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关于中国父母帮助成年子女的习俗及相关法律规定

Customs and Related Legal Requirements for the Assistance to Adult Children from the Chinese Parents

中国对家庭成员之间的情感维系和相互扶助较为看重，因此中国父母对于子女的抚养、帮助，并不止步于子女成年之前或者有独立收入之前，但对于该帮助的性质，需要注意区分以下几点：

In Chinese families, more importance has been attached to the emotional maintenance and mutual support among family members. Therefore, the parents" support and assistance to their children do not stop before their children"s adulthood or having the independent income. However, for the nature of such assistance, the following points need to be distinguished:

1.父母对成年子女的经济帮助并不一定是赠与，也有可能是无息借款，而只是不设立借据。中国人认为家庭成员之间应当相互信任，对于经济事项的往来如果订立书面字据则显得有些计较、伤害感情，因此往往父母及子女之间发生借款行为，在缔约方式方面仅仅是口头表示。

1. The financial assistance from parents to adult children"s economic is not necessarily a gift, and it may be interest-free loans but without the receipt for a loan. Chinese people believe that family members should have mutual trust; for economic matters, it would be somewhat critical and hurting feelings if the written pledge is entered into. As a result, parents and children, more often than not, only verbally contracted in case of a borrowing.

2.即便是赠与，父母对子女的赠与也包含有要求子女履行赡养义务的期待，而并非不附条件的赠与。“养儿防老”是中国的一句俗谚，其意思正是指：父母对子女的教育、抚养、帮助，是寄希望于在父母自身衰老时，子女能够提供生活上及经济上的帮助。事实上在中国，父母年老衰弱时随子女共同生活，由子女在各个方面给予父母相应的照顾仍然是十分普遍的现象。相应地，中国法律对此也有规定，“受赠人有下列情形之一的，赠与人可以撤销赠与：（二）对赠与人有扶养义务而不履行”（《中华人民共和国合同法》第一百九十二条）。

2. Even for a gift from parents to their children, it also contains the expectation for the requirements that children should fulfill the duty of maintenance, instead of the gift without the conditions. As the Chinese proverb goes -- "bring up sons to support parents in their old age", and its meaning is: the education, support and assistance from parents to their children are offered in the hope that the children can provide assistance to life and economy when their parents are old and weak. In fact, it is still very common in China, when parents are old and weak, they would live with their children together so that children can take care of their parents in all aspects. Accordingly, the Chinese law also provides that "Circumstances Giving Rise to Revocation Right Where the donee is in any of the following circumstances, the donor may revoke the gift: (ii) failing to perform support obligations owed to the donor” (Article 192 of Contract Law of People"s Republic of China).

3. 对子女婚前购买房屋的帮助，仅仅是针对子女个人的帮助。

3. The assistance to buy a house before marriage of children is just the assistance for their children individually.

中国人对于房屋较为看重，子女成年后如要独立生活或与他人结婚组建家庭，拥有一套房屋被认为是必要的。当年轻子女没有条件独立购买房屋时，经济条件较好的父母也会提供相应的资金帮助。但无论是用于个人独立生活使用，还是为了结婚而准备，婚前父母对子女购买房屋提供的资金帮助，如无明确约定，均是对自己子女单方的帮助，而并没有针对子女未来的配偶的意思。对此中国法律也有相应规定，“当事人结婚前，父母为双方购置房屋出资的，该出资应当认定为对自己子女的个人赠与，但父母明确表示赠与双方的除外”（最高人民法院关于适用《中华人民共和国婚姻法》若干问题的解释(二)第二十二条），以及“婚后由一方父母出资为子女购买的不动产，产权登记在出资人子女名下的，可按照婚姻法第十八条第（三）项的规定，视为只对自己子女一方的赠与，该不动产应认定为夫妻一方的个人财产”（最高人民法院关于适用《中华人民共和国婚姻法》若干问题的解释(二)第七条）。

Chinese people value housing relatively more and it is considered as necessary if their children are to live independently or get married with others to form a family after adulthood. When young children do not have the conditions to buy their house independently, parents with better economic conditions will also provide the appropriate financial assistance. However, whether it is for personal use in the independent living, or to prepare for marriage, for parents’ financial assistance provided for their children’s purchase of house before marriage, if there is no clear agreement, it is always the unilateral assistance to their own children, and there’s no indication for the future spouse of their children. To this end, the Chinese law also has the corresponding provisions -- "prior to the marriage of the parties concerned, if the parents contributed capital for purchasing the housing for both parties, such capital contribution shall be identified as the personal gifts for their children, except those parents clearly indicate that the gift is for both parties” (Article 22 of Explanation of Certain Issues by Supreme People"s Court on the Application of Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China (II)), and "for the real estate purchased by the parents of one party after marriage, it can be deemed as the gift only to the children of their own, and such real estate shall be recognized as the personal property of one party of husband and wife in accordance with Article 18 (3) of Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China (Article 7 of Explanation of Certain Issues by Supreme People"s Court on the Application of Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China (II)).

4. 对子女个人的经济帮助和彩礼的区分问题。在中国一些地方确实还有婚前男方给予女方馈赠财物的陋习，但在城市这种习俗早已越来越淡化，且应注意以下几点：

4. The problem of distinguishing the financial assistance and betrothal gift to the children individually. In some places in China, there are indeed the corrupt customs for the groom’s side to give the property to the bride’s side as the gift. However, such custom has been fading out in the urban areas, but the following several points need to be noted:

（1）中国法律明文禁止借婚姻索要财物。《中华人民共和国婚姻法》第三条：“禁止包办、买卖婚姻和其他干涉婚姻自由的行为。禁止借婚姻索取财物。”

(1) It is expressly prohibited by Chinese law that the exaction of money or gifts in connection with marriage shall be prohibited. Article 3 of the Marriage Law of the People"s Republic of China provides: "Article 3 Marriage upon arbitrary decision by any third party, mercenary marriage and any other acts of interference in the freedom of marriage shall be prohibited. The exaction of money or gifts in connection with marriage shall be prohibited.

