兄 (xiōng) — (bound form) elder brother; (bound form) elder male relative of the same generation (e.g., cousin); (bound form) a respectful term of address between men, often used in formal or written contexts
Definition
兄 is a bound form (not used alone) meaning 'elder brother' in formal or written Chinese. Compare 哥哥 (gēge), the everyday spoken word for elder brother; 兄 is restricted to set phrases like 长兄, 兄长, or respectful address like 王兄.
bound form
(bound form) elder brother(bound form) elder male relative of the same generation (e.g., cousin)(bound form) a respectful term of address between menoften used in formal or written contexts
Examples
- ，。Tā shì wǒ xiōng zhǎng, bú shì táng gē.He is my elder brother, not my paternal cousin.
- 兄，，。Wáng xiōng, lái xìn yǐ shōu, xiè xie nín de bāng zhù.Dear Mr. Wang, I have received your letter. Thank you for your help.
- 兄。Wǒ de biǎo xiōng zài měi guó dāng yī shēng.My elder male cousin (on my mother's side) works as a doctor in the United States.
Appears in
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