xiōng dì
brothers
我和我兄弟是好朋友。
wǒ hé wǒ xiōngdì shì hǎo péngyou.
My brother and I are good friends.
我兄弟今年20岁了。
wǒ xiōngdì jīnnián èrshí suì le.
My brother is 20 years old this year.
我兄弟在北京工作。
wǒ xiōngdì zài běijīng gōngzuò.
My brother works in Beijing.
弟兄 (dìxiōng)
brothers
手足 (shǒuzú)
siblings
姐妹 (jiě mèi)
sisters
姊妹 (zǐ mèi)
sisters
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The Chinese word 兄弟 (xiōngdì) for "brothers" is composed of two characters: 兄 (xiōng) and 弟 (dì). The character 兄 originally meant "older brother" and was composed of the radical 舁 (yú), which represents a person carrying something, and the character 口 (kǒu), which represents the mouth. This suggests that the original meaning of 兄 was "the one who carries the burden of the family." The character 弟 originally meant "younger brother" and was composed of the radical 子 (zǐ), which represents a child, and the character 糸 (mì), which represents silk. This suggests that the original meaning of 弟 was "the one who follows the older brother." Over time, the meanings of 兄 and 弟 expanded to include all brothers, regardless of their age. The word 兄弟 is now used to refer to any two or more male siblings.
