‘Táng dì’ refers specifically to a male cousin on your father’s side who is younger than you. The character ‘堂’ (táng) indicates a relationship through the paternal line — it literally means ‘hall’ or ‘main hall’, symbolizing shared ancestral lineage and same-surname kinship within the father’s family branch. ‘弟’ (dì) means ‘younger brother’, signaling both gender and relative age. Unlike ‘biǎo dì’ (maternal cousin), ‘táng dì’ implies closer familial ties in traditional Chinese kinship structure, often involving shared childhood experiences, joint ancestral rituals, and mutual obligations.

This term is used formally and informally in daily conversation when referring to or addressing such a cousin — for example, in family gatherings, introductions, or stories about relatives. It is not used for cousins of the same age or older; those are ‘táng xiōng’ (older paternal male cousin) or simply ‘táng jiāo’ (paternal cousin, gender-neutral but less common). Context always clarifies whether the reference is to a specific person or a general category.