О расширении сферы употребления обращения 老师 в современном китайском языке

This article studies the expansion of the usage sphere of the address term 老师 (teacher) in modern Chinese, describes the status of teachers in Chinese culture and the historical development of the meaning of the word 老师. Address term 老师 began to be used as a respectful address to monks in the Tang Dynasty and gradually expanded its usage sphere. Nowadays, 老师 is applied not only to teachers and staff in educational institutions but also in other fields of knowledge and experience transfer. The reasons for its wide usage include the principle of politeness, the breadth of the word's meaning, the variability of combination, the correspondence to the principles of hierarchy and emotional connection, the lack of other suitable address terms, positive connotations, and historical processes.