my family essay in pinyin

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Pinyin/My family

I have a happy family, which has 5 people, including my father, mother, grandfather, sister and me. My father is a worker, who can meet my little requests, such as to buy small toys for me. My mother accompanies me to learn every day. My grandpa is a math teacher, he requests me very strict. My sister is a student. I have to study hard and get good grades to repay them.

Wǒ yǒu yīge xìngfú de jiā , jiāli yǒu 5 ge rén, fēnbié shì bàba, māma, yéye, jiějie hé wǒ. Bàba shì ge gōngrén, néng mǎnzú wǒ de xiǎo yāoqiú, gěi wǒ mǎi xiǎo wánjù. Māma měitiān péi wǒ xuéxí. Yéye shì ge shùxué lǎoshī, tā duì wǒ hěn yángé. Wǒ de jiějie shì xuéshēng. Wǒ yào nǔlì xuéxí, qǔde hǎo chéngjì lái bàodá tāmen.

• Book:Pinyin
• Pinyin/Essay
• Pinyin/Narration

How to Introduce Your Family in Chinese

Almost everyone holds a special place in their heart for families . A family is those you’re bound with from birth, the ones who will always be there for you unconditionally. When we first meet someone, we like to be familiar with their family background . Knowing this provides valuable information on that person’s upbringing, which could shape their personality dramatically. Thus, it’s important to learn how to talk about your family in Chinese.

In China, family has great importance. 孝顺 ( xiào shùn ), which means being responsible and obedient to parents, is one of the best qualities a person can have. While reading this article, keep in mind that the Chinese view of parent-child relationships differs in some ways from that of Western countries.

Now let’s get right into today’s adventure!

Table of Contents

• Family Perceptions in China
• Family Member Terms and Other Basics
• Terms for Relatives
• Family Member Terms as a Married Person
• Endearment Terms
• Bonus – Interesting Expressions about Family Members
• Conclusion: How ChineseClass101 Can Help You Master Family Terms

1. Family Perceptions in China

The family institution in China is incredibly strong. China highly values family bonds , particularly parent-child relationships . When it comes to family in the Chinese culture, there are even traditions that say children should never travel far, and should always stay with their parents.

Even now, many men still live with their parents even after their marriage. In this case, the woman will have to move to the man’s house and live with his parents. This sometimes creates an unpleasant relationship between the wife and her mother-in-law , which is a situation you can see used as a stereotype in a wide variety of Chinese shows.

There are many different ways to name family members depending on your relationship to them. Age difference is the main factor in determining what to call a family member, since Chinese people heavily emphasize that youngsters should respect their elders.

One thing to keep in mind: Unlike in Western culture, it’s not respectful to directly call elders by their names. This matter will be introduced more thoroughly later in this article.

2. Family Member Terms and Other Basics

Here are some Chinese words for family members to expand your family in Chinese vocabulary! With just these basic words and phrases, you have a great place to start a simple conversation about family.

In Chinese: 我的家庭很幸福。 Pinyin: Wǒ de jiā tíng hěn xìng fú. In English: I have a happy family.

In Chinese: 我是在单亲家庭中长大的。 Pinyin: Wǒ shì zài dān qīn jiā tíng zhōng zhǎng dà de. In English: I grew up in a single-parent family.

• In Chinese: 母亲 Pinyin: mǔ qīn In English: mother
• In Chinese: 父亲 Pinyin: fù qīn In English: father
• In Chinese: 妈妈 Pinyin: mā ma In English: mom
• In Chinese: 爸爸 Pinyin: bà ba In English: dad

In Chinese: 我有个[姐姐]. Pinyin: Wǒ yǒu gè [jiě jie]. In English: I have a(n) [older sister].

• In Chinese: 哥哥/弟弟 Pinyin: gē ge /dì di In English: (older) brother / (younger) brother
• In Chinese: 兄弟姐妹 Pinyin: xiōng dì jiě mèi In English: sibling

Fun fact: The interesting thing about siblings in Chinese is that older and younger siblings have different terms, whereas English does not.

• In Chinese: 姥爷 / 爷爷 / 祖父 Pinyin: lǎo yé / yé ye / zǔ fù In English: (mother’s side) grandfather / (father’s side) grandfather / grandfather
• In Chinese: 姥姥 / 奶奶 / 祖母 Pinyin: lǎo lao / nǎi nai / zǔ mǔ In English: (mother’s side) grandmother / (father’s side) grandmother / grandmother
• In Chinese: 父母 / 家长 Pinyin: fù mǔ / jiā zhǎng In English: parents

Fun fact: The literal meaning of 家长 is the family’s leader .

• In Chinese: 祖父母 Pinyin: zǔ fù mǔ In English: grandparents
• In Chinese: 曾祖母 Pinyin: zēng zǔ mǔ In English: great grandmother
• In Chinese: 曾祖父 Pinyin: zēng zǔ fù In English: great grandfather

3. Terms for Relatives

Now, let’s work our way around the Chinese family tree, so that you’ll never struggle to find the right word for a family member!

• In Chinese: 亲戚/亲属 Pinyin: qīn qi / qīn shǔ In English: relative

Fun fact: There’s a fun Chinese term called 走亲戚 ( zǒu qīn qi ), which literally means “walk through relatives.” This is a tradition that Chinese people normally have during Chinese New Year , which is also known as the Spring Festival . It’s a holiday where families spend time together and catch up, just like Christmas in Western cultures. If some families can’t make the reunion, you’ll need to 走亲戚, to visit them at their place and spend some quality time. This shows that the Chinese extended family is just as important as the Chinese immediate family.

• In Chinese: 叔叔 Pinyin: shū shu In English: uncle
• In Chinese: 阿姨 Pinyin: ā yí In English: aunt

Fun fact: In English, youngsters can usually call their elders who have no relations Mr. or Ms. and such, and sometimes if an elder is close enough, they can even directly call them by their names. This is quite different in China.

The young generation have to call adults who are older a certain term depending on the age difference . Usually, you can call people who are ten to twenty years older “aunt” (阿姨) or “uncle” (叔叔). For people who are at a similar age as your grandparents, you’re required to call them “grandmother” (奶奶) or “grandfather” (爷爷).

• In Chinese: 堂兄弟姐妹/表兄弟姐妹 Pinyin: táng xiōng dì jiě mèi /biǎo xiōng dì jiě mèi In English: cousin

Fun fact: Since “cousin” in Chinese is a relatively long word, Chinese people usually don’t use the word “cousin.” Instead, they’ll use the terms that can show the direct relation. There are eight different terms under the category “cousin,” including: 堂兄 ( táng xiōng ) [male, father’s side, older], 堂弟 ( táng dì ) [male, father’s side, younger], 堂姐 ( táng jiě ) [female, father’s side, older], 堂妹 ( táng mèi ) [female, father’s side, younger], 表兄 ( biǎo xiōng ) [male, mother’s side, older], 表弟 ( biǎo dì ) [male, mother’s side, younger], 表姐 ( biǎo jiě ) [female, mother’s side, older], 表妹 ( biǎo mèi ) [female, mother’s side, younger].

• In Chinese: 外甥女 / 侄女 Pinyin: wài shēng nǚ / zhí nǚ In English: niece
• In Chinese: 侄子 / 外甥 Pinyin: zhí zi / wài shēng In English: nephew

4. Family Member Terms as a Married Person

Once you’ve married in Chinese culture, you’ve gained several new Chinese family members. Here’s what to call them all!

• In Chinese: 妻子 Pinyin: qī zǐ In English: wife
• In Chinese: 丈夫 / 先生 Pinyin: zhàng fū / xiān shēng In English: husband

• In Chinese: 女儿 Pinyin: nǚ ér In English: daughter
• In Chinese: 儿子 Pinyin: ér zi In English: son
• In Chinese: 姐夫 / 妹夫 Pinyin: jiě fū / mèi fū In English: brother-in-law
• In Chinese: 嫂子 / 弟妹 Pinyin: sǎo zi / dì mèi In English: (older brother’s side) sister-in-law / (younger brother’s side) sister-in-law
• In Chinese: 婆婆 / 岳母 Pinyin: pó po / yuè mǔ In English: mother-in-law (husband’s mother) / mother-in-law (wife’s mother)
• In Chinese: 公公 / 岳父 Pinyin: gōng gong / yuè fù In English: father-in-law (husband’s father) / father-in-law (wife’s father)

Fun fact: In Chinese culture, if you’re on good terms with your father-in-law and mother-in-law, and you feel comfortable, it will be good to call them “mom” or “dad,” just like your wife/husband does. This shows that you see them as your own mother or father. However, in many cases, it can be difficult to get along with your father-in-law or mother-in-law.

