Chinese word

人

Pronunciation

Pinyinrén

Meaning

  • nounperson

Example

这儿有很多人。zhèr yǒu hěn duō rén

There are many people here.

Illustration for 人 (person)

More examples

门口只有一个人在等。mén kǒu zhí yǒu yí gè rén zài děng

Only one person is waiting at the door.

Core concept

One human being seen as a single individual.

Common phrases

  • 一个人yí gè rén

    one person

  • 好人hǎo rén

    good person

  • 很多人hěn duō rén

    many people

Similar words

人们rén men: People as a group, including the speaker or listener when appropriate.
别人bié rén: Other people apart from the speaker or the person being discussed.
个人gè rén: A single person viewed as a separate individual.
大家dà jiā: Everyone in a group, spoken of or addressed in a friendly, familiar way.

Definition in Chinese

指单独的人的个体，表示一个具体的人或泛指某个人。zhǐ dān dú de rén de gè tǐ biǎo shì yí gè jù tǐ de rén huò fàn zhǐ mǒu gè rén

Word origin

The character 人 (rén, "person") is an ancient pictograph whose simple form represents a human figure.

Usage tips

  • When counting people in everyday Chinese, a number usually takes 个 (gè, "general classifier") before 人 (rén, "person").

Word lists with this word