Relationship words

[abcdefg]

是你的亲姐吗？/你们是亲姐妹吗？

 

Yes. Thanks, @Lu. That's the way I've heard it asked. Seeing it refreshes my memory.

 

And I have the same impression, namely that the 八零后 generation and younger seem to use sister and brother very freely, actually just meaning good friends.

[oceancalligraphy]

你們是親戚嗎? would distinguish between family and non-family.

It's not necessarily a post-80s thing. In Taiwan, classmates usually have a brother or sister moniker, as in 學長, 學弟, 學姊, 學妹. In some workplaces, 哥 and 姊 are used informally as well. Depending on the age, the lady selling breakfast that you see everyday could be 阿姨, 姊姊 or 妹妹. It's something that's ingrained at a young age, where age markers are set the first time you meet and last a lifetime!

[Lu]

Depending on the age, the lady selling breakfast that you see everyday could be 阿姨, 姊姊 or 妹妹.

Same in China. But you wouldn't introduce that person with 这是我阿姨, or talk about that person saying 我姐姐昨天说什么什么, right? I think the confusion mainly happens when you bring a new person to dinner and say 这是我弟弟, or when you say 我男朋友不要我经常跟我弟弟见面.

[oceancalligraphy]

Well, no, not in introducing that person, but if you're standing next to me in conversation. If you're with me buying breakfast and I call the lady 姊姊, without telling you beforehand that we're going to my sister's shop, then it's highly likely that this 姊姊 is not related to me.
 

I think the confusion mainly happens when you bring a new person to dinner and say 这是我弟弟, or when you say 我男朋友不要我经常跟我弟弟见面. 

I (and most people I know) would be more specific when introducing someone, using 堂, 表, 學, or the name, but definitely explaining the relation to avoid confusion and possible lack of respect.

[imron]

It's not necessarily a post-80s thing.

I think Lu's meaning was that due to the one-child policy, children born from the 80's onwards are unlikely to have brothers or sisters, so when they say 我哥怎么怎么样, they probably don't mean their 亲哥.

[abcdefg]

I think Lu's meaning was that due to the one-child policy, children born from the 80's onwards are unlikely to have brothers or sisters, so when they say 我哥怎么怎么样, then probably don't mean their 亲哥.

 

When I first came to China, I remember naively thinking that for a country with a one-child policy, people sure do have lots of brothers and sisters.

[Lu]

I think Lu's meaning was that due to the one-child policy, children born from the 80's onwards are unlikely to have brothers or sisters, so when they say 我哥怎么怎么样, they probably don't mean their 亲哥.

Yes, that's what I meant. Almost always it's a 表哥, or else a good friend.