Family Tree

old woman
波bō + 女
waves + woman

waves in the skin OR Old Woman and the Sea (at home watching the waves)

lǎo

maternal grandmother
女 + 老lǎo
woman + old

picture your maternal grandmother as a very old woman

shēng

nephew-2
生shēng + 男
life/seed + male

Your sister has given life to a male. You have a nephew!

daughter-in-law
女 + 息xī
woman + breath

Give your daughter-in-law some breathing room. She might be feeling a lot of pressure.

elder sister
女 + *弟
woman + *younger brother

*this is a younger brother with his horny head ripped off; This is your evil elder sister, not your quiet older sister (split personality?)

sǎo

elder brother's wife
女 + 叟sǒu
woman + skeleton

This is your skinny (or dead) aunt, or maybe she dressed up for Halloween as a skeleton.

mother

sūn

grandchild
子 + 小
child + small

small children are taken care of by their grandparents in China

father’s sister
女 + 古gǔ
woman + ancient

shěn

auntie
女 + 审shěn
woman + painstaking

(This is your father's younger brother's wife.) This auntie painstakingly grows beets inside her house.

zhí

nephew
亻 + 至zhì
persona + until

You won't have a nephew until your brother has a child. OR You thought of your persona's son as your nephew until...

jiù

mother's brother
臼jiù + 男
rib cage + male

This is super skinny farmer Uncle Joe on your mother's side.

婿

son-in-law
女 + 疋 + 月
woman + Spartan Race + month

woman criticizes her son-in-law for taking a month to train for a Spartan Race

father's older brother
亻 + 白bái
persona + white

The first persona in the family whose hair turned white.

xiōng

elder brother, *teenager
口 + 儿
mouth + human legs

A mouth with human legs is a teenager.

mèi

younger sister
女 + 未wèi
woman + not yet

younger sister, always being told “not yet

younger sister, named Mae, is not yet a woman

jiě

older sister
女 + 且qiě
woman + shelves

older sister, named Jenna, has her shelf of books you can’t touch

older brother
可 + 可kě
can + can

older brother doing the can-can

mama
女 + 马mǎ
woman + horse

Does your mama like horses?

papa
父 + 巴bā
father + boa

papa is a father protecting his children from a boa

grandfather
父 + 卩jié
father + stamped

stamped original passed from grandfather to father

nǎi

milk [n.]
女 + 乃nǎi
woman + fist

woman squeezes with fist and gets milk

gōng

public [adj.]
八 + 厶
eight + monument

public bus #8 goes to the monument

shū

uncle
上 + 小 + 又
above + small + again/right hand

"Uncle Schubert is put in charge of the small kids again." (Uncle Schubert)

above the small child is the father and his right-hand man is his brother, the uncle

maternal aunt
女 + 夷yí
woman + barbarian

the relatives on the maternal side are the outsiders

alternatively: 女+大+弓 woman + large + bow ayi defending kids with a large bow

Family Tree

Quiz

lǎo

maternal grandmother

jiù

mother's brother

father's older brother

sǎo

elder brother's wife

daughter-in-law

xiōng

elder brother, *teenager

mèi

younger sister

maternal aunt

jiě

older sister

older brother

gōng

public [adj.]

Show Answers