Chinese word

私人

Pronunciation

Pinyinsī rén

Meaning

  • adjectivepersonal

Example

他有很多私人事务要处理。tā yǒu hěn duō sī rén shì wù yào chú lǐ

He has a lot of personal business to take care of.

Illustration for 私人 (personal)

More examples

这份报告包含一些私人信息，请不要外传。zhè fèn bào gào bāo hán yì xiē sī rén xìn xī qǐng bú yào wài zhuàn

This report includes some personal information, so please do not pass it on.

Core concept

The part of life kept within an individual's own sphere instead of shared publicly.

Common phrases

  • 私人信息sī rén xìn xī

    personal information

  • 私人空间sī rén kōng jiān

    private space

  • 私人事务sī rén shì wù

    personal matters

Similar words

个人的gè rén de: Related to one particular person or that person's private life rather than to a public matter.

Definition in Chinese

指不对外公开、属于个人控制或为个人使用的事物、空间或关系。zhǐ bú duì wài gōng kāi shǔ yú gè rén kòng zhì huò wèi gè rén shǐ yòng de shì wù kōng jiān huò guān xì

Word origin

The compound 私人 (sīrén, "personal") joins the idea of the self or private possession in 私 (sī, "private") with 人 (rén, "person"), giving it an individual rather than public focus.

Usage tips

  • In English, personal often describes a person or possession, while this adjective can also qualify a space, service, or arrangement that is not open to everyone.

Other meanings

  • personal businessnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 私人账户sī rén zhàng hùpersonal accountnoun
  • 私人住宅sī rén zhù zháiprivate residencenoun

Word lists with this word