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Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh made history as the first Asian to receive the Best Actress Oscar for her role in "Everything Everywhere All At Once".

And evidently, no one is prouder of Yeoh than Malaysians themselves.

In the ensuing media coverage of the 60-year-old actress, you might have noticed Malaysian media referring to her as "Tan Sri Dato Seri".

"Tan Sri Dato Seri" refers to two different titles under the Malaysian system of styles and titles.

Such titles are typically given to outstanding individuals who made great contributions to the nation or their state.

"Tan Sri" is Malaysia's second highest federal title. It comes with with an award that is presented to individuals who provide meritorious service to the country.

Yeoh received the Panglima Setia Mahkota (also known as the Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia) -- as well as her "Tan Sri" title -- in 2013 from the Agong, Malaysia's king.

On the other hand, "Dato Seri" is a state-level title given by individual state rulers.

Yeoh, who hails from Ipoh, Perak, received her "Dato Seri" title from the Sultan of Perak in 2012 on his 84th birthday.

@mothershipsg Michelle Yeoh just made history as the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress #tiktoksg #sgnews #oscars #michelleyeoh #EEAAO ♬ original sound - Mothership.sg

Mostly disappeared from everyday use in Singapore

To the average Singaporean, the Malaysian system of styles and titles might be bewildering or confusing -- aside from the distinction between federal and state honours, naming conventions also differ between states.

But this system has enjoyed a long history and tradition in this region, during a time when modern geopolitical boundaries were less clearly drawn.

For instance, Singapore would likely have had a similar system before the island colonised by the British.

And when we achieved self-governance under British rule in 1959, our head of state was known as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Malay for “Head of State”).

The post was held by the late Yusof bin Ishak until our independence in 1965 when it was renamed President of the Republic of Singapore.

Today, these Malay titles are still flourishing (some would say too abundantly) in Malaysia and parts of Southeast Asia like Brunei and Indonesia.

But they have mostly disappeared from everyday interactions on our island, popping up occasionally in random stories or conversations, until someone like Yeoh comes along and puts them into the global spotlight.

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Images via Michelle Yeoh/Instagram, Visual Retale.