The original text tanya 潭衙 also referred to as tanfu 潭府, is a way of respectfully addressing another’s house.
The original text tanya 潭衙, also referred to as tanfu 潭府, is a way of respectfully addressing other’s house. The term tantan 潭潭 means deep, and tanfu 潭府 therefore indicates the house is large.
The term originated from the Tang Dynasty Poet Han Yu‘s 韓愈 poem “Fu dushu chengnan” 符讀書城南 [My son Fu studying in my house in the south of the city], which said: “May you be a high-ranking of official, living in a large mansion” 一爲公與相，潭潭府中居. This is an example of jingci 敬辭 [term of respect], a common linguistic phenomenon in Chinese, which is often used to describe the person or things/people related to that person who is spoken to as a sign of respectfulness. See also https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-metonymy.
