This systematic literature review examines the linguistic mediation of power in modern Chinese mother - in - law/daughter - in - law (MIL - DIL) conflicts, focusing on syntactic structures and rhetorical strategies. Rooted in Confucian hierarchies but transformed by rapid social change, this familial relationship represents a critical site of intergenerational tension and negotiation. Despite its significance, the systematic linguistic analysis of how discourse encodes and negotiates power in these conflicts remains underdeveloped. To address this gap, this study conducts a qualitative systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines, synthesizing findings from 11 eligible studies (2011–2025) retrieved from CNKI and Scopus. The analysis reveals that conflict discourse is syntactically dominated by interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. Interrogatives—particularly rhetorical questions—function not merely to seek information but serve as the primary means for indirect power assertion and covert negotiation. Rhetorically, speakers strategically employ a combination of confrontational and restraining devices: rhetorical questions and irony are predominant, while euphemism, metaphor, and self - deprecation facilitate indirect challenges to authority, reflecting a characteristically high - context approach to facework and relational management. Although traditional power asymmetries persist, with mothers - in - law often invoking normative and historical authority, the findings highlight a discernible shift: daughters - in - law are increasingly utilizing both direct and indirect linguistic strategies to assert autonomy and renegotiate domestic roles. This linguistic evolution signals deeper sociocultural transformations within the Chinese family. The study concludes that discourse plays a constitutive role in reshaping intergenerational authority and offers practical insights for family counseling and intercultural communication. However, the field’s heavy reliance on fictional television dialogues underscores a significant methodological limitation. Future research should prioritize naturalistic interactional data and employ advanced syntactic and discourse - analytic modeling to enhance ecological validity and theoretical applicability.