Third-person pronouns in Chinese: “他, 她, 它”

The most common pronouns in English are "he, she, and it." In the Chinese language, those three become the following: 他, 她, and 它. They are all pronounced "tā."

英语里最常见的代词有"he"、"she"和"it"，而中文里，这三者分别是"他"、"她"和"它"。这些字的发音都是"tā"。

他 (tā): This is the most frequently used pronoun. Even though it's used in place of "him," it is somewhat of a gender-neutral pronoun. It can be used when the gender of a certain person is unclear, such as:

他：这是最常用的代词。虽然这是表示"him"的中文字。不过，在某种情况下，“他”是中性代词，可不分性别。当不清楚某人的性别时可以使用这个字，比如：

他会弹钢琴吗？

tā huì tán gāng qín ma?

Does he or she play piano?

It is also used as "they/them" in "他们" (tā men).

表示"they"或"them"的时候也可以用"他们"。

她 (tā): equivalent to "she/her."

她：相当于"she"或"her"。

它 (tā): Equivalent to "it." This often refers to objects or animals.

它：相当于"it"。这经常用于指代物体或动物。

Generally, the context of the sentence will help you determine the gender of the speaker or subject. This is not always the case, however. When in doubt, stick with "他."

一般而言，句子的语境有助于你判断说话者的性别，不过这不是绝对的。不确定的话就只用"他"。

Since all pronouns have the same pronunciation (tā), you may be wondering: "How can I tell what gender the person is referring to in a listening exercise?" Indeed, if you hear the word tā, it may be difficult to conclude if the speaker is talking about a boy, a girl, or an animal. However, as we mentioned, you can usually make an educated guess based on context.

既然所有的代词都是同样的发音tā，那你就有疑问了：“究竟在听力练习中该如何判断人物的性别呢？” 确实，要是你听到tā，很难判断说话者是在谈论男孩、女孩或是动物。不过，如上所述，通常你可以根据语境据理推测。

Translated from: tutorming