他俩 (tā liǎ) — the two of them (colloquial)

Definition

他俩 (tā liǎ) means 'the two of them' and is the casual, spoken alternative to 他们两个 — use 俩 in relaxed talk, not in writing.

pronoun

the two of them (colloquial)

他俩，。
tā liǎ Shì hǎo péng you, cóng xiǎo yì qǐ zhǎng dà.
The two of them are good friends and grew up together since childhood.
他俩？。
Nǐ kàn jiàn tā liǎ le ma? tā men gāng cái hái zài zhè r.
Did you see the two of them? They were just here a moment ago.
他俩，。
tā liǎ Xìng gé wán quán bù tóng, dàn hé zuò dé hěn hǎo.
The two of them have completely different personalities, but they cooperate very well.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻也他

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénman

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

他 combines 亻 (a person) with 也, which was chosen for its sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 倆; 俩 is its simplified writing.

亻兩倆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

兩

兩liǎng倆liǎ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This note is about the traditional form 倆, not the simplified 俩. In 倆, 亻 is the person part and 兩 gives the sound.

Appears in