5. Endearment Terms

• In Chinese: 爹地 / 爸爸 / 老爸 Pinyin: diē dì / bà ba / lǎo bà In English: daddy
• In Chinese: 妈咪 / 妈妈 / 老妈 Pinyin: mā mī / mā ma / lǎo mā In English: mommy
• In Chinese: 老哥 / 老弟 Pinyin: lǎo gē / lǎo dì In English: (older) brother / (younger) brother
• In Chinese: 老姐 / 老妹 Pinyin: lǎo jiě / lǎo mèi In English: (older) sister / (younger) sister
• In Chinese: 老婆 / 媳妇 Pinyin: lǎo pó / xí fù In English: wife
• In Chinese: 老公 Pinyin: lǎo gōng In English: husband

Fun fact: 老 means “old” in Chinese, which is a very common thing to call someone who is close to you in Chinese. If you notice, lots of the nicknames mentioned above begin with a 老. In this case, 婆 and 公 each means “old women” and “old men.” By calling your other half this, it shows your commitment that you want to grow old with each other .

• In Chinese: 亲爱的 Pinyin: qīn ài de In English: dear
• In Chinese: 宝贝 Pinyin: bǎo bèi In English: baby
• In Chinese: 闺女 Pinyin: guī nǚ In English: daughter

6. Bonus – Interesting Expressions about Family Members

• In Chinese: 虎毒不食子。 Pinyin: Hǔ dú bú shí zǐ. In English: Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own son. Actual meaning: Parents will always treat their own children kindly, no matter how evil their nature is.
• In Chinese: 有其父必有其子。 Pinyin: Yǒu qí fù bì yǒu qí zǐ. In English: Like father, like son. Actual meaning: A son’s character is very likely to resemble his father’s.
• In Chinese: 不听老人言，吃亏在眼前。 Pinyin: Bù tīng lǎo rén yán, chī kuī zài yǎn qián. In English: If you don’t listen to elders’ advice, you will learn your lesson.

7. Conclusion: How ChineseClass101 Can Help You Master Family Terms

I hope you’re now more fascinated with the unique Chinese culture after reading this article about Chinese family. Continue to binge on learning the most native and entertaining Chinese lessons at ChineseClass101.com ; here, Chinese is no longer an excruciating language that’s hard to master. It’s a paradise where you can enjoy yourself even while studying!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how confident you feel naming your family members in Chinese now! And tell us common sayings or idioms about family in your own language while you’re at it! 😉 We look forward to hearing from you!

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My Family (HSK 1)

In this story, Didi will tell you about her family.

我的妈妈叫韩梅梅。她是一名医生。

我的爸爸叫王明。他是一名教师。

我的儿子叫张帅。他是一名学生。

Multiple Choice Questions

English translation.

Hello, my name is Wang Didi.

My mom’s name is Han Meimei. She is a doctor.

My dad’s name is Wang Ming. He is a teacher.

I am also a teacher.

My son’s name is Zhang Shuai. He is a student.

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Exploring Chinese

Emily Atherley

Family is an important part of every culture. Discussing who the members of your family are will likely be one of the first conversation topics that come up when you meet a native Chinese speaker. Armed with the vocabulary you’ll learn in this lesson and words you’ve already learnt, you’ll be ready to start sharing about your family.

Family Members

Supplementary Vocabulary

Family members in Chinese

In English, we usually just say “brother” or “sister” when talking about our siblings. We only add details like “older brother” or “younger sister” if we need to. But in Chinese, the word “brother” is expressed by two separate words. For instance, if you had both an older and a younger brother, you would always say “哥哥” when talking about the older one and “弟弟” when referring to your younger brother. Chinese also makes distinctions for grandparents based on whether they’re from your mom’s side or your dad’s side. In a later lesson you will learn about other extended family members, which gets more complex and interesting as there are five different words for both uncle and aunt.

Note that in casual conversation, “我的妈妈” is often shortened to “我妈”. The same can be done with “爸爸”, but do not shorten the other family member words in this way.

Key Expressions

Talking about my family

Zhang Mei briefly describes different members of her family. Read and listen to the following sentences recalling vocabulary you learnt in previous lessons. Check your understanding with the English translation provided. Then, shadow what you hear by reading the sentences aloud.

你好，我叫张美。我家有五口人：爸爸、妈妈、弟弟、妹妹和我。我们有一只猫和两条狗。

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Měi. Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔkǒu rén: bàba、 māma、 dìdi、 mèimei hé wǒ. Wǒmen yǒu yì zhǐ māo hé liǎng tiáo gǒu.

我的爸爸叫张利。他的生日是十月三日。他最喜欢的颜色是蓝色。爸爸喜欢吃饺子，喜欢喝茶。

Wǒ de bàba jiào Zhāng Lì. Tā de shēngrì shì shíyuè sānrì. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì lánsè. Bàba xǐhuan chī jiǎozi, xǐhuan hēchá.

我妈的名字是黄静。她的生日是五月四号。她最喜欢的颜色是橙色。妈妈喜欢吃水果，喜欢喝咖啡。

Wǒ māde míngzi shì Huáng Jìng. Tā de shēngrì shì wǔyuè sì hào. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì chéngsè. Māma xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ, xǐhuan hē kāfēi.

这是我弟弟。他今年十四岁。他最喜欢的颜色是黑色。弟弟喜欢吃披萨。他不喜欢吃蔬菜。

Zhèshì wǒ dìdi. Tā jīnnián shísì suì. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì hēisè. Dìdi xǐhuan chī pīsà. Tā bù xǐhuan chī shūcài.

这是我的妹妹。她今年十一岁。她最喜欢的颜色是紫色。妹妹非常喜欢吃蛋糕。她不喜欢吃鱼。

Zhèshì wǒde mèimei. Tā jīnnián shíyī suì. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì zǐsè. Mèimei fēicháng xǐhuan chī dàngāo. Tā bù xǐhuan chī yú.

English Translation

Hello, I’m Zhang Mei. My family has five members: dad, mom, younger brother, younger sister, and me. We have one cat and two dogs. My dad’s name is Zhang Li. His birthday is on October 3rd. His favorite color is blue. Dad enjoys eating dumplings and likes to drink tea. My mom’s name is Huang Jing. Her birthday is on May 4th. Her favorite color is orange. Mom likes to eat fruits and enjoys drinking coffee. This is my younger brother. He is fourteen years old. His favorite color is black. He likes to eat pizza. He doesn’t like to eat vegetables. This is my younger sister. She is eleven years old. Her favorite color is purple. My sister loves eating cake. She doesn’t like to eat fish.

What you’ve learnt

In this lesson you’ve learnt the basics needed to talk about your family. If you’re excited to learn even more vocabulary to better describe your family members, we’ll be delving into hobbies in the next lesson.

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Writing and Reading Assignment: My family (我的家庭 wo de jiating

2. Here is another great tool you can use for this assignment:

Copy and past into the google translate and click on the audio to hear the reading.

Here is the article you need for these two assignments:

1.  Write the entire article in Chinese characters  and learn their English meaning and how to read. I will ask you to translate the meaning and read them out loud in the next assignment. (10 points)

Prepared to read and translate line by line for this whole article in class. You will read it from the whiteboard. There won’t be any pinyin in the article. Therefore you will need to make an effort to read the whole article in Chinese characters.

(You could have your new vocabulary list at hand to take a glance if you have to, but do make an effort to read without having to look up the words.)

