姐夫
jie fu
The Chinese term for brother-in-law is 姐夫 (jie fu) when referring specifically to the husband of one's older sister.
In Chinese, kinship terms are specific to the age hierarchy of siblings, so you must distinguish between an older sister's husband and a younger sister's husband.
Which one should you use?
While 姐夫 refers specifically to the husband of an older sister, 妹夫 is used for the husband of a younger sister.
How do you pronounce it?
jie fu
Did you know?
- The character 夫 in 姐夫 originally depicted a man with a large cap, symbolizing a grown man or husband.
- When addressing a brother-in-law directly, Chinese speakers rarely use his name. Instead, they often use his specific kinship title, such as 姐夫, as a formal way to show respect and acknowledge his place in the family hierarchy.
- If a person has multiple older sisters, they typically add numbers before 姐夫 to specify which one, such as 大姐夫 for the husband of the eldest sister.
Examples in context
- 我姐夫是个医生。Wǒ jiěfu shì ge yīshēng.My brother-in-law is a doctor.
- 你姐夫今天不在家吗？Nǐ jiěfu jīntiān bù zàijiā ma?Is your brother-in-law not home today?
- 我打算给姐夫买件礼物。Wǒ dǎsuàn gěi jiěfu mǎi jiàn lǐwù.I plan to buy a gift for my brother-in-law.
Example conversation
Yuting and Wei are chatting about family plans over coffee.
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，你姐夫最近怎么样？Wěi, nǐ jiěfu zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?Wei, how has your brother-in-law been lately?
- 伟 Wei他挺好的，工作很忙。Tā tǐng hǎo de, gōngzuò hěn máng.He is doing well, but he is very busy with work.
- 雨婷 Yuting那真不容易。Nà zhēn bù róngyì.That's not easy.
- 伟 Wei是啊，他总是很累。Shì a, tā zǒng shì hěn lèi.Yes, he is always very tired.
