Second-order heirs take nothing while any first-order heir exists — ‘fairness’ meetings do not reorder the Code.
Statutory succession uses classes. If any first-order heir exists and accepts, second-order heirs do not inherit that estate. Inside a class, the starting point is equal shares, then adjustments: extra for those who lived with or supported the deceased, less for those who could have supported them and did not, and possible shares for non-heir dependants. Representation (代位继承) can put a grandchild in a dead child’s shoes in defined cases. This is the order machine. The heir-list names the people. Intestacy related guide explains when this machine runs.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Any accepting first-order heir?
If yes, stop at that class.
ClassRepresentation into a dead child’s share?
Grandchild facts.
StirpesEqual vs adjusted shares?
Carer / neglect overlays.
AdjustDid someone renounce?
Opens the class math.
RenounceWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
If the only child died first, do grandchildren take?
Often via representation. Bring the family tree to counsel; do not guess.
Do first-order heirs split with related pages?
No. related pages are second-order.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.