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My Family Posted by sasha on Jun 7, 2012 in Vocabulary

When chatting with people in any language, the subject of family is bound to come up. In order to help you understand how to talk about your family in Chinese, here’s a short post about mine, all in Chinese characters:

我家有九口人。爸爸，妈妈，四个弟弟，两个妹妹，和我。 在我家里，我是老大. 我今年二十六岁。 第一个妹妹 － 我比我妹妹大两岁。她住在我的老家。她跟她的好朋友一起住。她是大学生。她也有兼职工作。她在一个餐吧工作. 我第一个弟弟比我小四岁。以前他在美国海军陆战队工作。现在他也是大学生。他非常喜欢说唱音乐。 第二个弟弟 － 他今年二十一岁。他刚大学毕业，他的专业跟我一样。过了夏天以后，他打算搬到北京找工作。 第三个弟弟 － 他刚高中毕业，明年他也要去我另外一个弟弟上的那所大学上学。他的爱好是唱歌，他唱歌唱的特别好。 第二个妹妹 － 因为她今年十六岁了，所以可以开始学车了。她是高中学生。 第四个弟弟 － 他是中学生。 他最喜欢打棒球, 他每天都要看棒球比赛。我喜欢陪他去底特律看老虎队的比赛。 爸爸 － 我爸爸是医生。他是俄罗斯人。他喜欢听古典音乐，也喜欢游泳。 妈妈 － 现在我妈妈是大学生。她的专业是护理。我觉得她是超女人。最近她太忙了.

Now, to help you break it down a bit, here’s each sentence with characters, pinyin, and English:

我家有九口人。爸爸，妈妈，四个弟弟，两个妹妹，和我。 wǒ jiā yǒu jiǔ kǒu rén. bà ba, mā mā, sì gè dì di, liǎng gè mèi mei, hé wǒ. My family has nine people. My father, mother, four younger brothers, two younger sisters, and me.

I have a big family...

在我家里，我是老大. 我今年二十六岁。 zài wǒ jiā lǐ, wǒ shì lǎo dà. wǒ jīn nián èr shí liù suì. In my family, I’m the oldest. This year I’m 26.

第一个妹妹 － 我比我妹妹大两岁。她住在我的老家。现在她跟她的好朋友一起住。她是大学生。她也有兼职工作。她在一个餐吧工作. dì yí gè mèi mei – wǒ bǐ wǒ mèi mei dà liǎng suì. tā zhù zài wǒ de lǎo jiā. xiàn zài tā gēn tā de hǎo péng yǒu yì qǐ zhù. tā shì dà xué shēng. tā yě yǒu jiān zhí gōng zuò. tā zài yí gè cān ba gōng zuò. First younger sister – I’m two years older than my younger sister. She lives in my hometown. Now she’s living with her good friend. She’s a university student. She also has a part-time job. She works in a bar/restaurant.

我第一个弟弟比我小四岁。以前他在美国海军陆战队工作。现在他也是大学生。他非常喜欢说唱音乐。 wǒ dì yí gè dì di bǐ wǒ xiǎo sì suì. yǐ qián tā zài měi guó hǎi jūn lù zhàn duì gōng zuò. xiàn zài tā yě shì dà xué shēng. tā fēi cháng xǐ huan shuō chàng yīn yuè. My first younger brother is four years younger than me. Before, he worked in the US Marine Corps. Now, he’s a university student, too. He really likes rap music.

第二个弟弟 － 他今年二十一岁。他刚大学毕业，他的专业跟我一样。过了夏天以后，他打算搬到北京找工作。 dì èr gè dì di – tā jīn nián èr shí yí suì. tā gāng dà xué bì yè, tā de zhuān yè gēn wǒ yí yàng. guò le xià tiān yǐ hòu, tā dǎ suàn bān dào běi jīng zhǎo gōng zuò. Second younger brother – This year he’s 21 years old. He just graduated from university. His major is the same as mine. After this summer, he plans to move to Beijing and find a job.

My brother and I in Yangshuo, Guangxi Province.

第三个弟弟 － 他刚高中毕业，明年他也要去我另外一个弟弟上的那所大学上学。他的爱好是唱歌，他唱歌唱的特别好。 dì sān gè dì di- tā gāng gāo zhōng bì yè, míng nián tā yě yào qù wǒ lìng wài yí gè dì di shàng de nà suǒ dà xué shàng xué. tā de ài hào shì chàng gē, tā chàng gē chàng de tè bié hǎo. Third younger brother – He just graduated from high school, and next year he’s going to the same university as my other brother to begin his studies. His hobby is singing, and he sings incredibly well.

第二个妹妹 － 因为她今年十六岁了，所以可以开始学车了。她是高中学生。 dì èr gè mèi mei- yīn wèi tā jīn nián shí liù suì le, suǒ yǐ kě yǐ kāi shǐ xué chē le. tā shì gāo zhōng xué shēng. Second younger sister – Because she’s 16 years old this year, so she can begin learning how to drive. She is a high school student.

第四个弟弟 － 他是中学生。 他最喜欢打棒球, 他每天都要看棒球比赛。我喜欢陪他去底特律看老虎队的比赛。 dì sì gè dì di – tā shì zhōng xué shēng. tā zuì xǐ huan dǎ bàng qiú, tā měi tiān dū yào kàn bàng qiú bǐsài. wǒ xǐ huan péi tā qù dǐ tè lǜ kàn lǎo hǔ duì de bǐ sài. Fourth younger brother – He’s a middle school student. His favorite thing to do is play baseball. Every day, he wants to watch baseball games. I like taking him to Detroit to watch the Tigers games.

At a Tigers game!

爸爸 － 我爸爸是医生。他是俄罗斯人。他喜欢听古典音乐，也喜欢游泳。 bà ba – wǒ bà ba shì yī shēng. tā shì è luó sī rén. tā xǐ huan tīng gǔ diǎn yīn yuè, yě xǐ huan yóu yǒng. Father – My father is a doctor. He’s Russian. He likes listening to classical music, and also swimming.

妈妈 － 现在我妈妈是大学生。她的专业是护理。我觉得她是超女人。最近她太忙了。 mā ma – xiàn zài wǒ mā ma shì dà xué shēng. tā de zhuān yè shì hù lǐ. wǒ jué de tā shì chāo nǚ rén. zuì jìn tā tài máng le. Mother – Now my mother is a university student. Her major is nursing. I think she’s a superwoman. Recently she has been too busy.

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About the Author: sasha

Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.

hello..kindly need you help to send this article to my email..tku

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@citi Hi, you can subscribe to the email version of the blog near the upper right of the page. Thanks for reading!

Hi Sasha, I like the way you put all Chinese, Pinyin and English together. It is very helpful for Chinese leaners. Thank you for being a hard worker! Just a comment, “superwoman” we say 女超人 not 超女人. “超女人“ usually means a woman is very kind and virtuous.

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CBC 1.05 | Introducing your family in Mandarin

• Coffee Break Languages
• March 8, 2017
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In this episode you’ll learn the words for family members in Mandarin Chinese and you’ll learn to introduce them. There’s also more practice of what you’ve learned in previous lessons.

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• HSK1 , Lifestyle

我 我 wǒ  是 是 shì  Erica， 我 我 wǒ  的 的 de  中文 中文 zhōng wén  名字 名字 míng zì  叫 叫 jiào  杨陈 楊陳 yáng chén  。 我 我 wǒ  家 家 jiā  有 有 yǒu  三 三 sān  口 口 kǒu  人 人 rén  ， 丈夫 丈夫 zhàng fū  、 儿子 兒子 ér zi  和 和 hé  我 我 wǒ  。

我 我 wǒ  的 的 de  丈夫 丈夫 zhàng fū  是 是 shì  一 一 yī  个 個 gè  美国 美國 měi guó  人 人 rén  ， 他 他 tā  是 是 shì  一 一 yī  个 個 gè  老师 老師 lǎo shī  。 我 我 wǒ  是 是 shì  中国人 中國人 zhōng guó rén  ， 我 我 wǒ  在 在 zài  医院 醫院 yī yuàn  工作 工作 gōng zuò  ， 是 是 shì  一 一 yī  个 個 gè  医生 醫生 yī shēng  。 我们 我們 wǒ men  的 的 de  儿子 兒子 ér zi  今年 今年 jīn nián  两 兩 liǎng  岁 歲 suì  了 了 le  ， 很 很 hěn  可爱 可愛 kě ài  。 我们 我們 wǒ men  还 還 hái  有 有 yǒu  一 一 yī  只 只 zhī  小 小 xiǎo  狗 狗 gǒu  。 我 我 wǒ  很 很 hěn  爱 愛 ài  他们 他們 tā men  。 你 你 nǐ  家 家 jiā  呢 呢 ne  ？

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3 Responses

Whats Erica’s family member names are?

family name is 杨

i know where you live :)

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My Family 我的家 (With Pinyin)

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Chinese Family Terms

• Post author: Language Garage
• Post published: June 9, 2022
• Post category: Chinese/Mandarin

Chinese Family Terms: 家庭  jiā tíng

In this post, we’ll learn Chinese family terms so that you can talk about your 家庭   jiā tíng : family . You’ll see that Chinese family vocabulary is pretty specific in many cases when it comes to how old a relative is in relation to you, or whether a relative is on your maternal side or your paternal side.

