When describing others, we can use the word 人家 (rénjia) or 别人 (biérén). But 人家 also has other grammatical uses, which we will explore in this article. == 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. == Multiple Meanings == === 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. === 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. === 人家 as "residents" === 人家 can also refer to households. In this case, it's pronounced as "rénjiā." This use is going to be the least common in everyday spoken Chinese. == Sources and further reading == === Books === * [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%AF%B9%E5%A4%96%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E6%95%99%E5%AD%A6%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E9%87%8A%E7%96%91201%E4%BE%8B 对外汉语教学语法释疑201例] (pp. 81) [ →buy] * [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89 现代汉语八百词（增订本）] (pp. 463) [ →buy] === Dictionaries === * [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC5%E7%89%88%EF%BC%89 现代汉语词典（第5版）] (pp. 1145) [http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693609&sr=8-1 →buy]