For autodidact students of Mandarin, the pronoun 他们 (tāmen) — "they/them" — completes the third-person pronoun set introduced with 他 (he, Lesson 16). The plural suffix 们 (men) introduced in Lesson 21 applies here identically: 他 → 他们, 她 → 她们, 它 → 它们. All three are pronounced identically as tāmen in speech. The written distinction matters in formal and literary contexts; in everyday conversation the referent is clear from context.
他们 is invariant: the same form serves as subject (they went), object (I saw them), and with 的 as possessive (their house). There is no case distinction of the kind found in European languages.
Key Takeaways: - 他们 (tāmen): they/them [masculine or mixed gender] - 她们 (tāmen): they/them [feminine only] - 它们 (tāmen): they/them [non-human — animals, objects] - 他们的 (tāmen de): their - Same form for subject and object — no case change
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他们: 他 (tā) contains 亻(the person radical) + 也 (yě, also — phonetic component). 们 (men) contains 亻+ 门 (mén, gate — phonetic component). The person radical 亻in both characters confirms that this pronoun refers to people. Compare 它们 (they, non-human): 它 replaces the 亻-based 他 with a different radical structure (宀roof + 匕) — a visual signal that the referent is not human.
Writing practice: 他 and 她 differ by only one radical — the left component. 他 has 亻(person); 她 has 女 (nǚ, woman). In fast handwriting these can look very similar. The difference matters in professional and literary writing.
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24.1a 他们 they 是 are 同学 classmates
24.1b (tāmen) they (shì) are (tóngxué) classmates
24.2a 我 I 认识 know-ACQUAINT 他们 them 很多年 many-years 了 PERF
24.2b (wǒ) I (rènshi) know-ACQUAINT (tāmen) them (hěn duō nián) many-years (le) PERF
24.3a 他们 they 都 all 很 very 努力 hardworking
24.3b (tāmen) they (dōu) all (hěn) very (nǔlì) hardworking
24.4a 他们的 their 家 home 在 is-at 北京 Beijing
24.4b (tāmen de) their (jiā) home (zài) is-at (Běijīng) Beijing
24.5a 我 I 给 to 他们 them 发 sent 了 PERF 一条 one-CL 消息 message
24.5b (wǒ) I (gěi) to (tāmen) them (fā) sent (le) PERF (yī tiáo) one-CL (xiāoxi) message
24.6a 他们 they 两个人 two-people 吵架 quarrelled 了 PERF
24.6b (tāmen) they (liǎng gè rén) two-people (chāojià) quarrelled (le) PERF
24.7a 昨天 yesterday 他们 they 来 came 了 PERF 我家 my-home
24.7b (zuótiān) yesterday (tāmen) they (lái) came (le) PERF (wǒ jiā) my-home
24.8a 大家 everyone 都 all 在 PROG 等 wait 他们 them
24.8b (dàjiā) everyone (dōu) all (zài) PROG (děng) wait (tāmen) them
24.9a 她们 they-FEM 三个 three-CL 是 are 最好 best 的 DE 朋友 friends
24.9b (tāmen) they-FEM (sān gè) three-CL (shì) are (zuì hǎo) best (de) DE (péngyou) friends
24.10a 我 I 不 not 知道 know 他们 they 什么时候 when 回来 return
24.10b (wǒ) I (bù) not (zhīdào) know (tāmen) they (shénme shíhou) when (huílái) return
24.11a 他们 their 的 DE 想法 idea 和 and 我 my 的 DE 不 not 一样 same
24.11b (tāmen) their (de) DE (xiǎngfǎ) idea (hé) and (wǒ) my (de) DE (bù) not (yīyàng) same
24.12a 老师 teacher 让 made 他们 them 重新 again 做 do 一遍 one-time-through
24.12b (lǎoshī) teacher (ràng) made (tāmen) them (chóngxīn) again (zuò) do (yī biàn) one-time-through
24.13a 他们 they 互相 mutually 学习 learn ， , 共同 together 进步 progress
24.13b (tāmen) they (hùxiāng) mutually (xuéxí) learn (gòngtóng) together (jìnbù) progress
24.14a 我 I 希望 hope 他们 they 一切 everything 都 all 好 good
24.14b (wǒ) I (xīwàng) hope (tāmen) they (yīqiè) everything (dōu) all (hǎo) good
24.15a 他们 they 走过 walked-through 的 DE 路 road ， , 我们 we 也 also 会 will 走 walk
24.15b (tāmen) they (zǒuguò) walked-through (de) DE (lù) road (wǒmen) we (yě) also (huì) will (zǒu) walk
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24.1 他们是同学。 "They are classmates."
