Comparando substantivos similares

Two roommates have fallen out over the dishes. One says they should support one another; the other only describes the person across the table. A neighbour adds a general comment about people outside the flat, then a sharper line about one roommate both of them could name, and finally a playful "I" to avoid helping. English packs this into "each other" and "other people." Chinese uses two pairs.

each other彼此bǐ cǐ vs. the other person对方duì fāng

each other彼此bǐ cǐ and the other person对方duì fāng can both translate as "each other," but they point differently. each other彼此bǐ cǐ is reciprocal: the action runs both ways, "mutually, one another." Like each other互相hù xiāng, it can sit directly before a verb. the other person对方duì fāng names the one counterpart facing you and behaves as a noun.

each other彼此bǐ cǐ is slightly more even, in advice or everyday talk about a team or a relationship. the other person对方duì fāng is neutral when two sides face each other. each other彼此bǐ cǐ may follow we / us我们wǒ men, you (plural)你们nǐ men, or everyone大家dà jiā; the other person对方duì fāng does not take that slot.

Forma

each other彼此bǐ cǐ + verb marks a mutual action. the other person对方duì fāng is a noun: the other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的de + noun, or the other person对方duì fāng as subject or object, as in the other person对方duì fāngto agree同意tóng yì and (express) thanks感谢gǎn xièthe other person对方duì fāng. As a subject it names who acts; it does not mean "mutually."

Exemplos

we / us我们wǒ meneach other彼此bǐ cǐto empathize体谅tǐ liàng(completed / change)了le这么久zhè me jiǔ，how / why怎么zěn me还会hái huìto misunderstand误会wù huìthe other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的degood intention好意hǎo yì？

Wǒmen bǐcǐ tǐliàng le zhème jiǔ, zěnme hái huì wùhuì duìfāng de hǎoyì? We have been understanding toward each other for so long — how are we still misreading the other person's good intentions?

inscribed bamboo stick…签qiānagreement协议xié yìbefore之前zhī qián，bilateral双方shuāng fāngearly先xiānto confirm确认què rènthe other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的deresponsibility责任zé rèn，again / then再zàito decide (to do something)决定jué dìngwant / will / need要yàodon't不要bú yàoto continue继续jì xù。

Qiān xiéyì zhīqián, shuāngfāng xiān quèrèn duìfāng de zérèn, zài juédìng yào bú yào jìxù. Before signing the agreement, the two sides first confirm the other side's responsibilities, then decide whether to go on.

Contraste

each other彼此bǐ cǐ can sit directly before the verb, as in each other彼此bǐ cǐto esteem尊重zūn zhòng. the other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的deresponsibility责任zé rèn names the opposite side's part, and we / us我们wǒ mento esteem尊重zūn zhòngthe other person对方duì fāng keeps that noun as an object. After we / us我们wǒ men, you (plural)你们nǐ men, or everyone大家dà jiā, each other彼此bǐ cǐ means "each other in the group," not "the party opposite."

other people人家rén jiā vs. other people别人bié rén

other people别人bié rén is neutral for "other people" or "someone else," with no particular person and no extra feeling. other people人家rén jiā is colloquial. The two can overlap in a plain generalisation. More often other people人家rén jiā points to someone already identifiable and carries complaint, warmth, or impatience. It can also be a coy "I." other people别人bié rén never means "I."

other people别人bié rén suits speech and writing. Coy other people人家rén jiā sounds soft or pleading, and that use fits conversation better than a formal page. A neutral sentence may still use other people人家rén jiā; what other people人家rén jiā adds is colour.

Forma

other people别人bié rén + a neutral comment. other people人家rén jiā + a spoken comment about a known person, or about the speaker as "I."

Exemplos

A general boundary, then a dig at one colleague's promotion:

other people别人bié rén(modifier / structural particle)的dewages工资gōng zīhow many / how much多少duō shao，轮不到lún bú dàoI / me我wǒto show an interest in过问guò wèn；other people人家rén jiāobviously明明míng míngto be / is是shìto lean against or on靠kàooneself自己zì jǐto make an effort努力nǔ lìto get promoted (at work…升职shēng zhí(modifier / structural particle)的de，你别nǐ biéat / in在zài背后议论bèi hòu yì lùn。

Biéren de gōngzī duōshao, lún bú dào wǒ guòwèn; rénjia míngmíng shì kào zìjǐ nǔlì shēngzhí de, nǐ bié zài bèihòu yìlùn. How much other people earn is not for me to ask; that person clearly got the promotion through their own effort, so don't gossip about it behind their back.

