‘Comrade' is no longer in fashion in China, but some people still want to bring it back
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While comrade is a formal form of address inside the Communist Party, its use is limited to official settings. It is used as a suffix to full names in documents, such as letters of appointment and eulogies. In notices related to investigations, use of the term could be seen as an indication of the seriousness of the allegations. For instance, China's former foreign minister Qin Gang was addressed as a comrade in the last official document mentioning him, implying that Qin had retained his party membership.
In day-to-day conversations, comrade is still used to address a young clerk in a government office, or a policeman on the street, but it sounds old-fashioned and is usually not the best choice. Comrade used without a full name is the equivalent of a bland 'hello' to someone who doesn't look important in the government.
It would be safer to call a government official 'leader' (lingdao) if they carry certain authority, but it becomes easier if their name and title are known. The standard would then be the family name plus title. 'Director Wang' would be much more acceptable than 'comrade Wang'.
Chinese President Xi Jinping extends Spring Festival greetings to residents in north China's Tianjin municipality, February 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Outside the government, comrade is sometimes used to refer to a homosexual male – 'he is a tongzhi' means 'he is gay'. The original meaning of comrade, which means 'people share the same will', as well as its implied values of equality and solidarity, has lost its relevance amid the wealth gap and social divides. How could an employer address a soon-to-be-sacked employee as a comrade, and wouldn't it be ridiculous to call Chinese tycoons comrades when their net personal wealth was in the billions of dollars?
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