24.2 我认识他们很多年了。 "I have known them for many years."
24.3 他们都很努力。 "They are all very hardworking."
24.4 他们的家在北京。 "Their home is in Beijing."
24.5 我给他们发了一条消息。 "I sent them a message."
24.6 他们两个人吵架了。 "The two of them quarrelled."
24.7 昨天他们来了我家。 "Yesterday they came to my home."
24.8 大家都在等他们。 "Everyone is waiting for them."
24.9 她们三个是最好的朋友。 "The three of them are best friends."
24.10 我不知道他们什么时候回来。 "I don't know when they will come back."
24.11 他们的想法和我的不一样。 "Their ideas are not the same as mine."
24.12 老师让他们重新做一遍。 "The teacher made them do it again from the beginning."
24.13 他们互相学习，共同进步。 "They learn from each other and progress together."
24.14 我希望他们一切都好。 "I hope everything is well with them."
24.15 他们走过的路，我们也会走。 "The road they have walked, we will walk too."
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24.1 他们是同学。 24.2 我认识他们很多年了。 24.3 他们都很努力。 24.4 他们的家在北京。 24.5 我给他们发了一条消息。 24.6 他们两个人吵架了。 24.7 昨天他们来了我家。 24.8 大家都在等他们。 24.9 她们三个是最好的朋友。 24.10 我不知道他们什么时候回来。 24.11 他们的想法和我的不一样。 24.12 老师让他们重新做一遍。 24.13 他们互相学习，共同进步。 24.14 我希望他们一切都好。 24.15 他们走过的路，我们也会走。
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These are the grammar rules for 他们 (tāmen) — "they/them":
The three 他们 in writing: All three third-person plural pronouns are pronounced tāmen identically. The distinction exists only in writing and signals the gender or humanity of the referent:
- 他们 (tāmen): masculine or mixed-gender group — the default; used when gender is unspecified - 她们 (tāmen): an exclusively female group — the 女 (woman) radical in 她 carries through to 她们 - 它们 (tāmen): non-human referents — animals, objects, abstract entities
Quantity specification with 他们: When specifying how many "they" refers to, add number + measure word immediately after 他们: 他们两个人 (the two of them), 她们三个 (the three of them). This is a natural and common construction in Chinese, where the pronoun is made precise by specifying its membership.
一遍 (yī biàn) versus 一次 (yī cì): Both measure words count occurrences, but with different emphasis. 遍 (biàn) stresses completion of a full process from beginning to end: 再做一遍 = "do it again all the way through." 次 (cì) counts individual instances without emphasising completeness: 去了一次 = "went once." When a teacher says 重新做一遍, she means the student must redo the entire thing, not just part of it.
和…的不一样 (hé…de bù yīyàng): "not the same as" — a comparative structure. 他们的想法和我的不一样 = "Their ideas and mine are not the same." The 的 after 我 stands for the full noun phrase 我的想法 — the possessive particle stands in for the elided noun. This ellipsis is natural and common: 你的书比我的贵 (Your book is more expensive than mine [my book]).
他们走过的路 (tāmen zǒuguò de lù): a relative clause built with 的 — "the road that they have walked." Structure: [subject + verb] + 的 + noun. The entire phrase 他们走过 (they have walked through) modifies 路 (road) via 的. Chinese relative clauses always precede the noun they modify, unlike in English.
