Comparison of "人家" and "别人"

In Chinese, both "人家" and "别人" refer to other people, but they are used in different contexts and convey slightly different nuances.

人家 (rénjiā)

"人家" is a pronoun or noun that generally refers to other people, but it carries a sense of intimacy or closeness. It can also refer to someone's home or family.

• For example: People are saying that they are going on vacation. - 人家说他们要去度假。(Rénjiā shuō tāmen yào qù dùjià.)
• For example: I heard it from other people. - 我是从人家那儿听说的。(Wǒ shì cóng rénjiā nà'er tīngshuō de.)

别人 (biérén)

"别人" is a pronoun that simply means other people or others. It is used in a more general or neutral sense, without the connotation of intimacy or closeness that "人家" may have.

• For example: Other people have already left. - 别人都已经走了。(Biérén dōu yǐjīng zǒu le.)
• For example: We should respect other people's opinions. - 我们应该尊重别人的意见。(Wǒmen yīnggāi zūnzhòng biérén de yìjiàn.)

Main Differences

• Definition: "人家" carries a sense of intimacy or closeness when referring to other people, while "别人" is more neutral and simply means other people or others.
• Usage: "人家" is used when there's a sense of familiarity or closeness with the other people being referred to, while "别人" is used in a more general or neutral sense.