It's used in respect for talking to a superior and respectfully, so is there even an english equivalent for it or is it just a special title used for Chinese?
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Is Senpai a widely understood word in English-speaking country?– hrzhuCommented Apr 24, 2015 at 8:12
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@hrzhu, no, it isn't.– SuragchCommented Apr 24, 2015 at 13:14
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前辈: predecessor, eldership, master, senior. 晚辈: junior, maybe there are not any equivalent if they are used for personal pronouns, like 请前辈赐教 and 晚辈告辞了.– xenophōnCommented Dec 28, 2017 at 2:35
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3 Answers
I believe there is no English equivalent, but there are some equivalents that I know of.
Senior/Junior
- older/younger in age or higher/lower in rank.
Examples:
Bob is the senior developer in our team.
Bob 是我們團隊裡最資深的程序員。
James is 5 years my junior.
James 比我小五歲。
Being a senior, I shall take the duty.
作為最資深的人，我應該要拿下這份職務。
Predecessor
- person who has a job/position prior to another.
Examples:
Larry, the new coach of Mickey (I made this up), is way more experienced than his predecessors.
米奇隊的新教練Larry比他的前輩（之前的教練）有經驗多了。
Note the subtle difference between predecessor and senior – predecessor has to be someone that pre-existed in the setting, whereas senior is someone that co-exists in the setting.
answered Apr 23, 2015 at 2:37
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I would just use 'sir'. A friendly, colloquial way to address an old man is 'old fella'.
你叫我‘前辈 ’, 我已经觉得像史前原人的遗骸了.
When you call me 'old fella',
When addressing a young man, you may say just that:
Young man, could you please help me?