（2）彩礼是一方馈赠给另一方的，因此赠与的财物会交付受赠方，而不会交付给自己一方的子女。赠与的彩礼如果是钱或者动产，则会交付给受赠方；如果是不动产，则会将不动产登记在受赠方名下。

(2) The betrothal gift is sent by one party to the other party, so the sent property will be delivered to the recipient, instead of to their children. If the betrothal gift is money or movable property, it will be delivered to the recipient; if it is real estate, then it will be registered in the name of the recipient.

（3）彩礼的给付有特定的时机和特定的场合，一般是在订婚仪式上或订婚仪式前后，大多数时候还会有双方家庭成员之外的见证人。

(3) The payment of the betrothal gift has the specific timing and occasions, which is generally in the engagement ceremony or before and after the engagement ceremony; in most cases, there will be eyewitness other than the family members of both parties.

（4）彩礼的习俗虽然仍然在某些区域存在，但目前绝大多数人对彩礼的认识，已将其视为是一种表达友好、亲密的意思表示，而不同于过去含有向对方索要补偿的意思（因抚养女儿付出了心血、财物，而女儿出嫁至男方家就成为了男方家的家庭成员），因此现在彩礼的金额不会太大。

(4) Although the custom of the betrothal gifts still exists in some areas, the vast majority of people"s understanding of it has regarded it as a kind of expression of friendliness and intimateness, which is different from the meaning in the past -- to seek for compensation from the other party (as efforts and property have been paid for raising the daughter, and she would become the family member of the groom’s home after she got married), so now the amount of betrothal gift will not be too much.

以上中国父母帮助其成年子女的一些社会习俗及相关法律法规的情况，情予参考。

Some of the social customs and related laws and regulations on the Chinese parents in assisting their adult children stated above can be used for reference.

附相关法律条文：

The relevant legal provisions are attached as follows:

中华人民共和国婚姻法(2001修正){【发布部门】 全国人大常委会，【发布日期】 2001.04.28，【实施日期】 1981.01.01}

Marriage Law of the People"s Republic of China (Amended in 2001) {[Release Department] NPC Standing Committee, [Release Date] Apr. 28, 2001, [Implementation Date] Jan. 1, 1981}

第三条 禁止包办、买卖婚姻和其他干涉婚姻自由的行为。禁止借婚姻索取财物。

Article 3 Marriage upon arbitrary decision by any third party, mercenary marriage and any other acts of interference in the freedom of marriage shall be prohibited. The exaction of money or gifts in connection with marriage shall be prohibited.

最高人民法院关于适用《中华人民共和国婚姻法》若干问题的解释(二){【发布部门】 最高人民法院，【发文字号】 法释[2003]19号，【发布日期】 2003.12.25，【实施日期】 2004.04.01}

Explanation of Certain Issues by Supreme People"s Court on the Application of Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China (II){[Release Department] [Supreme People"s Court] [Document Release No.] Legal Interpretation [2003] No. 19 [Release Date] Dec. 25, 2003, [Date of Implementation] Apr. 1, 2004}

第二十二条　当事人结婚前，父母为双方购置房屋出资的，该出资应当认定为对自己子女的个人赠与，但父母明确表示赠与双方的除外。

Article 22 Prior to the marriage of the parties concerned, if the parents contributed capital for purchasing the housing for both parties, such capital contribution shall be identified as the personal gifts for their children, except those parents clearly indicate that the gift is for both parties.

最高人民法院关于适用《中华人民共和国婚姻法》若干问题的解释(三){【发布部门】 最高人民法院，【发文字号】 法释[2011]18号，【发布日期】 2011.08.09，【实施日期】 2011.08.13}

Explanation of Certain Issues by Supreme People"s Court on the Application of Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China (III){[Release Department] [Supreme People"s Court] [Document Release No.] Legal Interpretation [2011] No. 18 [Release Date] Aug. 9, 2011, [Date of Implementation] Aug. 13, 2011}

第七条　婚后由一方父母出资为子女购买的不动产，产权登记在出资人子女名下的，可按照婚姻法第十八条第（三）项的规定，视为只对自己子女一方的赠与，该不动产应认定为夫妻一方的个人财产。

Article 7 For the real estate purchased for children by the parents of one side after marriage, and the property rights are registered under the name of the children of the capital contributor, according to the provisions of Article 18 (3) of the Marriage Law, it shall be deemed as the gift for their own children, and such real estate shall be recognized as the personal property of one party of the spouse.

中华人民共和国合同法{【发布部门】 全国人民代表大会，【发文字号】 主席令第15号，【发布日期】 1999.03.15，【实施日期】 1999.10.01}

Contract Law of People"s Republic of China {[Release Department] National People"s Congress, [Document Release No.] Chairman"s Order No. 15, [Release Date] Mar. 15, 1999, [Implementation Date] Oct. 1, 1999}

第一百九十二条 受赠人有下列情形之一的，赠与人可以撤销赠与：

Article 192 Circumstances Giving Rise to Revocation Right Where the donee is in any of the following circumstances, the donor may revoke the gift:

(一) 严重侵害赠与人或者赠与人的近亲属；

(I) Seriously harming the donor or any immediate family member thereof;

（二）对赠与人有扶养义务而不履行；

(II) Failing to perform support obligations owed to the donor;

（三）不履行赠与合同约定的义务。

(III) Failing to perform the obligations under the contract.