们 (men) — (suffix) plural marker for pronouns and nouns referring to people
Definition
们 is a suffix meaning 'plural' — attach it after a pronoun or a person-word (我们, 朋友们, 老师们) to mean 'several people'. It only marks people, never things.
suffix
plural marker for pronouns and nouns referring to people
Easily confused
Examples
- 。Wǒ men yì qǐ qù xué xiào.We go to school together.
- ？Nǐ men xǐ huan chī píng guǒ ma?Do you all like to eat apples?
- 。Tā men shì wǒ de péng you.They are my friends.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 們; 们 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén們men
Same sound today
The traditional form 們 uses 亻 for a person and 門 for the sound; the simplified 们 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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