How to say “other people” in Chinese?
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.
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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.
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“别人(biérén) ” sometimes means other people, i.e. everyone except the speaker and the listener.
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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.
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One usage of “人家 (rénjiā)” is to mean “him/her” or “them”, referring to specific people or a specific person.
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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.
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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?
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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?
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2.nǐ màn yìdiǎn xíng bù xíng,________gēn bù shàng ma!
你慢一点行不行,________跟不上嘛!
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3.jiàoshì lǐ chúle wǒ, méi yǒu________le.
教室里除了我,没有________了。
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4.Xiǎo Míng fēicháng zìlǜ. wǒmen yīnggāi xiàng________xuéxí.
小明非常自律。我们应该向________学习。
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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?