Abstract: Based on analyzing the denotation of legal term “lineal relative”, we think that the concepts of lineal relative and direct blood relative are identical. Due to the misunderstanding of the identity-induced rights and identity itself, spouse and affinity are mistakenly classified into the category of lineal relative, and some regulations also deepen such misunderstanding. We also analyze why the translations of “immediate family” and “direct relative” are inappropriate, and suggest “lineal relative” for the translation of the term “直系亲属”.

Key words: term translation, lineal relative, spouse, affinity