpse battlefield, but why is the city in disarray? Here, "Father" is Xie Xu's name for his father Xie Xu. However, in formal occasions or when facing outsiders, we still need to refer to our father as "father" or "adult" as a sign of respect.
In addition to the title "brother", there were some other ways to address it during the Tang Dynasty. For example, "Ayah", which was the name that people used to refer to their father in private at that time. When it comes to being with her mother, people call her "Ye Niang" or "Grandma". These were the most popular names of the time, reflecting the closeness of family ties and respect for fathers.
With the development of history, the names of various dynasties have also changed. For example, in the Three Kingdoms period, "Taiping Yulan, 346, Three Kingdoms Wei Caozhi Treasure Knife Fu": "In Jian'an, my father, King Wei, ordered you to make five treasure knives, and it was three years. The "father" in this is what Cao Zhi called when he talked about his father Cao Cao to outsiders. This is also our earliest record of "Dad". However, during the Three Kingdoms period, the title "Dad" was not particularly popular, and it was used more in officialdom or formal occasions.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, people in some areas began to call their fathers "Ah Father" or "Ah Gong". "The Biography of Nanshi Xie" recorded "Father! The big husband is a corpse battlefield, but why is the city in disarray? This "father" is Xie Xu's name for his father. This is similar to the way we still hear it in some dialects.
By the time of the Yuan Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty's habit of addressing was continued. People can still refer to their fathers as "brother". "I'll pick up my dad and come...... in the Yuan song "Horse on the Wall".Your brother is not here in the season when he came", and the words "daddy" and "brother" here both refer to the father of the same person. After the Ming Dynasty, the title "Dad" gradually became popular.
By the time of the Qing Dynasty, the title "Dad" began to be widely used. It is recorded in the "Title Record, One, Dialect, and Father": "Wu commonly called his father Abo". That is to say, in the Wu region, "Abo" is a common term used to address one's father. And in some parts of the north, the word "da" is also used to refer to one's father. This can still be heard in some of our current dialects.
In modern Chinese, the title "Dad" has become one of the most common ways to address people. Whether in the city or in the countryside, whether in the south or in the north, people are accustomed to calling their fathers "daddy". This also fully illustrates the popularity and applicability of the title "Dad".
To sum up, from ancient times to the present, the title "Daddy" has undergone many stages of development and evolution. From the original "father" and "yes", to the later "Aya", "Ah Gong", "brother", and now "Dad", these titles all reflect our respect and closeness to our father. At the same time, these historical evolutions also allow us to see the diversity and development of language and culture. Although fathers are called differently throughout the ages, they all share a common purpose – to express gratitude and love for fathers.