他
(third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2])
Closest English meanings
he·him·other·another
The Calligrapher — Zhèng Fú 郑簠
Qing clerical-script pioneer who revived Han steles, hailed 'first in clerical of all ages'.
Qing calligrapher (), master of clerical script — known for 清隶复兴先驱. Qing dynasty
Cultural Story
他 is 人 with 也, originally the other, the elsewhere, a third party before it settled as the masculine he. The 說文 reads it as another, a different place. 他人 is the stranger; 他日 the day that is not today. The character began as distance, the other person, the other time, and only later put on a male face in grammar.
Common words & phrases
- 他们 they · them
- 其他 other · others · else
- 他日 some other day · future
- 他人 others · other people
Read the story behind the character
他们 is the plural pronoun; 其他 the other box you tick. 他日 is the formal some other day; 他人 the others you should not wrong. The character is the third party, the not-me, now gendered male in standard use while 她 handles she. It still carries the old sense of the elsewhere, the other person, the day that has not arrived, the someone not in the room.
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