18 generations指自己往上九代与往下九代的直系宗族成员，中间一列共 19 格，不计「Self」即18 gens。 This page lists every rank in the central column, plus the nine clans, nine direct ranks, five mourning grades and collateral lines.
Last updated：2026-11-12 · 关系链接龙最多接 6 段，本站词典收录到「曾祖 / 曾孙」（3 段）与玄Grandchildren，四代以上属于传统宗族文化称谓，作为知识展示，不参与计算。
1 · Nine ascending generations: father → 鼻祖
| Generation | Term | Full form | Alias | English | Chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up 1 | 父 | 父亲 | 爸爸 / 先父 | Father | Me → 爸爸 |
| Up 2 | 祖 | 祖父 | 爷爷 / 阿公 | Grandfather | Me → 爸爸 → 爸爸 |
| Up 3 | 曾祖 | 曾祖父 | 太爷爷 / 太公 | Great-grandfather | Me → 爸爸 → 爸爸 → 爸爸 |
| Up 4 | 高祖 | 高祖父 | 四世祖 | 2nd great-grandfather | Me → 爸爸 × 4 generations |
| Up 5 | 天祖 | 天祖父 | 五世祖 | 3rd great-grandfather | Me → 爸爸 × 5 generations |
| Up 6 | 烈祖 | 烈祖父 | 六世祖 | 4th great-grandfather | Me → 爸爸 × 6 generations |
| Up 7 | 太祖 | 太祖父 | 七世祖 | 5th great-grandfather | Me → 爸爸 × 7 generations |
| Up 8 | 远祖 | 远祖父 | 八世祖 | 6th great-grandfather | Me → 爸爸 × 8 generations |
| Up 9 | 鼻祖 | 鼻祖父 | 始祖 / 九世祖 | 7th great-grandfather · Progenitor | Me → 爸爸 × 9 generations |
2 · Self
🧸 Self · me: the origin of the nine ascending and nine descending generations, not counted among the eighteen. Mnemonic: 父祖曾高天烈太远鼻 / 子孙曾玄来晜仍云耳.
3 · Nine descending generations: son → 耳孙
| Generation | Term | Full form | Alias | English | Chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down 1 | 子 | 儿子 | 子 / 犬子 | Son | Me → 儿子 |
| Down 2 | 孙 | 孙子 | 孙 / 孙儿 | Grandson | Me → 儿子 → 儿子 |
| Down 3 | 曾孙 | 曾孙子 | 曾孙 / 重孙 | Great-grandson | Me → 儿子 → 儿子 → 儿子 |
| Down 4 | 玄孙 | 玄孙子 | 四世孙 | 2nd great-grandson | Me → 儿子 × 4 generations |
| Down 5 | 来孙 | 来孙子 | 五世孙 | 3rd great-grandson | Me → 儿子 × 5 generations |
| Down 6 | 晜孙 | 晜孙子 | 昆孙 / 六世孙（kūn） | 4th great-grandson | Me → 儿子 × 6 generations |
| Down 7 | 仍孙 | 仍孙子 | 七世孙 | 5th great-grandson | Me → 儿子 × 7 generations |
| Down 8 | 云孙 | 云孙子 | 八世孙 | 6th great-grandson | Me → 儿子 × 8 generations |
| Down 9 | 耳孙 | 耳孙子 | 九世孙 | 7th great-grandson · Distant descendant | Me → 儿子 × 9 generations |
4 · Nine ranks and nine clans
Nine direct ranks (vertical line):
高祖曾祖祖父父亲Self儿子孙子曾孙玄孙
Reading 1 · The vertical nine generations
From 高祖 down through 曾祖, 祖父 and 父亲 to oneself, then 子, 孙, 曾孙 and 玄孙: nine direct generations. This is the most common vertical reading of the “nine clans”.
Reading 2 · Four paternal, three maternal, two affinal branches
A horizontal grouping by clan and marriage: four branches on the father’s side, three on the mother’s side and two on the wife’s side. In ancient law this also defined the scope of collective punishment.
