3.2 Family and People — Epoché
What you will be able to do Name the closest members of a family, and choose the right word for a brother or a sister without guessing. Tell an aunt on the father's side from one on the mother's side, and say so in one word. State someone's age, ask for it, and say whether a person is young, old or grown up. Name twelve words for occupations and work, and say what someone does for a living. Prerequisites : 3.1, which gave you the titles, the pronouns and the copula in use. Nothing here needs a pattern you have not met: most sentences below are statements of identity or possession. Chinese kinship words are more exact than English ones. Where English says "brother" and adds "older" if it matters, everyday Chinese has one word for an older brother and another for a younger one, so the choice cannot be avoided. The same holds for aunts and uncles, where each English word answers to several Chinese ones. Word list The first column gives the simplified form, the traditional form in brackets where it differs, and the pinyin. The third column is the one to read slowly; it is not a translation of anything. A word met in an earlier list appears again here so that the set is complete; its note opens with "From" and the number of the lesson that first listed it. Three things recur. Most close-family words are doubled syllables with a toneless second half, easy to recognise as a set and easy to spoil by giving that syllable a full tone. Occupation words need no article: "I am a doctor" is simply 我是医生 , with nothing answering to "a", though a number and a measure word can be put in front, as in 他是一名厨师 below. And two of the occupations end in the character that also ends the word for teacher. The direct line Twelve words. Each sibling word carries the age difference inside it, and the parent words come in an informal and a formal pair, as English 'dad' and 'father' do. Word Meaning Notes 爸爸 zh bàba noun · dad; father Note for English speakers From 0.5. The informal word, and the one children use. Doubled, with the second syllable toneless. Chinese has no separate vocative form, so this is both what you call him and what you call him when you talk about him. 爸爸在哪？ Where's Daddy? 我们爱爸爸。 We love Dad. 妈妈 zh māma （ 媽媽 ） māma noun · mum; mother Note for English speakers From 0.1. Doubled like the word above and with a toneless second syllable. The first syllable has a high level tone, which is easy to flatten into English stress; keep it high all the way through. 妈妈在哪里？ Where's Mum? 我爱我妈妈。 I love my mum. 父亲 zh fùqīn （ 父親 ） fùqīn noun · father Note for English speakers The formal word, used in writing and when speaking about someone's father rather than to your own. The pair works much like English 'dad' and 'father'. 他是我父亲。 He is my father. 我爱我父亲。 I love my father. 母亲 zh mǔqīn （ 母親 ） mǔqīn noun · mother Note for English speakers The formal counterpart of the word above, sharing its second character. Use it in writing and on cards, not in the kitchen. 这是我母亲。 This is my mother. 你母亲在家吗？ Is your mother at home? 儿子 zh érzi （ 兒子 ） érzi noun · son Note for English speakers Second syllable toneless. The first character is the old word for child, and the traditional form is very different from the simplified one. 我的儿子！ My son! 他是我儿子。 He's my son. 女儿 zh nǚ'ér （ 女兒 ） nǚ'ér noun · daughter Note for English speakers Pinyin puts an apostrophe between the syllables so that the second one is not read as part of the first. Literally 'female child'. 她是我女儿。 She is my daughter. 这是我女儿。 This is my daughter. 哥哥 zh gēge noun · older brother Note for English speakers From 0.5. The everyday words for a brother mark his age, so you must know which one you mean before you can speak; a general word, 兄弟 , exists but is used mostly of brothers as a group. This is the older one. 你哥哥是谁？ Who's your older brother? 我有个哥哥。 I have an older brother. 姐姐 zh jiějie noun · older sister Note for English speakers The older sister. Two third tones written, but the second is toneless in speech, so the first is said low, as the half third tone of lesson 0.3. 我有两个姐姐。 I have two older sisters. 学学你姐姐。 Be more like your sister. 弟弟 zh dìdi noun · younger brother Note for English speakers The younger brother. English 'brother' has to be patched with 'younger' to say this, and everyday Chinese seldom leaves the age out. 他是我弟弟。 He's my younger brother. 你有弟弟吗？ Do you have a younger brother? 妹妹 zh mèimei noun · younger sister Note for English speakers The younger sister. Note that all four sibling words are doubled syllables with a toneless second half, which makes them easy to hear as a set. 这是我的妹妹。 This is my younger sister. 你有妹妹吗？ Do you have a younger sister? 爷爷 zh yéye （ 爺爺 ） yéye noun · grandfather (father's father) Note for English speakers The father's father specifically. English 'grandfather' covers both sides; Chinese has a separate pair of words for the mother's parents, which this lesson does not include. 爷爷买给我的！ Grandpa bought it for me! 你爷爷多大了？ How old is your grandfather? 奶奶 zh nǎinai noun · grandmother (father's mother) Note for English speakers The father's mother. The same warning applies: it is not a general word for grandmother, and the mother's mother has a word of her own, which this lesson does not include. 我和妈妈，弟弟还有爷爷奶奶住在一起。 I live with my mother, my younger brother and my grandparents. Aunts, uncles, grandchildren and relatives in general Eight words. The four for aunts and uncles divide by side of the family, and by age on the father's side; English has two words for all of it. Word Meaning Notes 叔叔 zh shūshu noun · uncle (father's younger brother) Note for English speakers English 'uncle' covers several Chinese words. This one is the father's younger brother, and it is also how a child addresses an unrelated man of his parents' age. 我的叔叔有三个孩子。 My uncle has three children. 让你叔叔想一想。 Let your uncle think about it. 阿姨 zh āyí noun · aunt (mother's sister) Note for English speakers The mother's sister, and also the polite way for a child to a