It’s Day 2 of Chinese New Year! 🧧

My national daily published this infographic on its reporting. Chinese societies are typically bound by hierarchical relationships, and one way in which this is manifested is the specific names we have for various relatives. These days, modern people don’t really care so much, and your kids can probably get away with calling your elders by the generic Uncle or Auntie.

However, just because people are more relaxed about the terms of address doesn’t mean that these terms will fall into oblivion. Even if these terms were to disappear in Singapore, I am sure they will remain etched in the social fabric of Mainland Chinese. After all, knowing one’s place in relation to his relatives in the extended family plays a part in forging his identity.

So, what has a non-English language taught you about viewing the world? That’s the fun of learning languages. You see how people use different mental constructs to make sense of and categorise the world. 🌍