Chinese word

人类

Pronunciation

Pinyinrén lèi

Meaning

  • nounhumanity

Example

人类需要保护环境。rén lèi xū yào bǎo hù huán jìng

Humanity needs to protect the environment.

Illustration for 人类 (humanity)

More examples

保护环境是为了保护人类的生活和未来。bǎo hù huán jìng shì wèi le bǎo hù rén lèi de shēng huó hé wèi lái

Protecting the environment is meant to protect the lives of human beings and the future of humanity.

Core concept

Human beings seen together as a single species whose shared life has developed across history.

Common phrases

  • 保护人类bǎo hù rén lèi

    protect humanity

  • 人类的未来rén lèi de wèi lái

    the future of humanity

  • 人类的生活rén lèi de shēng huó

    the lives of human beings

Similar words

人们rén men: A group of people viewed together in a particular situation.
人民rén mín: The citizens of a country or political system considered as a whole.
人口rén kǒu: The number of people who live in a particular place or country.

Definition in Chinese

泛指全体人类，侧重作为同一物种的生物属性与共同的文明史，常用于讨论人类普遍性或全球性的问题。fàn zhǐ quán tǐ rén lèi cè zhòng zuò wéi tóng yí wù zhǒng de shēng wù shǔ xìng yǔ gòng tóng de wén míng shǐ cháng yòng yú tǎo lùn rén lèi pǔ biàn xìng huò quán qiú xìng de wèn tí

Word origin

人 (rén, "person") + 类 (lèi, "kind or category") forms a word for the human species as a whole.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this noun usually frames people as a species or civilization, so it suits discussions of climate, technology, and the future more than a particular group.

Other meanings

  • human beingnoun

Word lists with this word