Common Mistakes: - Confusing 他们 and 她们 in writing — particularly in formal documents where the gender of the group is known - Using 他们们 or other double-plural forms — 们 is added once only - Misapplying 遍 and 次 — 做一遍 (do it through once) versus 做了一次 (did it once)
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他们走过的路，我们也会走 — "The road they have walked, we will walk too." This sentence-type appears constantly in Chinese speeches about predecessors, revolutionaries, teachers, and ancestors. 他们 in this collective-historical register does not point at specific absent individuals but at the preceding generation as a whole. The pronoun becomes a way of linking the present to the past, of asserting continuity.
In Chinese family culture, 他们 is also the pronoun of parental authority when addressed to children: 他们说要早睡 (They [your parents] said to sleep early). The third person creates a respectful distance — parents are referred to as 他们 rather than addressed directly in some family discourse, particularly when one parent relays the other's instruction.
The phrase 他们俩 (tāmen liǎ) — "the two of them" — using the colloquial 俩 (liǎ, two people) rather than 两个人, is warm and intimate, used for couples, close friends, siblings. 俩 is a fusion of 两个, used only with people and only in informal contexts.
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鲁迅 (Lǔ Xùn), 《故乡》— My Old Home, 1921 — closing lines
Lu Xun's story ends with the narrator on a boat leaving his childhood village, thinking of the next generation — 他们. These are among the most celebrated sentences in modern Chinese literature.
他们应该有新的生活，为我们所未经生活过的。
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
他们 (tāmen) they 应该 (yīnggāi) should 有 (yǒu) have 新的 (xīn de) new 生活 (shēnghuó) life ，
为 (wèi) as [CLASSICAL] 我们 (wǒmen) we 所 (suǒ) [NOMINALIZER] 未经 (wèi jīng) not-yet-experienced 生活过的 (shēnghuó guò de) lived-EXP-DE
F-B: Authentic Text with Translation
他们应该有新的生活，为我们所未经生活过的。
"They should have a new life — one that we have never lived."
F-C: Authentic Text Only
他们应该有新的生活，为我们所未经生活过的。
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
为…所 (wèi…suǒ): a classical passive construction absorbed into modern literary Chinese. 为我们所未经生活过的 = "[a life] not yet experienced by us." 所 nominalises the following verb phrase, creating an embedded clause that modifies 生活 (life).
未经 (wèi jīng): "not yet having gone through / never having experienced" — 未 is the classical/literary negation equivalent to modern 还没有 (not yet). It appears in set phrases and formal writing: 前所未有 (unprecedented — literally "not yet had before").
生活过的 (shēnghuó guò de): 生活 (live/life) + 过 (experiential aspect marker — something done at some time before) + 的 (nominaliser, turning the verb phrase into a modifier). The 的 here creates a relative clause modifying the implied 生活 of the main clause.
F-E: Literary Commentary
Lu Xun places 他们 at the beginning of the sentence — the children, the next generation — and makes them the subject of 应该有 (should have). The narrator has no such life to offer from his own experience: 为我们所未经生活过的 (one we have never lived). The pronoun 他们 carries all of the story's hope. Everything the narrator has witnessed — the decay of the village, the estrangement from childhood friends, the weight of class and circumstance — is offered up in exchange for this sentence: they should have what we did not. 他们 is not just a pronoun here; it is the entire point of the story.
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A portrait of an elderly couple — Mr and Mrs Zhang — who have been married for fifty years. The narrative uses 他们 throughout: as subject, as object, as possessive, and in the closing lines as a symbol of something larger than two people.
