Letter Etiquette and Traditional Family Correspondence Handwritten Newspaper 2026-10-10 00:31:10

Handwritten Newspaper Guide: Letter Honorifics, Humble Words and Blessing Phrases

Polite wording is what makes an old-style letter feel respectful. This article groups material for a letter etiquette and family correspondence poster into honorifics, humble words, blessing phrases and signature lines, then suggests comparison cards, a word tree and an envelope border so students can copy the words accurately and finish a tidy poster.

Direct Answer

The easiest way to build this poster is to sort the wording into three blocks. First, honorifics used for the other person, such as ling-zun, gui-fu, hui-shu, ci-jiao and gao-jian. Second, humble words used for yourself and your family, such as jia-fu, jia-mu, she-di, han-she and zhuo-zuo. Third, blessing and closing lines, such as jian-zi-ru-mian, ci-zhi-jing-li, jing-song-an-kang, shun-song-shi-qi, jin-shang and jing-shang. When you copy them, start ci-zhi on a new indented line, write jing-li at the left margin, and put the signature and date in the bottom right corner.

Why honorifics and humble words deserve a whole poster

When children write to an elder, the easiest mistake is in the wording: using the casual form of you sounds blunt, and calling someone else's father jia-fu is simply wrong. A handwritten newspaper is a good place to line these words up side by side, using colour and columns so the difference is visible at a glance.

This kind of page does not need complicated drawings. If the words are well chosen and neatly arranged, it already looks thoughtful and bookish. A faint horizontal line across the sheet, or a small seal outline near the bottom, adds a traditional touch without much effort.

Step one: split the vocabulary into two piles

Honorifics describe the other person and their belongings; humble words describe yourself and your own family. Once that rule is clear, the lists below are hard to mix up.

Honorifics (given to others)

People: the polite form of you, ling-zun, ling-tang, ling-lang, ling-ai
Places: gui-fu, gui-xiao, gui-she
Letters and help: hui-shu, lai-han, ci-jiao, chui-xun, hui-zeng
Their work and views: da-zuo, gao-jian, ya-zheng

Humble words (kept for yourself)

Family: jia-fu, jia-mu, she-di, she-mei, xiao-nu, quan-zi
Yourself and your home: bi-ren, han-she, she-xia
Your own work and opinions: zhuo-zuo, zhuo-jian, yu-jian, dou-dan

On the page, draw two rounded boxes with a vertical line between them. Write honorifics on the left and humble words on the right, with a heading that means honorifics go out, humble words stay home.

Step two: copy the phrases for opening, body and closing

Opening greetings

jian-zi-ru-mian, zhan-xin-jia, zhan-xin-shu-yan
jiu-wei-tong-han, jiu-shu-wen-hou, bie-lai-wu-yang

Polite phrases inside the letter

hui-shu-jing-xi, lai-han-shou-xi, chi-fu-wei-qian
cheng-meng-guan-zhao, duo-cheng-jiao-hui, meng-nin-zhi-dian

Closing blessings

ci-zhi-jing-li, jin-zhu-an-hao, shun-wen-jin-an
jing-song-an-kang, jing-qing-fu-an, shun-song-shi-qi, ji-song-jin-hao

Signature lines

jin-shang, jing-shang, shou-shu, bai-shang
wan-bei mou-mou jing-shang, mou-mou jin-qi

Step three: pick one of three layouts

Comparison cards: shade the honorific card pale green and the humble card pale blue, then add a short explanation under each word. Best for younger pupils.
Word tree: write letter etiquette on the trunk, grow one branch of honorifics and one of humble words, and set the closing blessing at the roots.
Envelope border: frame the whole sheet as an envelope with address lines and a stamp box, and keep the word lists in the middle.

White space matters here. Use slightly wider line spacing than a normal text page and leave a two-finger margin so the writing does not look cramped. To save time on ruling lines, open the WeChat mini program of Zhihui Handwritten Newspaper, choose a letter-paper layout, fill in the words and trace over the printout.

Step four: check these details before the final copy

Start ci-zhi on a new indented line, and write jing-li at the left margin.
Never use honorifics for your own family, and never use humble words for the person you are writing to.
Do not add a full stop after a closing blessing; set the signature and date at the lower right.
Avoid repeating the same phrase twice, and keep the lines of each block roughly equal in length.

When the page is finished, read the words aloud. If they sound natural and respectful, the honorifics and humble words are almost certainly in the right places.

FAQ

What is the difference between honorifics and humble words on the poster?

Honorifics lift the other person up, for example ling-zun for someone else's father, gui-fu for their home, hui-shu for their letter and gao-jian for their opinion. Humble words lower yourself and your own family, for example jia-fu, han-she, zhuo-zuo and yu-jian. Use two columns or two coloured cards and write one line between them meaning honorifics go to others, humble words stay with me.

How should ci-zhi and jing-li be written on the page?

Put ci-zhi on a new line indented by two characters, then write jing-li at the left margin on the following line. When the letter is for an elder, jing-li can be replaced with a family-style blessing such as jing-song-an-kang, jing-qing-fu-an or shun-song-shi-qi. Place the signature and date in the lower right corner in slightly smaller writing.

There is too much material to copy. How do I choose?

Start with the words you would really use in a letter: nin, jia-fu, ling-tang, hui-shu, ci-zhi-jing-li and jin-shang. Then add two bonus words to each group, such as chui-xun, ci-jiao or shun-song-shi-qi. Keep four to five lines per group so the poster stays readable and you still have space for a short writing practice box.