人家 and 别人: Are these just two ways to say “other people”?
Both “人家(rénjiā) ” and “别人(biérén) ” can refer to other people besides the speaker and the listener.
Examples:
xiǎo diǎn shēng, búyào yǐngxiǎng rénjiā xiūxi.
小点声，不要影响人家休息。
Keep your voice down, don’t disturb (other) people’s rest.
 |
xiǎo diǎn shēng, búyào yǐngxiǎng biérén xiūxi.
小点声，不要影响别人休息。
Keep your voice down, don’t disturb (other) people’s rest.
|
“别人(biérén) ” sometimes means other people, i.e. everyone except the speaker and the listener.
|
Example:
jiā lǐ chúle mǔqīn hé wǒ, méiyǒu biérén le.
家里除了母亲和我，没有别人了。
There is no one else in the house except my mother and me.
|
One usage of “人家 (rénjiā)” is to mean “him/her” or “them”, referring to specific people or a specific person.
|
Examples:
Xiǎo Míng de hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo! wǒmen yīnggāi xiàng rénjiā xuéxí.
小明的汉语说得很好！我们应该向人家学习。
Xiao Ming speaks Chinese very well! We should learn from him.
|
In this case “人家(rénjiā)” refers to “Xiǎo Míng”.
Another usage of “人家(rénjiā)” is to refer to the speaker herself – i.e. “me” or “I”. When used in this way, it is more intimate and is more often used by young women.
Example:
nǐ jiào rénjiā guòlái wán, yòu bù lǐ rénjiā, nǐ zhè shì shénme yìsi?
你叫人家过来玩，又不理人家，你这是什么意思？
You ask me to come and play but then you ignore me, what’s up with that?
|
Please choose the best answer to fill in the blank.
A.人家(rénjiā)
B.别人(biérén)
1.________dōu zǒule, nǐ wèishéme bù zǒu?
________都走了，你为什么不走？
|
2.nǐ màn yìdiǎn xíng bù xíng,________gēn bù shàng ma!
你慢一点行不行，________跟不上嘛！
|
3.jiàoshì lǐ chúle wǒ, méi yǒu________le.
教室里除了我，没有________了。
|
4.Xiǎo Míng fēicháng zìlǜ. wǒmen yīnggāi xiàng________xuéxí.
小明非常自律。我们应该向________学习。
|
You May Want to Learn More:
How to express different levels of understanding: 理解 VS 了解
When and How to Use “不 (Bù)” and “没 (Méi)” for Negative Meaning
“那儿(nàr)” vs. “哪儿(nǎr)” – Which One Should I Use?