你家人口多吗？ Nǐ jiā rén kǒu duō ma? Do you have a big family?

First, let’s build your Chinese vocabulary by starting with some basic Chinese family terms: 妈妈 mā ma  mother ; 爸爸 bà ba father ; 哥哥 gē ge older brother; 弟弟 dì di younger brother ; 姐姐 jiě jie older sister ; 妹妹 mèi mei younger sister ; 女儿 nǚ ér daughter ; 儿子 ér zi son , 父母 fù mǔ parents ; 孩子 hái zi children. Notice that you specify whether your brother or sister is older or younger than you. If the age of the sibling is not known or unimportant, you can use 兄弟 xiōng dì for brother and 姐妹 jiě mèi for sister .

• 我们家人口 众多/较少。 Wǒmen jiā rén kǒu  zhòng duō / jiào shǎo. I have a big/small family.
• 我妈妈是医生。我爸爸是老师。 Wǒ mā ma shì yī shēng . Wǒ bà ba shì lǎo shī. My mother is a doctor. My father is a teacher.

• 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ Nǐ yǒu xiōng dì jiě mèi ma? Do you have brothers or sisters?
• 我有一个姐姐和一个弟弟。 Wǒ yǒu yī gè jiě jie hé yī gè dì di. I have one older sister and one younger brother.
• 我有三个兄弟。 Wǒ yǒu sān gè xiōng dì. I have three brothers.
• 我有两个姐妹。 Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè jiě mèi. I have two sisters.
• 我是独生子。 Wǒ shì dú shēng zǐ. I am an only child.
• 你有孩子吗？ Nǐ yǒu hái zi ma? Do you have any children?
• 我们有一个儿子和一个女儿。 Wǒ men yǒu yī gè ér zi hé yī gè nǚ ér. We have a son and a daughter.
• 在你家里，谁年龄最大/最小？ Zài nǐ jiā lǐ, shuí nián líng zuì dà / zuì xiǎo? Who is the oldest/youngest in your family?

这是我姑姑。   Zhè shì wǒ gū gu.   This is my aunt.

Now let’s build your Chinese vocabulary by looking at some extended Chinese family terms. First you should know that when you talk about your 亲戚 qīn qi relatives in Chinese, it often matters whether you’re talking about paternal relatives or maternal relatives.

Chinese Vocabulary for Relatives on Your Father’s and Mother’s Side

For example, for relatives on your father’s side: 祖父母 zǔ fù mǔ   paternal grandparents ; 奶奶 nǎi nai paternal grandmother ; 爷爷 yé ye paternal grandfather ; 孙子 sūn zi grandson ; 孙女 sūn nü granddaughter ; 姑姑 gū gu paternal aunt ; 伯父 bó fù paternal uncle, older than your father; 叔叔 shū shu paternal uncle, younger than your father.

For relatives on your mother’s side: 外祖父母 wài zǔ fù mǔ maternal grandparents ; 外婆 wài pó maternal grandmother ; 外公 wài gōng maternal grandfather ; 外孙 wài sūn grandson ; 外孙女 wài sūn nü granddaughter ; 姨妈 yí mā maternal aunt ; 舅父 jiù fù maternal uncle .

Nieces, Nephews, and Cousins

Second, keep in mind that when you’re talking about nieces and nephews, it matters whether they’re your sister’s children or your brother’s children. Through your brother, you have: 侄女 zhí nü niece ; 侄子 zhí zi nephew . And through your sister, you have: 外甥女 wài sheng nǚ niece ; 外甥 wài sheng nephew .

Finally, things get trickier when you want to talk about cousins in Chinese. For male cousins, you have: 堂兄 táng xiōng (a son of your father’s brother,  who is older than you), 堂弟 táng dì (a son of your father’s brother,  who is younger than you), 表哥 biǎo gē (a son of your father’s sister or of mother’s brother or sister, who is older than you), and 表弟 biǎo dì (a son of your father’s sister or of mother’s brother or sister, who is younger than you).

To talk about female cousins, you have: 堂姐 táng jiě (a daughter of your father’s sister,  who is older than you), 堂妹 táng mèi (a daughter of your father’s sister,  who is younger than you), 表姐 biǎo jiě (a daughter of father’s sister or of your mother’s brother or sister, who is older than you), and 表妹 biǎo mèi (a daughter of your father’s sister or of your mother’s brother or sister, who is younger than you).

Let’s see some examples of these Chinese family terms.

• 你多久和亲戚见一次？ Nǐ duō jiǔ hé qīn qi jiàn yī cì? How often do you see your relatives?
• 你的祖父母住在哪里？ Nǐ de zǔ fù mǔ zhù zài nǎ lǐ? Where do you grandparents live?
• 我的奶奶还在工作，但我的爷爷退休了。 Wǒ de nǎi nai huán zài gōng zuò, dàn wǒ de yé ye tuì xiū le. My grandmother is still working, but my grandfather is retired.
• 我们有一个孙子和两个孙女。 Wǒ men yǒu yī gè sūn zi hé liǎng gè sūn nü. We have three grandchildren: one grandson and two granddaughters.
• 我的姑姑和叔叔住在我家附近。 Wǒ de gū gu hé shū shu zhù zài wǒ jiā fù jìn. My aunt and uncle live near our house.
• 我有很多堂表兄弟姐妹。 Wǒ yǒu hěn duō táng biǎo xiōng dì jiě mèi. I have a lot of cousins.
• 我侄女刚上大学。 Wǒ zhí nü gāng shàng dà xué. My niece just started university.
• 我有四个侄子。 Wǒ yǒu sì gè zhí zi. I have four nephews.

Chinese Vocabulary Related to Marriage

Now let’s learn some Chinese vocabulary related to marriage. Some key vocabulary to know is: 妻子 qī zǐ wife ; 丈夫 zhàng fu husband ; 结婚 jié hūn to get married ; 离婚lí hūn to get divorced ; 单身 dān shēn  single; 未婚 wèi hūn unmarried . Let’s see some examples.

• 你结婚了还是单身？ Nǐ jié hūn le huán shì dān shēn? Are you married or single?
• 你的太太/先生做什么工作？ Nǐ de tài tai / xiān sheng zuò shén me gōng zuò? What does your wife/husband do for a living?
• 你什么时候结婚的？ Nǐ shén me shí hou jié hūn de? When did you get married?
• 我们结婚二十年了。我们的结婚纪念日是这个周末。 Wǒ men jié hūn èr shí nián le. Wǒ men de jié hūn jì niàn rì shì zhè gè zhōu mò. We’ve been married for twenty years. Our wedding anniversary is this weekend.
• 我妻子怀孕了。两个月后，我们的孩子就要出生了。 Wǒ qī zǐ huái yùn le. Liǎng gè yuè hòu, wǒ men de hái zi jiù yào chū shēng le. My wife is pregnant. We’re having a baby in two months.
• 我父母离婚了。 Wǒ fù mǔ lí hūn le. My parents are divorced.

我们有了一个孩子。 Wǒ men yǒu le yī gè hái zi. We have a baby.

