Definitions

men (particle) plural marker for pronouns and personal nouns

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "们" derives from the traditional form "們", which structurally integrates the radical "人" indicating person with the component "門" functioning phonetically and perhaps notionally suggesting a gathering or collective. Initially used in a more general sense, it gradually grammaticalized into a plural suffix applied primarily to personal pronouns and some nouns, marking a shift from concrete collective references to an abstract plural function. Its simplified form "们" retains the same radical while modifying the phonetic element to "门", yet this structural adjustment did not alter its core grammatical role, reflecting a linguistic evolution where the character became firmly established as a plural marker in modern usage.

Example Sentences Hide

回家了。

Wǒmen huí jiā le.

We went home.

去学校吗?

Nǐmen qù xuéxiào ma?

Are you all going to school?

是我的朋友。

Tāmen shì wǒ de péngyǒu.

They are my friends.

孩子在公园玩。

Háizimen zài gōngyuán wán.

The children are playing in the park.

都喜欢这个地方。

Rénmen dōu xǐhuān zhège dìfāng.

People all like this place.

应该帮助需要帮助的人

Wǒmen yīnggāi bāngzhù xūyào bāngzhù de rénmen.

We should help people in need.

老师正在讨论新的教学方法。

Lǎoshīmen zhèngzài tǎolùn xīn de jiàoxué fāngfǎ.

The teachers are discussing new teaching methods.

当我相遇时,我都笑了。

Dāng wǒmen xiāngyù shí, wǒmen dōu xiào le.

When we met, we all smiled.