称呼 / Addressing

[barney]

I think this is a good culture and tradition to keep. I came from a big family and we make sure all our kids address us in chinese with the proper 称呼 instead of just aunties and uncles and I’ll insist that my girl address all her cousins with their names followed by jie jie or kor kor, since she’s the youngest among the lot.


Actually I need to check with parents here if they know how should my grand nephew (my brother’s grandson) address my gal? We have a discussion on this among ourselves but have no conclusion.

[kiasimom]

barney:

I think this is a good culture and tradition to keep. I came from a big family and we make sure all our kids address us in chinese with the proper 称呼 instead of just aunties and uncles and I'll insist that my girl address all her cousins with their names followed by jie jie or kor kor, since she's the youngest among the lot.


Actually I need to check with parents here if they know how should my grand nephew (my brother's grandson) address my gal? We have a discussion on this among ourselves but have no conclusion.

Hi Barney,

Your brother's grandson should call u gupo, right?
His grandson should call your gal ah yi.
Gugu is for same surname but your gal doesn't have the same surname.

i think this should be right.

[kiasimom]

Hi insider,


I fully agree with you that as Chinese we should preserve our culture and values.
My mother has taught my younger siblings to call me jie jie.
I am the eldest and I have two other younger sisters and a younger brother. My younger brother address us as jiejie, er-jie and san-jie.

I think we chinese should treasure and value our cultures.

My daughter also address my son korkor.

This should be carried on.

I have heard many children calling their siblings by names and their relatives by uncles and aunties.

I think this is not close and intimate enough.

Jiu jiu and Shu shu is different. So we need to teach our children the correct values.

This will go a long way and carry on generations after generations.

In Chinese it is called 传承

[kiasimom]

Hi insider,


I believe that values are cultivated from young.
As parents, we should teach our children the morales and values.

It is the environment and upbringing.

DH and me are english educated but we are firm believers that our children should be taught the correct values from young.

We don’t find black hair, hazel eyes uncool. This is our unique identity.
We find people who don’t acknowledge their own identity uncool.

Yellow skin, it shall be. Black hair, it shall be. No matter how one tries to be like the caucasians, they will not be and can never be.

Our children has to greet the elders on the dining table before they can have their meals.

They greet all my friends and relatives.
And I make sure they address all my relatives in the correct forms.

I must admit I am traditional and conservative in this.

[corneyAmber]

You know what? Call it conservative, old-fashion, traditional or whatever obscure names you want......


These children will hit the wall when they do the \"Family Tree\" project required in GEP because without the clear 称呼 used daily, it will take them longer to get the tree right.... :lol: :lol: :lol:

And for mainstream children, don't think you will not be affected, I have seen many exam papers testing on relationships between people. And I notice \"modern\" children can get such questions wrong. :oops:

[kiasimom]

Exactly.


This is a form of respect when you are addressed in the right form.
Take the cantonese for example.
They value kinship a lot and differentiate very well what is paternal uncle and maternal uncle.
This is the values that have been taught to them since young.

Many of my Cantonese friends told me they will greet their ILs and hold them in high respect and that their spouses are very close to their family. All these are cultivated from young.
I have been teaching and instilling the morale values in my children at a very young age.

[schellen]

My DD1 has been addressing herself as "Jiejie" already to her yet-to-be-born "Meimei". It comes naturally in our family and we have not encountered any opposition or "brainwashing" from her friends at CCC/BASC or pri sch. My sis still calls me "Jie" while I refer to her as "Mei" when referring to her.


Even for our relatives who live in UK/USA/Italy, we still use the proper terms of address. Even though some of them may be younger than sashimi and I, my DD1 will nevertheless greet them by "Auntie (name)" and "Uncle (Name)".

We don’t see it as being old-fashioned cos it shows that we are related and that makes our relationships special. However, I notice that among my cousins and I, we do call each other by our given names. Maybe that’s cos we’re close in age and have been "introduced" like that since young.

[kiasimom]

schellen:

My DD1 has been addressing herself as \"Jiejie\" already to her yet-to-be-born \"Meimei\". It comes naturally in our family and we have not encountered any opposition or \"brainwashing\" from her friends at CCC/BASC or pri sch. My sis still calls me \"Jie\" while I refer to her as \"Mei\" when referring to her.


Even for our relatives who live in UK/USA/Italy, we still use the proper terms of address. Even though some of them may be younger than sashimi and I, my DD1 will nevertheless greet them by \"Auntie (name)\" and \"Uncle (Name)\".

We don't see it as being old-fashioned cos it shows that we are related and that makes our relationships special. However, I notice that among my cousins and I, we do call each other by our given names. Maybe that's cos we're close in age and have been \"introduced\" like that since young.

Exactly. As emntioned, we have to start from young.
My cousins still addressed me \"jie-jie\" when they see me.
This is a kind of habit that was formed since young.

Similarly, it comes natural.
When my shushu remarries, I also address his wife shenshen.
This is taught from young and is in me no matter how old I am.

I believe my children will pass on this value. :celebrate:

[tree nymph]

kiasimom:

barney:

I think this is a good culture and tradition to keep. I came from a big family and we make sure all our kids address us in chinese with the proper 称呼 instead of just aunties and uncles and I'll insist that my girl address all her cousins with their names followed by jie jie or kor kor, since she's the youngest among the lot.


Actually I need to check with parents here if they know how should my grand nephew (my brother's grandson) address my gal? We have a discussion on this among ourselves but have no conclusion.

Hi Barney,

Your brother's grandson should call u gupo, right?
His grandson should call your gal ah yi.
Gugu is for same surname but your gal doesn't have the same surname.

i think this should be right.

Hi Barney and kiasimom,
Your brother's grandson have to call you gupo, and have to address your daughters as gugu or biao-gu and if you have sons, as shushu or biao shu. gugu/shushu cos it has to follow your chenghu (title - is this case its GUpo - that you are at paternal side). whereas if you are in the maternal side, then it will be ah yi and jiu jiu, yi-po and jiu-gong.

[tree nymph]

kiasimom:

Exactly. As emntioned, we have to start from young.

My cousins still addressed me \"jie-jie\" when they see me.
This is a kind of habit that was formed since young.

Similarly, it comes natural.
When my shushu remarries, I also address his wife shenshen.
This is taught from young and is in me no matter how old I am.

I believe my children will pass on this value. :celebrate:

call me old-fashion, my whole family and extended family also address the right title for everyone. no aunty so and so and uncle so and so. me too, believe that this is the right way to go.

by the way, my small boy will become a biao-jiu next May, at the grand old age of 20 mths! :lol: