tzu

Tzu is a transliteration of the Chinese character 子 and, in English-language sources, appears as a suffix in classical names and titles. In modern Chinese, 子 can mean “son” or “child,” but in historical and scholarly contexts it is used as an honorific character meaning “Master” or “Teacher.” When rendered in English, Tzu often signals a posthumous or respectful designation rather than a personal given name.

In usage, Tzu appears in well-known names such as Lao-tzu (Laozi), Sun-tzu (Sunzi), and Zhuang-tzu (Chuang-tzu). The same suffix is rendered as zi in modern pinyin (Laozi, Sunzi, Zhuangzi), while older transliterations commonly use Tzu (Lao-tzu, Sun-tzu, Chuang-tzu). Thus, Tzu reflects a historical romanization convention rather than a standalone name.

Notable figures associated with this suffix include Laozi, traditionally regarded as the founder of Daoism and author of the Dao De Jing; Sun Tzu, attributed author of The Art of War; and Zhuangzi, associated with the Daoist philosophy compiled in the text that bears his name. In these contexts, Tzu denotes respect for a learned or revered master rather than indicating a family name.

Scholarly usage often notes the distinction between zi as a simple character meaning “child” and its honorific function as “Master.” The form Tzu is mainly encountered in historical or literary English texts and is part of a broader set of transliteration choices that vary by era and scholarly tradition.