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This one seems to come from chinese

* in many EA and SEA culture, there's a difference made based on the age differential aka different term of address to people older than you v younger than you, also gender

* chinese (and likely others) also make a difference between patrilineal relationships and matrilineal, so there's a term of address for people related through the father's brother (and thus sharing your family name) versus other parent's sibling (not sharing your family name).

The combination of the two yields what you have above:

* cousins through your father's brother (sharing family name) are 堂 (táng) all others are 表 (biǎo)

* older brother is 兄 (xiōng), younger brother is 弟 (dì), elder sister is 姊 (zǐ) and younger sister is 妹 (mèi)

Therefore an older "sister" (same generational rank) through an other line than your father brothers would be 表姊 (biǎozǐ).




Well we mainlanders prefer 姐(jie). Biaozi sounds the same as bitch so it's never heard.




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