The speaker means their own soaked shoes:

other people人家rén jiā刚跑gāng pǎo完步wán bù，variant of 鞋鞋xiéall / both都dōumoist湿shī(completed / change)了le，to let / make让ràngI / me我wǒ先换xiān huàn双鞋shuāng xié(obviously)嘛ma。

Rénjia gāng pǎo wán bù, xié dōu shī le, ràng wǒ xiān huàn shuāng xié ma. Acabei de terminar minha corrida e meus sapatos estão encharcados — deixe-me trocá-los primeiro.

Contraste

Em uma observação geral, os dois podem se sobrepor, embora other people人家rén jiā soe mais pessoal. Ligado a to let / make让ràngI / me我wǒ e um (obviously)嘛ma suave, other people人家rén jiā significa "eu", e other people别人bié rén ainda significaria outras pessoas, então o pedido não seguiria. the other person对方duì fāng é nem "outros" genérico nem um "eu" tímido.

Prática

1. Escolha A, B ou C. 下一场xià yī chángcompetition (sports etc)比赛bǐ sàifront前qián，we / us我们wǒ menwant / will / need要yào______to encourage鼓励gǔ lì，and / but而érno不是bú shìsolely preoccupied (with…只顾zhǐ gùoneself自己zì jǐ。 A. each other彼此bǐ cǐ B. the other person对方duì fāng C. other people别人bié rén

2. Escolha A, B ou C. A nota refere-se apenas a este cliente. early先xiān记下jì xià______(modifier / structural particle)的deto request要求yāo qiú，again / then再zàito write写xiěwe / us我们wǒ men(modifier / structural particle)的deto handle处理chǔ lǐmeans办法bàn fǎ。 A. each other彼此bǐ cǐ B. the other person对方duì fāng C. other people别人bié rén

3. Coloque cada peça em uma frase apenas uma vez. Peças: (concept of) time时间shí jiān / the other person对方duì fāng / should应该yīng gāi / (modifier / structural particle)的de / we / us我们wǒ men / to esteem尊重zūn zhòng / each other彼此bǐ cǐ A frase deve dizer que nós respeitamos mutuamente o tempo da outra parte.

4. Escolha A, B ou C. Ela está falando sobre si mesma com voz suave e brincalhona. “______now现在xiàn zàiunexpectedly不想bù xiǎngto write写xiě(obviously)嘛ma，to let / make让ràngI / me我wǒagain / then再zàito see看kàn一集yī jí。” A. other people别人bié rén B. other people人家rén jiā C. the other person对方duì fāng

5. Escolha A, B ou C. Lin Na consertou a lâmpada ela mesma, e ela é quem merece os agradecimentos. you你nǐhow / why怎么zěn me还怪hái guài林娜lín nà？______yesterday evening昨晚zuó wǎnthen / just就jiù(把: marks the object)把bǎthat那nà盏灯zhǎn dēngto repair (sth broken)修好xiū hǎo(completed / change)了le，you你nǐshould该gāito thank谢谢xiè xièshe / her她tā。 A. other people别人bié rén B. other people人家rén jiā C. each other彼此bǐ cǐ

6. Escreva uma frase. Use each other彼此bǐ cǐ uma vez e the other person对方duì fāng uma vez: each other彼此bǐ cǐ antes do verbo de confirmação, the other person对方duì fāng com risk风险fēng xiǎnlist of items清单qīng dān. Dois grupos devem confirmar mutuamente a lista de riscos do outro grupo.

Respostas

1. A. each other彼此bǐ cǐ 下一场xià yī chángcompetition (sports etc)比赛bǐ sàifront前qián，we / us我们wǒ menwant / will / need要yàoeach other彼此bǐ cǐto encourage鼓励gǔ lì，and / but而érno不是bú shìsolely preoccupied (with…只顾zhǐ gùoneself自己zì jǐ。 Xià yì chǎng bǐsài qián, wǒmen yào bǐcǐ gǔlì, ér bú shì zhǐ gù zìjǐ. each other彼此bǐ cǐ antes de to encourage鼓励gǔ lì torna o incentivo mútuo, o que combina com and / but而érno不是bú shìsolely preoccupied (with…只顾zhǐ gùoneself自己zì jǐ. the other person对方duì fāng nomearia uma parte como sujeito de to encourage鼓励gǔ lì, não um ato de duas vias. other people别人bié rén traria estranhos à frase, que nunca os menciona.

