Grandson? Granddaughter?

In any cultural system around the world, there are both shining aspects and flaws. This gives rise to the concept of comparative culture. As someone who specifically studies English, with Chinese being a foundational subject, it is natural for me to compare the two cultures. For example, in Chinese culture, we have specific terms for grandchildren - "外孙" and "外孙女" (wàisūn, wàisūnnǚ), while in English, they are simply referred to as "grandson" and "granddaughter". There is no distinction between "internal" and "external". Similarly, in Chinese, we have different terms for aunts and uncles, but in English, they are all referred to as "aunt" or "uncle". Furthermore, in Chinese, we have specific terms for grandparents - "grandpa" or "grandfather" for paternal grandfathers, and "grandma" or "grandmother" for paternal grandmothers. In English, these terms are also used regardless of whether they are paternal or maternal grandparents.

In our generation, both men and women were subject to the one-child policy, where couples were only allowed to have one child. It didn't matter whether the child was a boy or a girl; they were only permitted to have one. Otherwise, they would face dismissal from their government jobs, which would result in unemployment and potentially even starvation. At that time, I predicted that if this continued, the population would decrease exponentially. And now, young people are being encouraged to have three or four children. But can they afford to raise them all?

Since everyone only has one child, why do we still differentiate between "internal" and "external" grandchildren? They should all be referred to as "孙子" (sūnzi) or "孙女" (sūnnǚ) - grandchildren. Personally, I have always referred to my daughter's two sons as "孙子" (sūnzi) - grandsons. The eldest is Eason, and the second is Eric. I suggest that families with only one daughter should call their third generation grandchildren "孙子" (sūnzi) or "孙女" (sūnnǚ) - grandchildren, and refrain from using the term "外孙" (wàisūn) or "外孙女" (wàisūnnǚ) - external grandchildren.