Those who have attended our conferences may remember that in Thailand there is always the big brother / big sister or little brother / little sister. A few months ago, I had also mentioned the name cousins and brothers- .
Well Chinese is even more complicated!
When John's mother speaks to him, she uses different names depending on whom it is addressed. When she speaks of him with his older brother, she said "Aliang" (his Chinese name). But when she speaks of him with his little brother, she called "second elder brother" (he is the third sibling, but the 2nd boy). By cons, when she addresses him directly, she calls him "my son" or "my second son." Same when she speaks of him outside the family. The elder is called "first brother" but "big brother" and the youngest is the "small". Obviously, it's the same for girls.
It's enough to get tangled brushes! And I do not even mention the names of uncles and aunts, it's ilk! Each aunt has a different name according to his rank in siblings.
This approach is being lost to China's one child policy requires, but is still alive in Taiwan. When I asked my teacher, she told me it was practical, we do not need to know the name of the people. Instead, I find it complicated! It's easier to remember first names only of the order of siblings!
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