When talking to his Chinese manager at a team dinner, Leo gets a chance to put into use the Chinese he has learned so far. The conversation moves onto family, and Dani explains the words for family in Mandarin Chinese. Leo learns the words for brothers and sisters. And he also learns the Mandarin words for children, including son and daughter.
The team are at dinner to celebrate a successful conference. Jack, Leo's manager, asks him about himself. Leo gets a chance to have a lengthy conversation in Chinese and to use everything he has learned to date. Jack asks Leo about his family, and Dani explains some useful Chinese words relating to family. Leo is surprised to learn that there is more than one word for brother, and also for sister!
Family is still the dominate institution in Chinese society, and people will consult family members seeking approval before making decisions. With large numbers of one child families in China, you can expect parents to be heavily involved in their children's lives. The different words for younger and older siblings reflects the importance of seniority in Chinese family life.
About our Lessons
Dani, a native Mandarin Chinese speaker from Beijing, guides you through your trip in China. Dani will help you learn Chinese words and phrases that you need to know as you encounter real life situations while in China. You will also learn interesting and useful lessons about Chinese culture and values along the way. Our lessons are designed to help you learn Chinese online without the need to download or install any software. You can start to learn Chinese free by availing of our 10 free lessons.