5 · The five mourning grades
| Grade | Name | Period | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一服 | 斩衰 | 三年 | 最重的丧服，粗麻布不缝边，如子女为父母、妻为夫 |
| 二服 | 齐衰 | 三年 / 一年 / 五月 / 三月 | 粗麻布缝边，依亲疏分不同服期，如孙为祖父母 |
| 三服 | 大功 | 九月 | 熟麻布，为堂兄弟、已出嫁的姑姐妹等 |
| 四服 | 小功 | 五月 | 较细的熟麻布，为从兄弟、外祖父母等 |
| 五服 | 缌麻 | 三月 | 最轻的细麻布，为族兄弟、岳父母等；出了五服就不再算亲 |
6 · Collateral lines: 亲 · 堂 · 从 · 族
| Level | Terms | Shared ancestor |
|---|---|---|
| 同父 · 亲 | 兄弟 / 姐妹 | 同一个父亲，最亲的一层 |
| 同祖 · 堂 | 堂兄弟 / 堂姐妹 | 同一个祖父，父亲兄弟的孩子 |
| 同曾祖 · 从 | 从兄弟 / 从姐妹 | 同一个曾祖父，也称从堂 |
| 同高祖 · 族 | 族兄弟 / 族姐妹 | 同一个高祖父，五服之内最疏的一层 |
7 · Cultural notes
Direct line
Grandparents (paternal and maternal), parents, children and grandchildren form one directly connected vertical line.
Collateral relatives within three generations
Traced upwards, these people share the same grandparents: siblings, 堂 cousins, 表 cousins, uncles/aunts and nephews/nieces on both sides of the family.
Why “eighteen generations”?
Nine ascending (father → 鼻祖) plus nine descending (son → 耳孙) makes eighteen. “Self” is the origin and is not counted.
How this relates to everyday terms
Terms beyond four generations — 天祖, 烈祖, 太祖, 远祖, 鼻祖 and 来孙 through 耳孙 — belong to genealogies and classical Chinese. In daily life a simple “爷爷 / 太爷爷” plus a name is safest.
8 · FAQ
What exactly are the “eighteen generations”?
Nine ascending: father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, 天祖, 烈祖, 太祖, 远祖, 鼻祖. Nine descending: son, grandson, great-grandson, 玄孙, 来孙, 晜孙, 仍孙, 云孙, 耳孙. “Self” is the origin and is not counted.
Is there a mnemonic for the order?
Yes: 父祖曾高天烈太远鼻 / 子孙曾玄来晜仍云耳. The higher generations become increasingly abstract (鼻祖 now means “founder”), while the lower ones become increasingly remote (耳孙 = only heard of).
Are the “nine clans” and “nine direct ranks” the same?
Not quite. The nine direct ranks list the vertical line from 高祖 down to 玄孙. The nine clans can mean that same vertical line, or a horizontal grouping of four paternal, three maternal and two affinal branches.
What are the “five mourning grades”?
Five grades of traditional mourning dress ranked by closeness: 斩衰 (3 years), 齐衰, 大功 (9 months), 小功 (5 months), 缌麻 (3 months). Beyond the fifth grade a person is generally no longer considered a mourning relative — “out of five grades”.
堂 / 从 / 族 brothers — what’s the difference?
It depends on the shared ancestor: same father = 亲兄弟, same grandfather = 堂兄弟, same great-grandfather = 从兄弟, same great-great-grandfather = 族兄弟. Female equivalents follow the same ladder.
Why can’t the calculator produce 鼻祖 or 耳孙?
The calculator allows up to 6 chain steps and covers everyday terms up to great-grandparents / great-grandchildren. Older lineage terms belong to genealogy and classical Chinese, so they are shown here as cultural reference only.
Want a term for a specific chain? Open the calculator, try “great-grandfather”, or browse the full kinship term table.