Finally, let’s learn some Chinese vocabulary to talk about things related to families: 男朋友nán péng you boyfriend ; 女朋友 nǚ péng you girlfriend ; 婴儿yīng ér baby ; 怀孕 huái yùn pregnant ; 领养 lǐng yǎng to adopt ; 出生 chū shēng to be born; 去世 qù shì dead ; 在世 zài shì alive ; 继父 jì fù stepfather ; 继母 jì mǔ stepmother ; 继子 jì zǐ stepson ; 继女 jì nǚ stepdaughter .

• 你的男朋友/女朋友叫什么名字？ Nǐ de nán péng you / nǚ péng you jiào shén me míng zi? What is your boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s name?
• 我们打算收养一个孩子。 Wǒ men dǎ suàn shōu yǎng yī gè hái zi. We’re going to adopt a child.
• 你的儿子/女儿是什么时候出生的？ Nǐ de ér zi / nǚ ér shì shén me shí hou chū shēng de? When was your son/daughter born?
• 我是被收养的。 Wǒ shì bèi shōu yǎng de. I was adopted.
• 我的奶奶还在世，但我的祖父已经去世了。 Wǒ de nǎi nai huán zài shì, dàn wǒ de yéye yǐ jīng qù shì le. My grandmother is alive, but my grandfather is dead.
• 我和继父/继母关系很好。 Wǒ hé jì fù / jì mǔ guān xi hěn hǎo. I have a good relationship with my stepfather/stepmother.
• 我们和继女/继子住在一起。 Wǒ men hé jì nǚ / jì zǐ zhù zài yī qǐ. My stepdaughter/stepson lives with us.
• 我家有一只狗和一只猫。 Wǒ jiā yǒu yī zhī gǒu hé yī zhī māo. My family has a dog and a cat.

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Top 7 ways for making self-introduction in Chinese

This lesson will teach you the 7 most common ways for making self-introduction in Chinese.

Let’s look at the following examples together, shall we?

    Wǒ xìng… 1. 我姓… My last name is…

Wǒ xìng Wáng. 我姓王。 My last name is Wang.    

Wǒ jiào… 2. 我叫… My first name is…

Wǒ jiào Xiǎohóng. 我叫小红。 My first name is Xiaohong.    

Wǒ jīnnián… suì. 3. 我今年…岁 This year I’m… years old.

Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì. 我今年…岁。 This year I’m 20 years old.

    Wǒ lái zì… 4. 我来自… I’m from…

Wǒ lái zì Zhōngguó. 我来自中国。 I’m from China.

    Wǒ jiā yǒu… ge rén: … 5. 我家有…个 人：… My family has…members: …

Wǒ jiā yǒu sì ge rén: bàba, māma, dìdi hé wǒ. 我家有四个人：爸爸、妈妈、弟弟 和我。 My family has four members: dad, mum, young brother and me.

How to Talk About Your Family in Chinese?

    Wǒ shì yì míng… (zhíyè) 6. 我是一名…（职业） I’m a… (occupation)

Wǒ shì yì míng dàxuésheng. 我是一名大学生。 I’m a college student.

    Wǒ de àihào shì… 7. 我的爱好是… My hobbies are…

Wǒ de àihào shì chànggē, tiàowǔ hé lǚxíng. 我的爱好是唱歌、跳舞和旅行。 My hobbies are: singing, dancing and traveling.

Vocabulary:

职业 ( zhíyè ): n. occupation

爱好 ( àihào ): n. hobby How to Talk About Hobbies in Chinese?

旅行 ( lǚxíng ): n. travel A Step-by-Step Guide Video – How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

Take a Quiz Now: Introducing Yourself – My Name Is Yao Ming. Bonus: Why Are Chinese Surnames So “贵(Guì)” Expensive? General Chinese (Beginner Level) General Chinese (Intermediate Level)

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Thank you for sharing this article regarding making self introduction in Chinese! Loving it!

Nihao, laoshi. I am learning Zhongwen and I find this article very useful. Now I can make self introduction in Chinese. Thx! But my question is: are there any other ways to make self introduction in Chinese?

I have an essay competition in Chinese characters. I hope this helps me get the award. thank you

Thank you for sharing this article

Hi Prantush. Thank you for the comment. I’m glad you like this article. (*^__^*)

Hello chinese

Excellent method!!!

Like to learn chinese

I keep getting the information that my ID is wrong

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How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese: A Complete Guide

The first step in combining Chinese language and culture involves being prepared to introduce yourself in Chinese at any moment. In a culture based on 关系 ( guānxi – relationships), it’s crucial to be able to describe yourself accurately.

The simplest way to introduce yourself in Chinese is to say 你好 ( nǐ hǎo ) meaning “hello” and  我叫 ( wǒ jiào ) meaning “my name is.”

But, if you want to know even more about the different ways you can introduce yourself and information about you in Chinese, we’re here to help.

Simple Chinese Greetings to Introduce Yourself

Introducing your name in chinese, asking about the other person, reacting to a compliment, share your background to introduce yourself in chinese, talking about: where you’re from, talking about: family, talking about: your education and employment situation, talking about: your income and your children’s grades (yeah, this happens), talking about: hospitality, talking about: what you do for fun, concluding your self-introduction, 12 etiquette tips for chinese conversation, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The basic Chinese greeting is a well-wish, using the word  好 ( hǎo ) — good. Before saying hǎo , you can insert a time of day or a fitting pronoun. The standard greeting is  你好 ( nǐ hǎo ) — hello, nǐ meaning “you.”

[Personal pronoun] hǎo :

您  ( nín ) — The respectful form of the pronoun “you,” used for addressing elderly people or people with higher social or business status

叔叔  ( shū shu ) — Uncle, used for a man who’s old enough to be your father

阿姨 ( ā yí ) — Aunty, used for a woman could be your mom

爷爷  ( yè ye ) — Literally “father’s father,” used for a man who could be your grandfather

奶奶  ( nǎi nai ) — Literally “father’s mother,” used for a woman who could be your grandmother

[Time of day] hǎo:

早上  ( zǎo shàng ) — Morning (before 8:00 a.m.)

上午  ( shàng wǔ ) — Morning (after 8:00 a.m.)

下午  ( xià wǔ ) — Afternoon

晚上  ( wǎn shàng ) — Evening

In conversation, you’ll likely hear one of two questions asking for your name:

怎么称呼您? ( zěnme chénghū nín? ) — How should I address you?

你叫什么名字? ( nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? ) — What’s your name?

The first question includes the respectful nǐn , meaning it should be used to address older people or people with higher social or business status. In less formal relationships, either question can be used. In both cases, you can respond:

我叫 (wǒ jiào) – My name is, and then say your name

You should use questions and phrases that show you’re taking an interest in the person you’re conversing with, thus… building guānxi . For example ,  吃饭了吗? ( chī fàn le ma? ) meaning “have you eaten yet?” is a commonly used phrase that can be used after a typical meal time.

If you already know something about their job or family, do   build that relationship by using 怎么样 ( zěnme yàng ) questions:

[Topic of interest] zěnme yàng ? – How’s [topic of interest]?

Topics of interest may include:

生意  ( shēngyì ) — Business, implying the person runs their own business

工作  ( gōngzuò ) — Work as an employee

家人  ( jiārén ) — Family members

父母  ( fùmǔ ) — Parents

孩子  ( háizi ) — Child or children

If you don’t know anything about them and it’s not around a meal time, just jump into the conversation !

At any point after you say your name, your Chinese will likely be complimented. To be polite, they’ll compliment your Chinese regardless of how good it is.

They recognize the challenge of learning a language since most have at least studied English in school, so saying your Chinese is good is a way to elevate you. It’s now your mission to humbly reject such a lofty compliment.

You’ll hear:

你的中文很好! ( nǐ de zhōngwén hěn hǎo! ) — Your Chinese is very good!

You should say:

哪里哪里 ( nǎlǐ nǎlǐ ) — Literally “Where? Where?” implying “I don’t see anyone around here who deserves such a compliment!”

没有  ( méi yǒu ) — Literally “don’t have,” implying you aren’t qualified for such a compliment

Don’t be afraid to admit:

我还在学习中文  ( wǒ hái zài xuéxí zhōngwén ) — I’m still learning Chinese.

我的中文不太好  ( wǒ de zhōngwén bú tài hǎo ) — My Chinese isn’t that great.