2. B. the other person对方duì fāng early先xiān记下jì xiàthe other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的deto request要求yāo qiú，again / then再zàito write写xiěwe / us我们wǒ men(modifier / structural particle)的deto handle处理chǔ lǐmeans办法bàn fǎ。 Xiān jì xià duìfāng de yāoqiú, zài xiě wǒmen de chǔlǐ bànfǎ. Os requisitos pertencem a este cliente, a contraparte, então o substantivo é the other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的deto request要求yāo qiú. each other彼此bǐ cǐ(modifier / structural particle)的deto request要求yāo qiú seria o que ambas as partes querem. other people别人bié rén(modifier / structural particle)的deto request要求yāo qiú deixaria este cliente e falaria sobre pessoas em geral.

3. we / us我们wǒ menshould应该yīng gāieach other彼此bǐ cǐto esteem尊重zūn zhòngthe other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的de(concept of) time时间shí jiān。 Wǒmen yīnggāi bǐcǐ zūnzhòng duìfāng de shíjiān. each other彼此bǐ cǐ fica antes de to esteem尊重zūn zhòng, e the other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的de tempo mantém (concept of) time时间shí jiān na contraparte. Também aceitável: we / us我们wǒ meneach other彼此bǐ cǐshould应该yīng gāito esteem尊重zūn zhòngthe other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的de(concept of) time时间shí jiān。 Wǒmen bǐcǐ yīnggāi zūnzhòng duìfāng de shíjiān. Ou, com as mesmas peças topicalizadas: the other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的de(concept of) time时间shí jiān，we / us我们wǒ menshould应该yīng gāieach other彼此bǐ cǐto esteem尊重zūn zhòng。 Duìfāng de shíjiān, wǒmen yīnggāi bǐcǐ zūnzhòng.

4. B. other people人家rén jiā other people人家rén jiānow现在xiàn zàiunexpectedly不想bù xiǎngto write写xiě(obviously)嘛ma，to let / make让ràngI / me我wǒagain / then再zàito see看kàn一集yī jí。 Rénjia xiànzài bù xiǎng xiě ma, ràng wǒ zài kàn yì jí. other people人家rén jiā é o "eu" tímido, é por isso que ela pode adicionar to let / make让ràngI / me我wǒagain / then再zàito see看kàn一集yī jí e (obviously)嘛ma. other people别人bié rén significaria que outras pessoas não querem escrever, então o pedido para deixá-la assistir não seguiria. the other person对方duì fāng não pode significar a falante.

5. B. other people人家rén jiā you你nǐhow / why怎么zěn me还怪hái guài林娜lín nà？other people人家rén jiāyesterday evening昨晚zuó wǎnthen / just就jiù(把: marks the object)把bǎthat那nà盏灯zhǎn dēngto repair (sth broken)修好xiū hǎo(completed / change)了le，you你nǐshould该gāito thank谢谢xiè xièshe / her她tā。 Nǐ zěnme hái guài Lín Nà? Rénjia zuówǎn jiù bǎ nà zhǎn dēng xiū hǎo le, nǐ gāi xièxie tā. Alguém aponta para Lina, a pessoa que consertou a luminária e a ela deve agradecer. O tom é falado e indicativo. "Outra pessoa" significaria que alguém mais consertou a luminária, então os agradecimentos não se dirigiram a ela. "Reciprocamente" não destaca uma única pessoa.

6. 两个liǎng gègroup小组xiǎo zǔshould应该yīng gāieach other彼此bǐ cǐto confirm确认què rènthe other person对方duì fāng(modifier / structural particle)的derisk风险fēng xiǎnlist of items清单qīng dān。 Dois grupos devem mutuamente confirmar as listas de risco da outra parte. Colocar "mutuamente" antes de "confirmar" mantém o caráter mútuo da confirmação, e "listas de risco da outra parte" preserva o substantivo referente ao outro grupo. Uma equivalente próxima como "Os dois grupos devem verificar mutuamente as listas de risco da outra parte" é aceitável desde que esses dois links permaneçam.