阿哥 (āgē) is a Manchu loanword (Manchu: age) used during the Qing dynasty as an official title for the emperor's sons before they received princely titles — e.g.
四阿哥 (the Fourth Prince) for the future Yongzheng Emperor. Hugely popular in Qing-court TV dramas (《
甄嬛传》, 《
步步惊心》). Modernly,
阿哥 also doubles as a casual term of address among ethnic minorities in southwest China.
