人家: third-person/distancing pronoun
人家 (rénjia) is a casual pronoun that can mean other people, a specific person already known (he or she), or, coyly, the speaker herself or himself. Which one is meant depends on context, and it is used in speech.
> 人家都交了，就你没交。 — Everyone else handed in; only you didn't.
Use 2 — That person / he / she (sympathetic or admiring)
Refers to a specific, known third party — often defends or praises them.
> 你别笑她——人家很努力了。 — Don't laugh at her; she's tried really hard.
Use 3 — I / me (first-person, colloquial)
Speaker refers to themselves with mild indignation or coyness.
> 人家才不想去！ — I don't want to go!
Key contrasts
| Word | Meaning | Notes |
|------|---------|-------|
| 人家 | others / that person / I | Colloquial, pointed, emotional |
| 别人 | other people | Neutral |
| 大家 | everyone (incl. speaker) | Neutral |
| 他 / 她 | he / she | Plain pronoun |
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 人家都交作业了，就你一个人没交。 | Rénjiā dōu jiāo zuòyè le, jiù nǐ yī gè rén méi jiāo. | Everyone else has handed in their homework; you're the only one who hasn't. | Use 1: 人家 = 'other people', contrasted pointedly with 'you' (就你). |
| 你别批评她，人家已经尽力了。 | Nǐ bié pīpíng tā, rénjiā yǐjīng jìnlì le. | Don't criticize her — she has already done her best. | Use 2 introduced: 人家 = 'that person (her)', used to sympathetically defend a specific third party. |
| 人家才不想去那种地方呢！ | Rénjiā cái bù xiǎng qù nà zhǒng dìfang ne! | I don't want to go to a place like that! | Use 3 introduced: 人家 = 'I/me', speaker expresses mild indignation in colloquial style. |
| 你看人家小明，每次考试都是第一名。 | Nǐ kàn rénjiā Xiǎo Míng, měi cì kǎoshì dōu shì dì yī míng. | Look at Xiao Ming — he's first place every single exam. | Use 2 extended: 人家 + name singles out a specific person admiringly as a comparison. New element: 人家 can precede a name. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
人家 (rénjia)
A casual pronoun meaning other people, that person, or (coyly) "I".
Structure: 人家 + verb phrase
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你怎么还没起床？人家都已经到公司了。 | Nǐ zěn me hái méi qǐ chuáng? Rén jia dōu yǐ jīng dào gōng sī le. | Why are you still in bed? Everyone else is already at the office. |
| 这件事不能怪他，人家也是为了你好。 | Zhè jiàn shì bù néng guài tā, rén jia yě shì wèi le nǐ hǎo. | Don't blame him for this. He meant well. |
| 你快点儿来嘛，人家等你好久了。 | Nǐ kuài diǎnr lái ma, rén jia děng nǐ hǎo jiǔ le. | Hurry up, I have been waiting for you for ages. |
Not: 人家们都已经走了。 人家 has no plural form with 们. Say 别人都已经走了 or 人家都已经走了.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 6, pronouns (人称代词).
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
Questions about 人家
What does 人家 mean in Chinese?
人家 (rénjia) is a casual pronoun that can mean other people, a specific person already known (he or she), or, coyly, the speaker herself or himself. Which one is meant depends on context, and it is used in speech. It is an HSK 4 grammar point.
How do you use 人家 in a sentence?
人家都交作业了，就你一个人没交。 — Rénjiā dōu jiāo zuòyè le, jiù nǐ yī gè rén méi jiāo. — Everyone else has handed in their homework; you're the only one who hasn't. Use 1: 人家 = 'other people', contrasted pointedly with 'you' (就你).
What do you need to know before 人家?
Question Words as Non-Questions (HSK 3). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
How do I know which meaning 人家 has?
Use the context. If the speaker is comparing with you, it means "other people": 人家都做完了. If it points at a known person, it means "he or she". If the speaker is talking about themselves in a soft, complaining tone, it means "I".
Is 人家 polite?
It is casual spoken Chinese. Use it with friends and family, and avoid it in writing and in formal talk.
人家 is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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