Essential Characters for Genealogy

Family Terms

- 家 (Jia) - Family/Home - 族 (Zu) - Clan - 姓 (Xing) - Surname - 氏 (Shi) - Clan/Branch - 祖 (Zu) - Ancestor - 宗 (Zong) - Lineage/Clan

Relationship Terms

- 父 (Fu) - Father - 母 (Mu) - Mother - 祖父 (Zufu) - Paternal grandfather - 祖母 (Zumu) - Paternal grandmother - 兄 (Xiong) - Elder brother - 弟 (Di) - Younger brother - 姐 (Jie) - Elder sister - 妹 (Mei) - Younger sister - 儿 (Er) - Son - 女 (Nu) - Daughter

Record Terms

- 生 (Sheng) - Birth - 死 (Si) - Death - 娶 (Qu) - Marry (man) - 嫁 (Jia) - Marry (woman) - 葬 (Zang) - Bury - 迁 (Qian) - Move/Migrate

Time Terms

- 年 (Nian) - Year - 月 (Yue) - Month - 日 (Ri) - Day - 时 (Shi) - Time

Place Terms

- 省 (Sheng) - Province - 县 (Xian) - County - 村 (Cun) - Village - 乡 (Xiang) - Township - 籍 (Ji) - Origin/Registered

Common Phrases

- 籍贯 (Jiguan) - Ancestral home - 原籍 (Yuanji) - Original hometown - 出生地 (Chushengdi) - Birthplace - 迁徙 (Qianxi) - Migration

Genealogical Terms

- 家谱 (Jiapu) - Family genealogy - 族谱 (Zupu) - Clan genealogy - 宗谱 (Zongpu) - Lineage record - 支谱 (Zhipu) - Branch genealogy - 祠堂 (Cítáng) - Ancestral hall - 牌位 (Paiwei) - Ancestor tablet

Reading Dates

Traditional Chinese dates use: - 天干 (Tiangan) - Heavenly Stems - 地支 (Dizhi) - Earthly Branches Example: 甲子年 = 60-year cycle year

Numbers in Genealogy

- 一 (Yi) - One - 二 (Er) - Two - 三 (San) - Three - 四 (Si) - Four - 五 (Wu) - Five - 六 (Liu) - Six - 七 (Qi) - Seven - 八 (Ba) - Eight - 九 (Jiu) - Nine - 十 (Shi) - Ten

Generational Terms

- 代 (Dai) - Generation - 辈 (Bei) - Generation/Rank - 世 (Shi) - Generation

Key Verbs

- 生 (Sheng) - Born - 卒 (Zu) - Died - 娶 (Qu) - Married - 迁 (Qian) - Moved - 葬 (Zang) - Buried - 建 (Jian) - Built

Common Titles

- 公 (Gong) - Sir/Public - 府 (Fu) - Mansion - 堂 (Tang) - Hall - 祠 (Ci) - Shrine - 庙 (Miao) - Temple