自己
oneself; self; on one's own
zìjǐ
What does 自己 mean?
自己 (zìjǐ) is a reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' — myself, yourself, himself, herself, etc. — and it does not change form based on person. Whoever the subject is, 自己 refers back to that subject: 我自己 ('myself'), 他自己 ('himself'), 我们自己 ('ourselves'). Two things differ from English.
First, 自己 often stands alone after a verb to indicate 'by oneself' or 'on one's own': 我自己去 ('I'll go by myself'), 自己做 ('do it yourself'). Second, 自己 frequently follows a personal pronoun for emphasis — 我自己 emphasizes 'I myself,' not someone else. Used after a verb, it can also mean 'oneself' as the object: 照顾自己 ('take care of oneself'), 相信自己 ('believe in yourself'). For 'each other' (reciprocal), Chinese uses 互相 (hùxiāng), not 自己
Character breakdown
self; from
self; oneself
Memory hook: 自 (self) + 己 (self) — doubled-up 'self.' Both characters mean 'self,' so together they form an unmistakable reflexive pronoun.
Example sentences
我自己去。
Wǒ zìjǐ qù.
I'll go by myself.
spoken
你要相信自己。
Nǐ yào xiāngxìn zìjǐ.
You have to believe in yourself.
neutral
这是我自己做的菜。
Zhè shì wǒ zìjǐ zuò de cài.
This is a dish I made myself.
spoken
请照顾好自己。
Qǐng zhàogù hǎo zìjǐ.
Please take good care of yourself.
polite
每个人都有自己的想法。
Měi ge rén dōu yǒu zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ.
Everyone has their own ideas.
neutral
Common phrases with 自己
Synonyms
本人 means 'oneself in person / I personally' and is more formal — used on legal documents, in official statements, and to emphasize 'this very person.' 自己 is the everyday reflexive pronoun.
亲自 means 'personally / in person' and is an adverb modifying a verb: 他亲自来了 ('he came in person'). 自己 is the reflexive pronoun. 'I went myself' (general) = 我自己去; 'I came in person' (emphasizing) = 我亲自来.
Don't confuse 自己 with
自 alone means 'self' or 'from' and appears in many compounds (自由 'freedom,' 来自 'come from'). It cannot replace 自己 as a standalone reflexive pronoun.
己 alone means 'self' and is mostly literary or part of fixed expressions (知己 'close friend / soulmate'). For everyday 'oneself,' always use 自己.
互相 means 'each other / mutually' (reciprocal action between two parties). 自己 is reflexive (action returns to the subject). 'We help each other' = 我们互相帮助; 'We help ourselves' = 我们帮助自己
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