24.16a 他们 they 认识 have-known-ACQUAINT 已经 already 五十年 fifty-years 了 PERF
24.16b (tāmen) they (rènshi) have-known-ACQUAINT (yǐjīng) already (wǔshí nián) fifty-years (le) PERF
24.17a 当年 at-that-time 他们 they 在 at 同一个 same-one-CL 工厂 factory 工作 worked
24.17b (dāngnián) at-that-time (tāmen) they (zài) at (tóng yī gè) same-one-CL (gōngchǎng) factory (gōngzuò) worked
24.18a 他们的 their 相识 meeting ， , 是 is 一段 one-CL 缘分 fate
24.18b (tāmen de) their (xiāngshí) meeting (shì) is (yī duàn) one-CL (yuánfèn) fate
24.19a 他们 they 一起 together 经历 experienced 了 PERF 很多 many 困难 difficulties
24.19b (tāmen) they (yīqǐ) together (jīnglì) experienced (le) PERF (hěn duō) many (kùnnán) difficulties
24.20a 子女 children 问 asked 他们 them 长寿 longevity 的 DE 秘诀 secret
24.20b (zǐnǚ) children (wèn) asked (tāmen) them (cháng shòu) longevity (de) DE (mìjué) secret
24.21a 他们 they 相视 looked-at-each-other 而 and 笑 smiled ， , 没有 not-have 回答 answered
24.21b (tāmen) they (xiāng shì) looked-at-each-other (ér) and (xiào) smiled (méiyǒu) not-have (huídá) answered
24.22a 邻居 neighbours 都 all 说 say 他们 they 是 are 最幸福 happiest 的 DE 一对 one-pair
24.22b (línjū) neighbours (dōu) all (shuō) say (tāmen) they (shì) are (zuì xìngfú) happiest (de) DE (yī duì) one-pair
24.23a 他们 they 从不 never 大声 loudly 吵架 quarrel
24.23b (tāmen) they (cóng bù) never (dà shēng) loudly (chāojià) quarrel
24.24a 有 have 分歧 disagreement 时 when ， , 他们 they 各自 each 说完 finish-saying ， , 再 then 一起 together 想 think 办法 solution
24.24b (yǒu) have (fēnqí) disagreement (shí) when (tāmen) they (gèzì) each (shuō wán) finish-saying (zài) then (yīqǐ) together (xiǎng) think (bànfǎ) solution
24.25a 他们的 their 孩子 children 都 all 在 in 外地 elsewhere 工作 work ， , 但 but 常 often 回来 return 看 visit 他们 them
24.25b (tāmen de) their (háizi) children (dōu) all (zài) in (wàidì) elsewhere (gōngzuò) work (dàn) but (cháng) often (huílái) return (kàn) visit (tāmen) them
24.26a 他们 they 说 say ： : "孩子 children 孝顺 filial ， , 就是 exactly-is 我们 our 最大 greatest 的 DE 幸福 happiness 。"
24.26b (tāmen) they (shuō) say (háizi) children (xiàoshùn) filial (jiùshì) exactly-is (wǒmen) our (zuì dà) greatest (de) DE (xìngfú) happiness
24.27a 每天 every-day 早上 morning 他们 they 一起 together 去 go 公园 park 散步 walk
24.27b (měitiān) every-day (zǎoshang) morning (tāmen) they (yīqǐ) together (qù) go (gōngyuán) park (sànbù) walk
24.28a 公园 park 里 inside 所有人 everyone 都 all 认识 know-ACQUAINT 他们 them
24.28b (gōngyuán lǐ) park-inside (suǒyǒu rén) everyone (dōu) all (rènshi) know-ACQUAINT (tāmen) them
24.29a 他们 they 用 with 一生 lifetime 证明 proved 了 PERF 爱情 love 可以 can 很简单 very-simple
24.29b (tāmen) they (yòng) with (yī shēng) lifetime (zhèngmíng) proved (le) PERF (àiqíng) love (kěyǐ) can (hěn jiǎndān) very-simple
24.30a 他们的 their 故事 story ， , 就是 exactly-is 平凡 ordinary 生活 life 里 inside 最美 most-beautiful 的 DE 诗 poem
24.30b (tāmen de) their (gùshi) story (jiùshì) exactly-is (píngfán) ordinary (shēnghuó) life (lǐ) inside (zuì měi) most-beautiful (de) DE (shī) poem
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24.16 他们认识已经五十年了。 "They have known each other for fifty years already."
24.17 当年他们在同一个工厂工作。 "Back then they worked in the same factory."
24.18 他们的相识，是一段缘分。 "Their meeting was a matter of fate."
24.19 他们一起经历了很多困难。 "They experienced many difficulties together."
24.20 子女问他们长寿的秘诀。 "Their children asked them the secret of their longevity."
24.21 他们相视而笑，没有回答。 "They looked at each other and smiled, without answering."
24.22 邻居都说他们是最幸福的一对。 "The neighbours all say they are the happiest couple."
24.23 他们从不大声吵架。 "They never quarrel loudly."
