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Level
[B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points)
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Similar to
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Used for
[Describing people](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Describing_people), [Expressing attitude](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_attitude)
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Keywords
[人家](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%B6), [别人](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%88%AB%E4%BA%BA)
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.
Contents --------  [hide]([# "wikilink")\] 
- [1 Both can mean "others"](#Both_can_mean_.22others.22 "wikilink") - [2 Multiple Meanings](#Multiple_Meanings "wikilink") - [2.1 人家 as "I" or "me"](#.E4.BA.BA.E5.AE.B6_as_.22I.22_or_.22me.22 "wikilink") - [2.2 人家 as "him" or "her"](#.E4.BA.BA.E5.AE.B6_as_.22him.22_or_.22her.22 "wikilink") - [2.3 人家 as "residents"](#.E4.BA.BA.E5.AE.B6_as_.22residents.22 "wikilink") - [3 Sources and further reading](#Sources_and_further_reading "wikilink") - [3.1 Books](#Books "wikilink") - [3.2 Dictionaries](#Dictionaries "wikilink")
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 。Wǒ bù zàihu *rénjia* zěnme shuō.I don't care about what other people say. - *别人* 怎么 想 我 怎么 知道 ?*Biérén* zěnme xiǎng wǒ zěnme zhīdào?How could I possibly know what other people are thinking? - 那 是 *人家* 的 事 ,你 管 那么 多 干嘛 ?Nà shì *rénjia* de shì, nǐ guǎn nàme duō gàn ma?That's other people's business. Why do you care so much?
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.
- 因为 *人家* 喜欢 你 啊 。Yīnwèi *rénjia* xǐhuan nǐ a.Because I like you! - 讨厌 !老是 拿 *人家* 开玩笑 。Tǎoyàn! Lǎo shì ná *rénjia* kāiwánxiào.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 。Nǐ kuài gěi *rénjia* dàoqiàn.Apologize to them now. - 你 看 *人家* 多 聪明 !Nǐ kàn *rénjia* duō cōngming!Look how smart he is!
### 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.
- 这个 小区 有 多少 **户** *人家* ?Zhège xiǎoqū yǒu duōshǎo **hù** *rénjiā*?How many household are here in this neighborhood? - 村子 里 现在 只 剩 十 **户** *人家* 了 。Cūnzi lǐ xiànzài zhī shèng shí **hù** *rénjiā* le.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](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) (pp. 81) \[ →buy\] - [现代汉语八百词(增订本)](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) (pp. 463) \[ →buy\] ### Dictionaries - [现代汉语词典(第5版)](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) (pp. 1145) [→buy](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)
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