If you include a statement about your low Chinese level, it shouldn’t be the focal point of the sentence. For example, instead of “My Chinese isn’t that great,” you could say “Even though my Chinese isn’t that great, I’m happy to tell you a little bit about myself.”

If you can, deflect the compliment to someone else who really deserves it. This shows you know where the credit really goes. For example, after the other person compliments your Chinese, you could say:

让我的老师很高兴  ( ràng wǒ de lǎoshī hěn gāoxìng ) — That would make my teacher very happy.

A good self-introduction in Chinese needs to describe your essence. That all starts with your background: where you’re from, your family, your education, your work situation and even your income. All of this forms a large part of who you are, so this information is important to share with Chinese people.

Because conversations—especially the first one—are all about building  guānxi , the heart of the conversation starts immediately after exchanging names.

If someone asks:

你是哪里的? ( nǐ shì nǎlǐ de ?) — Where are you from?

你是哪个国家的? ( nǐ shì nǎge guójiā de? ) — What country are you from?

You can answer:

我是 ___ 的  ( wǒ shì ___  de ) — I’m from ___

我来自 ___ ( wǒ láizì ___) — I’m from ___

If you’re from the local area, you can say:

我是本地的 ( wǒ shì běndì de ) — I’m a local, literally “I’m from this place.”

If you ask them where they’re from (or vice versa) and the answer is a little ambiguous (most Chinese will just say “China”), you can say:

___ 哪里? (___ nǎli ?) — Where in ___?

The purpose of the “where you’re from” questions is really to understand what kind of environment you’re from, so you can use these kinds of words to help them paint a picture of you:

农村  ( nóngcūn ) — Rural area, literally “village”

小城  ( xiǎochéng ) — Small town

城市  ( chéngshì ) — Big city

If you want to explain how an environment may have influenced you even though you aren’t directly from there, you can add the word  附近 ( fùjìn ) — “nearby” after the description of where you’re from (e.g., chéngshì fùjìn – near a big city).

Family is so important in Chinese culture that the language has a specific word for almost every family relationship .

For example, in English we would say “cousin,” but in Chinese it’s “your mom’s older sister’s daughter,” which is completely different from”your mom’s younger sister’s daughter.” Understanding your family relationships will help a Chinese person learn about your values and traits.

Someone may ask you how your parents are doing:

你的父母怎么样? ( nǐ de fùmǔ zěnme yàng? ) — How are your parents?

To say your parents are doing well, you can say:

我的___还好 — ( wǒ de ___  hái hǎo ) — My ___ is/are doing well.

爸爸 ( bàba ) — Dad

妈妈  ( māma ) — Mom

You may also be asked if you have any brothers and sisters:

你有几个兄弟姐妹? ( nǐ yǒu jǐ ge xiōngdì jiěmèi? ) — How many siblings do you have?

To say how many brothers and sisters you have, you can say:

我有 how many 个 relationship . ( wǒ yǒu  how many  ge relationship) — I have [however many] of [a certain type of relationship.]

哥哥  ( gēge ) — Older brother

弟弟  ( dìdi ) — Younger brother

姐姐 ( jièjie ) — Older sister

妹妹  ( mèimei ) — Younger sister

You will likely be asked if you’re married:

你结婚了吗? ( nǐ jiéhūn le ma? ) — Are you married?

If you’re married, you can say  结婚了 ( jiéhūn le ) — I’m married.

If you’re dating, you can use the sibling sentence structure, minus the “how many” part:

男朋友  ( nán péngyou ) — Boyfriend

女朋友  ( nǚ péngyou ) — Girlfriend

You can use the sibling sentence structure for how many children you have also (if you’re married, you will be asked if you have children):

孩子  ( háizi ) — Child/children

儿子  ( érzi ) — Son

女儿  ( nǚér ) — Daughter

A person’s education and job situation reflect their current social status.

You might be asked:

你做什么工作? ( nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? ) — What do you do for work?

是你的专业吗? ( shì nǐ de zhuānyè ma? ) — Is that your profession?

Note :  zhuānyè  literally means “profession,” but the concept generally implies that it was your major in college, as well.

You could reply:

我是 ___ ( wǒ shì ___) — I’m a ___

我做 ___ ( wǒ zuò ___) — I ___

我上(了)大学 ( wǒ shàng (le) dàxué ) — I attend(ed) a university.

自学的  ( zìxué de ) — I am self-taught.

Similar to your education and job situation, your income and your children’s grades tell about your present situation in caring for yourself and your family, as well as what kind of future you might have. If the conversation gets this far, you will be asked about it.

___ 怎么样? (___ zěnme yàng ?) — How’s ___?

___ 可以吗? (___ kěyǐ ma ?) — Is ___ good enough?

成绩 ( chéngjì ) — Grades

工资  ( gōngzī ) — Income

还可以 ( hái kěyǐ ) — “Not bad.” Like in English, the tone of your voice shows how “not bad” it is.

不错 ( bú cuò ) — Pretty good/hard to complain.

很好 ( hěn hǎo ) — Very good/satisfying.

These conversations typically happen over tea or food. Hospitality is a big part of Chinese culture, so even if it’s their first time meeting you, they’ll probably still invite you to tea or a meal . This shows their willingness to spend time with you and build  guānxi .

If you have the time, do accept their offer to have tea or food. This shows your willingness to spend time with them and build  guānxi .

They might say something like:  我们喝茶吧 ( wǒmen hē chá ba ) — Let’s have some tea

You should say:  好的 ( hǎo de ) or  可以 ( kěyǐ ) with a smile. Both phrases carry the “that sounds good” meaning, but without the smile, your willingness could be misunderstood as “I guess I have to.”

You should also ask for their phone number or WeChat information . If you have time for tea, ask for this contact info before you leave. If you don’t have time for tea, ask for it so you can make plans to meet again. This shows you view the relationship as worth continuing.

可以给你我的电话号码吗? ( kěyǐ gěi nǐ wǒ de diàn huà hào mǎ ma? ) — Could I give you my phone number?

我们加微信吧  ( wǒmen jiā wēixìn ba ) — Let’s add each other’s WeChat

Grammar note : Saying 吧 ( ba ) is very important. It means you’re suggesting something. If you don’t say “ba,” you’re telling them what to do.

For more formal relationships:  可以加您的微信吗? ( kěyǐ jiā nín de wēixìn ma ?) — Can I add your WeChat?

Grammar note : 吗 ( ma ) is a word that basically adds a question mark to a sentence. For formal relationships, you want to ask permission, not make a suggestion.

Most conversations between Chinese people don’t require the “Where are you from?” part because they take for granted that they’re from China. In those cases, they’ll skip straight from “What’s your name?” to “ What do you like to do? “

你喜欢做什么? ( nǐ xǐhuān zuò shénme? ) — What do you like to do?

我喜欢 ___ ( wǒ xǐhuān ___) — I like to ___

You may be asked how long you’ve had that hobby:

你什么时候开始___? ( nǐ shénme shíhou kāishǐ ___?) — When did you start doing ___?

You could respond:

我 ___ 岁开始  ( wǒ ___ suì kāishǐ ) — I started when I was ___

我从小喜欢  ( wǒ cóng xiǎo xǐhuān ) — I’ve liked it since I was little

我 when 有兴趣了 ( wǒ when  yǒuxìngqù le ) — I got interested at a certain time

At this point, it would be natural for you to volunteer why you like doing what you do:

我觉得好玩  ( wǒ juéde hǎo wán ) — I think it’s fun, a phrase you can use to express simple enjoyment

让我 ___ ( ràng wǒ ___) — It makes me feel a certain way, a phrase that expresses contentment

轻松  ( qīngsōng ) — Relaxed

高兴  ( gāoxìng ) – Happy

期待  ( qīdài ) — Also meaning “happy,” but from doing something exciting

给我 ___ ( gěi wǒ ___) — It gives me a certain feeling, a phrase to explain deeper reasons.