24.24 有分歧时，他们各自说完，再一起想办法。 "When there is disagreement, each says their piece, then they think of a solution together."
24.25 他们的孩子都在外地工作，但常回来看他们。 "Their children all work elsewhere, but often come back to visit them."
24.26 他们说："孩子孝顺，就是我们最大的幸福。" "They say: 'Our children's filial devotion is our greatest happiness.'"
24.27 每天早上他们一起去公园散步。 "Every morning they go to the park for a walk together."
24.28 公园里所有人都认识他们。 "Everyone in the park knows them."
24.29 他们用一生证明了爱情可以很简单。 "They proved with their lifetimes that love can be very simple."
24.30 他们的故事，就是平凡生活里最美的诗。 "Their story is the most beautiful poem in an ordinary life."
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24.16 他们认识已经五十年了。 24.17 当年他们在同一个工厂工作。 24.18 他们的相识，是一段缘分。 24.19 他们一起经历了很多困难。 24.20 子女问他们长寿的秘诀。 24.21 他们相视而笑，没有回答。 24.22 邻居都说他们是最幸福的一对。 24.23 他们从不大声吵架。 24.24 有分歧时，他们各自说完，再一起想办法。 24.25 他们的孩子都在外地工作，但常回来看他们。 24.26 他们说："孩子孝顺，就是我们最大的幸福。" 24.27 每天早上他们一起去公园散步。 24.28 公园里所有人都认识他们。 24.29 他们用一生证明了爱情可以很简单。 24.30 他们的故事，就是平凡生活里最美的诗。
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相视而笑 (xiāng shì ér xiào): a classical four-character expression — "look at each other and smile." 相 (mutually/each-other) + 视 (gaze) + 而 (classical conjunction "and/then") + 笑 (smile). While 而 is a classical connector rarely used in everyday speech, it appears frequently in set expressions, giving them a slightly formal, literary quality. These four-character structures (成语 chéngyǔ, or set expressions) are a hallmark of educated Chinese writing.
各自说完，再一起想办法 (gèzì shuō wán, zài yīqǐ xiǎng bànfǎ): 各自 (each, on their own) + 说完 (finish saying) — each person completes their own statement independently. Then 再 (then/and then, in sequence) + 一起 (together) + 想办法 (think of a solution). The sequence 各自…再一起 (each separately…then together) captures a specific rhythm of mature disagreement: full expression followed by collaborative resolution.
用一生证明了 (yòng yī shēng zhèngmíng le): 用 (use/with, instrumental) + 一生 (a lifetime) + 证明 (prove) + 了 (perfective). "Proved [something] by means of a lifetime." 用 here functions as an instrumental preposition: the lifetime is the instrument of proof. This structure — 用 + means + verb — is elegant and common in literary Chinese: 用行动证明 (prove through action), 用时间换取 (exchange with time).
缘分 (yuánfèn): "fate / predestined connection" — a concept central to Chinese thinking about relationships. 缘 (karmic connection/destiny) + 分 (portion/share). The idea is that meaningful relationships are not accidental but pre-ordained — two people who meet and connect have 缘分. The concept appears in wedding speeches, in descriptions of friendship, and in explanations of why strangers feel instantly at ease. It draws on Buddhist ideas of karmic interdependence.
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他们 (tāmen) — IPA: /tʰa˥.mən/
他 (tā): first tone — high and level [tʰa˥]. The aspirated alveolar stop tʰ is followed by the open vowel a, held at a steady high pitch. No rise, no fall.
们 (men): neutral tone — short, light, unstressed [mən]. The vowel reduces to a schwa [ə] and the syllable is absorbed into the rhythm of speech. After a first-tone syllable, the neutral tone tends to be at mid-low pitch.
他们, 她们, 它们 in speech: all three are identical — /tʰa˥.mən/. A native speaker hearing 他们 in isolation cannot distinguish which "tāmen" it is. The referent is always established by context or the preceding characters in writing.
Contrast with 他 alone: in 他们, the first syllable 他 may be pronounced with a slightly shortened first tone because it is followed by an unstressed syllable. In careful or emphatic speech the full first tone is maintained.
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