Comparing "renjia" and "bieren"
When referring to other people, we can use both the words 人家 (rénjia) and 别人 (biérén). But 人家 has additional grammatical uses which we will explore in this article.
Contents
Both can mean "others"
人家 and 别人 both refer to others besides the speaker and the listener. However, 人家 is more colloquial.
人家 and 别人 are interchangeable in these sentences below.
- 我 不 在乎 人家 怎么 说 。I don't care about what other people say.
- 别人 怎么 想 我 怎么 知道 ？How could I know what other people are thinking?
- 那 是 人家 的 事 ，你 管 那么 多 干嘛 ？That's other people's business. Why get involved?
Additional Uses of 人家
For these additional uses of 人家, it would be incorrect to use 别人.
人家 as "I" or "me"
人家 can be used to refer to yourself, and it is often used this way by women, giving it a sort of girly, shy, tender feeling.
- 因为 人家 喜欢 你 啊 。Because I like you!
- 讨厌 ！老是 拿 人家 开玩笑 。You are so annoying! You're always making fun of me.
人家 as "him" or "her"
人家 can also refer to someone previously referred to (in the context of the conversation or body of text) or it can refer to a certain someone that both the speaker and listener know.
- 你 快 给 人家 道歉 。Apologize to them now.
- 你 看 人家 多 聪明 ！Look how smart he is!
人家 as "residents"
人家 can also refer to households. In this case, it's pronounced as "rénjiā" rather than "rénjia." This use is going to be the least common in everyday spoken Chinese.
- 这个 小区 有 多少 户 人家 ？How many households are here in this neighborhood?
- 村子 里 现在 只 剩 十 户 人家 了 。There are only ten households left in this village.
Sources and further reading
Books
- 对外汉语教学语法释疑201例 (pp. 81) [ →buy]
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 463) [ →buy]
- 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 211) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 1145) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy
