Definition
堂兄 refers to an elder male cousin on your father's side — specifically your father's brother's son who is older than you. Unlike English, Chinese distinguishes paternal cousins (堂) from maternal cousins (表), and also marks relative age. 堂兄 always shares your surname.
n.
elder male cousin on father's side (same surname)
Examples
- 堂兄,。Wǒ de táng xiōng bǐ wǒ dà liǎng suì, wǒmen cóngxiǎo yìqǐ zhǎngdà.My elder paternal cousin is two years older than me; we grew up together.
- 堂兄,。Tā shì wǒ táng xiōng, bú shì biǎogē.He is my paternal cousin, not my maternal cousin.
- 堂兄。Zhège zhōumò wǒ yào qù táng xiōng jiā chīfàn.This weekend I'm going to my cousin's house for dinner.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.