Definition
自家 is a colloquial or dialectal pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'one's own', used in many northern Chinese dialects and in older literary Chinese. In standard Mandarin, the more common word is 自己 (zìjǐ), but 自家 carries a slightly more familiar or folksy tone, especially in spoken expressions or traditional idioms. As a pronoun, it can be used as subject, object, or as a possessive determiner (e.g. 自家的事 'one's own business').
pronoun
oneself (used as subject or object)
pr.
(possessive) one's own
Examples
- 自家,。Zhè shì zì jiā zhòng de cài, xīnxiān de hěn.These are vegetables grown by one's own family — very fresh.
- 自家,。zì jiā de shì zìjǐ zuò, bù yào zǒng kào biérén.Do your own work yourself; don't always rely on others.
- 自家,。Tā guài zì jiā bù xiǎoxīn, diū le yàoshi.He blamed himself for being careless and losing the keys.
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