Onthetitle"MaterhalUncleandPaternalAunt" FangChuan (HuainanNormalUniversityXueyuanRoad,Huainan,Anhui232001) Abstract:Chinesetitlecultureiscomplexandchangeable. "Maternaluncleandpaterna1aunt" means"brothersofmother"and"sistersoffather";however,inancientChina,itwasusedtoad dress parents lawwasmainlvcausedbycousinmarriage,themostancientChinesemarriagecustom,andexistedinthespokenlan —guage ofhumanbeings'beforetheappearanceofthewrittenlanguage. Cousinmarriagewasstrength—ened bytheinfluenceofpolitics,law,religionandcustomsintheChinesehistory ,andthisresultedinthe consolidationofcallingmaternaluncleandpaternalauntparents law.Callingmaterna1unc1eandpaternalauntparents law,paternalauntandoldman.Withthiscorrelation,maternaluncleandpaterna1auntisa1sousedtocallwife'sparents. Keywords:title,maternaluncleandpaternalaunt,parents—in—lawwifespaI.ents,cousin marriage