‘Comrade’ is no longer in fashion in China, but some people still want to bring it back

A recent opinion piece in the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, argued that China should bring back the term “comrade” (tongzhi) as the common form of address among Chinese people. It is an interesting proposal, as the term’s political and cultural implications are largely out of touch with Chinese society.

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”.