About
你 (nǐ) is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side radical 亻 (rén) shows that the character's meaning relates to a person, while the right-side component 尔 (ěr) supplies its pronunciation. The phonetic 尔 is a simplified form of 爾, and some historical variants retain the traditional 爾. Created specifically to serve as the vernacular second-person singular pronoun "you", it replaced classical pronouns like 汝 (rǔ) and 爾 (ěr), mirroring shifts in spoken Chinese. This straightforward pairing of a semantic person marker with a phonetic element makes it a clear example of how new vernacular pronouns were formed.
Example Sentences Hide
你今天很忙吗？
你喜欢喝茶吗？
你经常去公园散步。
你如果来，我就告诉你。
你学中文学得很快。
你昨天买的书很有趣。
你被老师表扬了。
当你听到这个消息时，你会很高兴。
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