Meaning of 私人
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- private
- personal
- interpersonal
- sb with whom one has a close personal relationship
- a member of one's clique
How to use 私人
私人 is most often used before a noun to mean private or personal, as in 私人医生 (sīrén yīshēng, private doctor) or 私人空间 (sīrén kōngjiān, personal space). It can also describe relationships between individuals, such as 私人关系 (sīrén guānxi, personal relationship). Example: 这是我的私人问题。(Zhè shì wǒ de sīrén wèntí.) This is my personal matter.
私 (sī) means private or one's own, and 人 (rén) means person. Together 私人 is "one's own person," so think of things that belong to you as a person and not to the public.
Common mistake: Learners often use 私人 where 个人 (gèrén) fits better. 个人 is used for personal opinions, as in 我个人认为 (wǒ gèrén rènwéi, I personally think). 私人 stresses private as opposed to public or shared, so 私人认为 sounds wrong.
私人 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
私 sī · personal · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
人 rén · person · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 私人.
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 病人 | bìngrén | sick person; patient |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 客人 | kèrén | visitor; guest; customer |
| 好人 | hǎorén | good person; healthy person |
Questions about 私人
What does 私人 mean?
私人 (sīrén) means "private; personal" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 私人?
私人 is made of 2 characters: 私 (7 strokes), 人 (2 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 私人 an HSK word?
Yes. 私人 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 私人 and 私立?
私立 (sīlì) means privately established and is used mainly for institutions like 私立学校 (private school) or 私立医院 (private hospital). 私人 is broader and covers personal belongings, matters, and relationships, like 私人物品 (personal items).
Can 私人 refer to a person?
Yes, though it is less common today. It can mean someone you have a close personal tie with or a member of your own clique, often with a slightly negative sense of favoritism, as in 任用私人 (appointing one's own people).