OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 423 



the Chinese schedule, together with his observations upon the Chinese system 

 of relationship. These are followed, at the end of the chapter, with the schedule 



"class" showing, on the paternal side, whether the individual spoken of is senior or junior to the 

 true grandparent ; and on the maternal side, that the person referred to is, like the maternal true 

 grandfather, not a real lineal progenitor. 



4. The brothers and sisters of one's parents are with the true parents, equally styled parents, cha- 

 racterized, however, as "class parents," the word for "class" on the father's side showing their 

 seniority or juniority to the true father, and on the mother's side explaining, as it were, that they are 

 parents by relationship with the mother, as her brothers and sisters. In some instances, however, 

 there appears to be a trace of distinction made between the relationships in whiqh, a father's brother 

 and a mother's sister stand to an individual, when compared with that in which a father's sister 

 and a mother's brother are situated, showing that while in the former case they are called " class 

 parents," they are in the latter distinguished by terms the words for father and mother being 

 omitted equivalent, seemingly, to "uncle and aunt." 



5. There is no one word for brother, but there is one expression used for elder, and another for 

 younger brother, and these are employed, not to designate the oldest and youngest brother, but 

 respectively for such brothers as may be older or younger than the person speaking or spoken of. 

 In the same way, while there is one term signifying sister generally, there are in use two expressions, 

 the one for older, and the other for younger sister. 



6. The children of several brothers of several sisters, as well as of brothers on the one hand, and 

 sisters on the other, are brothers and sisters to each other, and they in each case use the respective 

 terms for elder and younger brother, and for elder and younger sister, the same as in the case of own 

 brothers and sisters. Such relatives, however, style each other "class brothers," "class sisters," the 

 word signifying "class" showing whether the person in question is the child of a father's brother, of 

 a father's sister, or of a mother's brother, or of a mother's sister ; the fraternal relationship being of 

 three classes, Tang, Peaon, and E-peaon. The children of these class brothers, &c., are again class 

 brothers and class sisters to each other, as are also their children's children, the bond of consan- 

 guinity continuing the same so long as the parties concerned are equally removed by descent from 

 the original pair of brothers, &c. The degree or intensity of relationship is, however, lessened or 

 farther removed, when it passes from one to another family by the going out of a female in marriage. 



7. The children of an individual's brothers and sisters, as also of class brothers and sisters, are 

 that individual's children likewise, but characterized as class children of various classes, according to 

 fixed rule and practice ; and the children of such class children are that individual's class grand- 

 children. Thus, for instance : 



Said by a man. A brother's child is the individual's child of the Chih class. 



" " " A sister's " " " " " Wae-sung class. 



Said by a woman. A brother's child is the individual's child of the Wae-chih class. 



" " " A sister's " " " " " E-sung class. 



It is here worth noticing that the wae in wae-sung, and wae-chih signifies external, so that the 

 words made use of by a man to designate a sister's son and daughter, and by a woman to designate 

 a brother's child, might be considered equivalent in some degree to our words nephew and niece. 

 In this way a kind of confirmation is given of the remark made in No. 4, that traces seem to exist 

 of occasions on which one's father's sisters, and one's mother's brothers are regarded as uncles and 

 aunts, rather than as class parents. 



8. The grandchildren of brothers, of sisters, and of brothers and sisters are, as already stated, 

 class brothers and sisters to each other; and the same relationship continued to exist to the 

 remotest generation, so long as the parties concerned stand in the same degree of nearness to the 

 original brothers and sisters. But when one is further removed than another by a single degree, the 

 rule which changes the collateral line into the lineal at once applies. It is, however, to be remarked 

 that as regards remoteness in respect of ancestors and descendants, the Chinese system recognizes, 

 practically, only such either way, as with an individual form Jive generations ; thus above me, my 