安全感  ( ānquángǎn ) — A sense of security

满足感  ( mǎnzúgǎn ) — A sense of satisfaction

成就感 ( chéngjiùgǎn ) — A sense of accomplishment

一点幸福感  ( yīdiǎn xìngfúgǎn ) — A small sense of happiness

Note : xìngfú is viewed as an ultimate goal in life, so if you reach xìngfú through your hobbies, they’ll probably think of you as a very shallow person, or they’ll conclude you have no idea what you’re talking about

At the beginning of the conversation, all you knew was the person’s name. You didn’t know anything else about them. Now, after this conversation, you know something about the person, and they know something about you. This is the time to say things such as:

很高兴认识你  ( hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ ) — It was nice to become acquainted with you, literally “I’m happy to have become acquainted with you.”

In a more formal, less developed relationship, you could say:

谢谢您的时间 ( xièxie nín de shíjiān ) — Thank you for your time. This is especially respectful if the meet-and-greet was short, implying they didn’t have a lot of time to give you to begin with.

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In Chinese culture, there are certain things you should pay attention to in order to ensure that you are being respectful, such as particular aspects of your body language. Here are 12 tips to take note of:

1. The older a person is, the more respect they receive in Chinese culture. Calling someone who could be your grandma “grandma” is very well received, while calling her “aunty” may be viewed as insulting because her life experience wouldn’t be properly recognized.

2. Do shake hands when introducing yourself in business-relationship settings. This shows respect for the status of the other person.

3. However, do not shake hands when meeting a potential new friend at a coffee shop. You might feel it shows respect for the other person, but to them it doesn’t show respect for the equal-ness of the relationship. (Of course, the trump card for all of this handshake business is: do shake hands with anyone that wants a handshake, regardless of the situation.)

4. The goal of rejecting compliments is to take the focus off of you and your abilities. The other person will likely emphasize the compliment again. No matter how many times you hear it, reject it.

5. If you’re single, ask and talk about what you like to do with someone who’s the same gender as you, unless you’re looking to start a romantic relationship with the other person.

6. If you’re married, ask and talk about what you like to do with someone who’s the same gender as you, unless your significant other is there with you. A married person of the opposite sex having this conversation might be misunderstood as wanting an external relationship.

7. Don’t make constant eye contact in the conversation. This can be read as defiance, arrogance or even disrespect.

8. Do make casual eye contact in the conversation. This implies you’re both paying attention and thinking about what they’re saying.

9. Don’t talk about religion , politics , sexuality or any other topic with polarized opinions. Your goal is to find a common ground to build your  guānxi on, not to find reasons for conflict. Also, do not talk about death .

10. Don’t verbally take the initiative to break the relationship out of  nǐn.   Leave that for the other person. Ultimately, they know more about the culture than you do.

11. If you’re meeting someone over food or drinks, do fight for the bill when it comes time to pay. This is important because it shows you aren’t just taking advantage of their generosity. However, do let them pay the bill. This is a way to “give face” or 给面子 (gěi miàn zi ).

12. Do not  ask how they are by saying 你好吗 ? ( nǐ hǎo ma ?), which is the literal translation of “How are you?” The English “How are you?” doesn’t translate well , and the “How are you?”—”Good, and you?”—”Good” exchange doesn’t happen in Chinese.

If you just act with self-awareness and cultural respect, Chinese people will be very impressed.

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The Unnecessarily Complicated Chinese Family Tree 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Explained & Answered

The chinese family tree || how does it work.

The Chinese Family Tree takes some getting used to, but it’s not as bad as you think!

We explain how to decode it all here!

As if learning Mandarin Chinese wasn’t difficult enough, with the thousands of characters and the five tones to deal with , they had to have a crazy large amount of words to describe family members and Chinese names .

Whereas in English we can condense it down to something much easier to understand , it isn’t the case with Mandarin.

The complicated Chinese family tree is one that leaves you scratching your head, but don’t worry. We’ve prepared this superb guide (including some great images to share) which will help you very much along the way!

Let’s dive straight in.

Chinese Family Tree | Importance of address in Chinese Chinese Family Tree | Immediate Family Chinese Family Tree | Grandma/Grandpa Chinese Family Tree | Uncle Chinese Family Tree | Aunt Chinese Family Tree | Cousin Chinese Family Tree | Niece/Nephew Chinese Family Tree | The In-laws BONUS | Chinese Relatives Calculator DOWNLOAD | The Full Family Tree Graphic Family Members Quiz Are you ready…?!

Importance of Address in Chinese

Coming to China, you may have noticed the importance of addressing people and learning about etiquette  and traditions .

Depending on your age, whether you are male or female, and in what capacity you’re meeting somebody, you will be addressed as something else.

Upon first coming to China, I was horrified with the number of people calling me ‘ Play 美女 (Měinǚ)’ which literally translates to ‘beautiful woman’.

I’m pretty confident with my looks… But to be called this several times a day…

In England, it would be pretty creepy. But, I soon learned that it is just a polite form of address.

Others you’ll come across in day to day life include: Play 帅哥 – shuàigē: Used towards a male in a friendly way (lit. handsome guy) Play 大哥 – dàgē: Said towards any male to show respect Play 小姐姐 – xiǎo jiějie: This is a newer term that crept up in Chinese social media , said to younger women Play 师傅 – shīfù: A term of respect said towards workers e.g. taxi driver Play 叔叔 – shūshu: A term of respect said to an older person Play 阿姨 – āyí: Said to older women Play 老外 – lǎowài: The Chinese word for ‘foreigner’ – you’ll hear this a lot! Lit. Old outsider Play 同事 – tóngshì: You’ll hear this at work, meaning ‘colleague’

Interestingly enough, you will also hear Chinese people referring to their “brothers  Play 哥哥 gēge” and “sisters Play 姐姐 jiějiě” meaning that they are just close friends, but not actually family members.

So it is always confusing when someone introduces a group of guys as their “brothers” and you wonder just how many kids are in their family…!

This is also said for “Uncle Play 叔叔 shūshu” and “aunt Play 阿姨 āyí”. Still with us?!

Using the correct terminology is very important in Chinese culture, and this doesn’t stop with family members either!

So, let’s start with the basics.

Immediate Family Members

Chinese Family Tree: Grandma/Grandpa

Dad’s side:.

Mum’s side:

Chinese Family Tree: Uncle

Dad’s side:.

Mum’s Side:

Chinese Family Tree: Aunt

Culture Shock in China || 10 Things That WILL Shock You

Culture Shock in China can happen to anyone at any time, and it affects everyone differently. China, however, is in a whole different league. We explain why.

Chinese Family Tree: Cousin

Then the daughters…

Chinese Family Tree: Niece/Nephew

Chinese Family Tree: The In-Laws

Father-in-law:.

Mother-in-law:

Brother-in-law:

Sister-in-law:

So, that’s about it (!)

What makes it more complicated, however, is that in different Mandarin Chinese dialects – things change around, and different areas in China have different preferences of how to refer to their family members.

Does your head hurt yet?

Whilst you shouldn’t worry too much about memorising all of these, it’s something fun to learn and will definitely impress your Chinese (and foreign) mates.

Plus, it will certainly make a good impression if you’re meeting a Chinese family over Chinese New Year !

You can further expand your knowledge of how the family tree grows by checking out our post about Chinese pregnancy traditions to read bout traditions female family members will follow!

BONUS | Chinese Relatives Calculator

When there’s a problem, the internet usually has a solution! Introducing: the Chinese Relatives Calculator .

This will certainly make things a lot easier when in doubt!

These app allow you to check a relative’s title, so you don’t call them by the wrong one.

Enter a few details such as gender and type of relation with the person, the proper title name will appear for you to use immediately!

Download here:

• For Android users
• For IOS users

Ready for the big one?

It took our star sales/marketing wizard Katie hours on end to make this so we hope you appreciate it! 👇👇👇

Chinese Family Members – Quiz

Welcome to Family Members Quiz! Enter your First name and email to begin. Don't worry you can unsubscribe at any time!

Time is Up!

If you enjoyed this article, why not check out how to say:

👉 Family in Japanese

👉 Family in Spanish

Chinese Family Tree – FAQ’s

Mother in Chinese is – 妈妈 (māma) .

Dad in Chinese is – 爸爸 (bàba) .

Older brother in Chinese is – 哥哥 (Gēgē) .

Older sister in Chinese is – 姐姐 (Jiějiě) .

Wife actually has two words you can use in Chinese. Either suffice, they are 妻子 (Qīzi) or 老婆 (lǎopó) .

Husband actually has two words you can use in Chinese. Either suffice, they are 丈夫 (Zhàngfū) or 老公 (lǎogōng) .

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Chinese Alphabet 🗣 What is it? Does it Exist? A Definitive Guide

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That was A.W.E.S.O.M.E !!! And I don’t even think I can name that many people in my own family, whether in French or English!!! 哈哈哈！ Thank you!

So good isn’t it but my word what a headache!

Suppose we best get memorising them as fast as possible!

you left out mum’s side (mum’s) sister’s husband (姨夫)!

Nice spot! There are just so many aren’t there!

Thanks a lot

what’s your wife brother called then?

i don’t think you should call it “unnecessarily” complicated, that’s kind of a mean thing to call a language that this entire website is about. it’s very specific, so you know exactly who you’re talking about, and when you say “my cousin” your friends will know exactly who you’re talking about and whose side they’re on.

Your mum in Chinese?

[…] Chinese Family Tree 👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 – Complete Guide to The Whole … […]

[…] this day Chinese men usually buy flowers and presents for their wives, daughters, mothers, and the important women in their lives. Female employees usually get half a day off on this […]

[…] She also fought against the belief that women should follow the three obediences: to their fathers, their husbands, and their sons. […]

[…] from very basic Chinese, it’s ideal for anyone looking to master basic topics like greetings, family members, directions, visiting the pharmacy, […]

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Pinyin News

News and discussions mainly related to chinese characters and romanization.

Essay in Hanyu Pinyin

Although I have a few texts here on Pinyin Info written in Pinyin, most of them aren’t long and are usually conversions from texts written in Chinese characters. So it is with very great pleasure that I announce the Internet release of an extensive and important essay by Zhang Liqing (張立青,张立青) that was written in Pinyin originally: Hànzì Bù Tèbié Biǎoyì .

Here is the opening:

Dàduōshù huì Hànzì de rén rènwéi Hànzì shì biǎoyì wénzì. Jiù shì shuō Hànzì gēn biéde wénzì bù yīyàng, bùbì yīkào fāyīn huòzhě biéde yǔyán tiáojiàn; yī ge rén zhǐyào xuéhuì le hěn duō Hànzì, kànjian Hànzì xiě de dōngxi jiù zhīdao shì shénme yìsi. Zhè dàduōshù rén yòu kàndào liǎng jiàn shìqing. Dì-yī, Hànzì zài Zhōngguó liánxù yòng le sānqiān duō nián, bìngqiě dào xiànzài hái zài yòng. Dì-èr, Hànzì zài Dōng-Yà jǐ ge guójiā liúchuán le hěn cháng yī duàn shíjiān. Yúshì, tāmen yǒu tuīxiǎng chū liǎng ge jiélùn. Yī ge shuō Hànzì chāoyuè shíjiān; lìngwài yī ge shuō Hànzì chāoyuè kōngjiān. Guībìng qǐlai jiù shì Hànzì biǎoyì, kěyǐ chāoyuè shí-kōng. Zuìhòu gèng jìnyībù, bǎ Hànyǔ yě lājìnlái, shuō Hànzì zuì shìhé Hànyǔ. Shàngmiàn de kànfǎ hé jiélùn “gēn shēn dì gù”, dànshì bùxìng dōu hěn piànmiàn, bù fúhé zhēnzhèng qíngkuàng. Wèishénme ne? Hěn jiǎndān….

Nothing would make me happier than for Mandarin teachers the world over to distribute this work to their students, for it’s much more than an exercise in Pinyin; it’s an essay with important points to make about the nature of Chinese characters. (And, yes, O teachers of the world, the copyright terms do allow you to reprint this.)

This essay appeared originally in 1991, in the Sino-Platonic Papers release of Schriftfestschrift: Essays on Writing and Language in Honor of John DeFrancis on His Eightieth Birthday , so some of you may have seen it already. But the full Schriftfestschrift is a whopping 15 MB, while this essay is a more manageable 759 KB PDF.

This special release of this article is in honor of the seventieth birthday this month of Zhang, some of whose work appears here at Pinyin Info. So, after reading Hanzi bu tebie biaoyi , I recommend that you turn to her translations of Lü Shuxiang (first seen here on this site!) and Zhou Youguang:

• Comparing Chinese Characters and a Chinese Spelling Script — an evening conversation on the reform of Chinese characters , by Lyu Shuxiang
• The Historical Evolution of Chinese Languages and Scripts , by Zhou Youguang (scroll down to find links to the various readings)

Those readings are also available in the original Mandarin:

• traditional characters: 漢字和拼音字的 比較 —-漢字改革一 夕談 , 呂叔湘
• simplified characters: 汉字和拼音字的 比较 —-汉字改革一 夕谈 , 吕叔湘
• traditional characters: 中國語文的時代演進 , 周有光 (scroll down to find links to the various readings)
• simplified characters: 中国语文的时代演进 , 周有光 (scroll down to find links to the various readings)

In addition to being a writer, educator, and translator, Zhang is an associate editor of the excellent ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary , which is by far my favorite Mandarin-English dictionary.

Happy birthday, Liqing!

5 thoughts on “ Essay in Hanyu Pinyin ”

Typos: ‘láijìnlái’ in the second paragraph of the excerpt should be ‘l?jìnlái.’ ‘Shànmiàn’ in the third paragraph should be ‘Shàngmiàn.’ Also, a very minor point: some of the punctuation is full-width: the comma following ‘Yúshì’ in paragraph two, the open double quotation mark preceding ‘g?n sh?n dì gù’ in the 3rd paragraph.

Thanks, Joe! I’ve entered the corrections.

out of curiousity, did she also publish a character version of Hànzì Bù Tèbié Bi?oyì, and if so, do you have a link?

Hi, Prince Roy. As far as I know, this is the only version there is. In this case, the medium really is part of the message.

Those not used to reading full texts written in Pinyin might stumble a bit at first in some spots; but most readers who know both Mandarin and Pinyin can adapt quickly, within just a few pages. At any rate, I’m pretty certain it would take much less time for even a relative novice to Pinyin (but not to Mandarin, of course) to read this as is than for the same person to type it all out so as to convert it to Chinese characters.

But if you know of someone who would be interested in taking the trouble to convert it to Hanzi, please let me know.

sorry to go off topic, but for anyone interested in the Taiwanese romanization debate, A15 of today’s ???? carries a letter/commentary by two elementary school teachers of Taiwanese critisizing the recent decision by the Ministry of Education to adopt Tái-luó-b?n P?ny?n (?????) over the Tongyong version. I don’t know enough about either system (or Taiwanese) to compare them, but I still think a decent compromise to the whole romanization mess would be to use Hanyu pinyin for Mandarin and Tongyong for Taiwanese.

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Chinese Phrases - Family

• Introduction (10)
• Extended (17)
• Responses (8)
• Farewells (24)
• Booking (10)
• Beverages (2)
• Phrases (6)
• In The Airport (11)
• In The Airplane (5)
• Time Schedule (3)
• Customs (5)
• Asking Directions (45)
• Tickets (6)
• Vocabulary (7)
• Finding Accommodation (22)
• Booking (20)
• Requests and Queries (17)
• Checking in (2)
• Checking out (1)
• Vocabulary (33)
• Animals (4)
• Family (20)
• Numbers (5)
• Weekdays (7)
• Month Names (12)
• Seasons of the Year (4)
• Intervals (4)
• Questions (5)
• Countries (4)
• Cities in China (4)
• Medical (10)
• Professions (1)
• Prepositions (4)
• Bargaining (10)
• Going to the bathroom (4)
• When kids go (4)
• Currency (17)
• Exchanging (13)
• Paying (19)
• Fees and Charges (10)
• Banking (10)
• Languages (2)
• Conversation (9)
• Dating (27)
• Culturally Important (2)
• Distances (4)
• Wishing and Blessing (10)
• Learning Chinese (15)
• Nationality (10)
• Forms of Address (4)
• Idioms - Chengyu (21)
• Various Goodies (5)
• Business Relations (1)
• Survival (14)

How to say Father in Chinese

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