====== tāmen: 她们 - They, Them (female) ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** tāmen, 她们, Chinese for they, Chinese for them, female they in Chinese, they them female, Chinese pronouns, difference between 他们 她们 它们, ta men, HSK 1 pronoun, learn Chinese
  * **Summary:** Learn the essential Chinese pronoun **她们 (tāmen)**, meaning "they" or "them" used exclusively for groups of females. This guide breaks down its characters, cultural context, and practical usage. Understand the critical difference between the written forms **她们 (tāmen)**, **他们 (tāmen)**, and **它们 (tāmen)**—a key distinction for beginner learners that doesn't exist in spoken Mandarin.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** tāmen (tā men)
  * **Part of Speech:** Pronoun
  * **HSK Level:** HSK 1
  * **Concise Definition:** "They" or "them," used to refer to a group comprised entirely of females.
  * **In a Nutshell:** In English, "they" can refer to any group of people. Chinese is more specific in its written form. **她们 (tāmen)** is the pronoun you use when talking about a group of women or girls. It's formed by combining the character for "she" (她) with the plural marker (们). If there is even one male in the group, you must use the masculine/mixed-gender form, [[他们]] (tāmen).
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **她 (tā):** The character for "she" or "her". It's composed of the **女 (nǚ)** radical on the left, which means "woman" or "female," and **也 (yě)** on the right, which primarily provides the phonetic sound. The **女** radical is your biggest clue that this character is related to females.
  * **们 (men):** This is a plural suffix for pronouns and some nouns referring to people. It's made of the "person" radical **亻(rén)** and the character **门 (mén)**, meaning "door," which gives the sound. Think of it as the character that turns a single "person" into a group.
  * **Combined Meaning:** Put them together, and **她们** literally translates to "shes" or "a group of shes," making it the logical choice for the female "they/them."
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
The existence of **她们 (tāmen)** is a relatively modern linguistic development in Chinese, reflecting cultural exchange and evolving social norms.
For most of Chinese history, the character **他 (tā)** was used as a universal third-person pronoun for "he," "she," and "it." The specific character for "she," **她 (tā)**, was created in the early 20th century. This invention was heavily influenced by contact with Western languages, which have distinct gendered third-person singular pronouns (he/she). Linguists and writers of the time, like Liu Bannong, advocated for its creation to make translation of Western literature more precise and to modernize the written language.
Therefore, the distinction between **他们** and **她们** is a feature of modern written Chinese. In spoken Mandarin, both are pronounced identically as "tāmen," making the distinction impossible to hear. This contrasts sharply with English, where "they" is gender-neutral in the plural, but is now also increasingly used as a singular non-binary pronoun. Chinese, in its written form, requires the writer to specify the gender of a group, which reflects a different linguistic approach to gender and identity.
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
Understanding when to use **她们** is straightforward but crucial for correct writing.
  * **Spoken vs. Written:** This is the most important rule. The difference only exists in writing. When you **speak**, "tāmen" is ambiguous. When you **write**, you must choose the correct characters based on the group's composition.
  * **All-Female Groups Only:** Use **她们** if, and only if, every single person in the group you are referring to is female. If there are 99 women and 1 man, you must use **他们 (tāmen)**. **他们** functions as both the all-male and the mixed-gender/default plural pronoun.
  * **Social Media and Texting:** In digital communication, using the correct character is standard practice and shows attention to detail. Using **他们** to refer to a group of your female friends might be seen as careless or impersonal.
  * **Referring to Objects or Animals:** Never use **她们** for a group of inanimate objects or animals. For that, you use **它们 (tāmen)**.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
    * **她们**是我的同学。
    * Pinyin: **Tāmen** shì wǒ de tóngxué.
    * English: They are my classmates.
    * Analysis: A simple subject-pronoun sentence. The use of **她们** tells the reader that all the classmates being referred to are female.
  * **Example 2:**
    * 你认识**她们**吗？
    * Pinyin: Nǐ rènshi **tāmen** ma?
    * English: Do you know them?
    * Analysis: Here, **她们** is the object of the verb "认识" (rènshi - to know). Again, it implies the group is all-female.
  * **Example 3:**
    * **她们**的裙子都很漂亮。
    * Pinyin: **Tāmen** de qúnzi dōu hěn piàoliang.
    * English: Their skirts are all very beautiful.
    * Analysis: This shows the possessive form, **她们的 (tāmen de)**, meaning "their".
  * **Example 4:**
    * 我昨天在图书馆看到了**她们**。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān zài túshūguǎn kàndào le **tāmen**.
    * English: I saw them at the library yesterday.
    * Analysis: A straightforward sentence where **她们** is the object. The context implies the speaker is referring to a specific group of females.
  * **Example 5:**
    * 别担心，**她们**知道怎么回家。
    * Pinyin: Bié dānxīn, **tāmen** zhīdào zěnme huí jiā.
    * English: Don't worry, they know how to get home.
    * Analysis: This example shows **她们** used in a reassuring context.
  * **Example 6:**
    * 那些女孩是**她们**班的吗？
    * Pinyin: Nàxiē nǚhái shì **tāmen** bān de ma?
    * English: Are those girls in their class?
    * Analysis: This sentence uses "girls" (女孩) first, making it clear why the pronoun **她们** is the correct choice later in the sentence.
  * **Example 7:**
    * **她们**俩是最好的朋友。
    * Pinyin: **Tāmen** liǎ shì zuì hǎo de péngyǒu.
    * English: The two of them are best friends.
    * Analysis: **俩 (liǎ)** is a colloquial way of saying "two" when referring to people. It often attaches directly to pronouns like this.
  * **Example 8:**
    * 我把这本书给了**她们**。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ bǎ zhè běn shū gěi le **tāmen**.
    * English: I gave this book to them.
    * Analysis: Demonstrates the use of **她们** as the recipient of an action in a 把 (bǎ) sentence structure.
  * **Example 9:**
    * **她们**自己完成了这个项目。
    * Pinyin: **Tāmen** zìjǐ wánchéng le zhège xiàngmù.
    * English: They completed this project themselves.
    * Analysis: Shows the reflexive pronoun **自己 (zìjǐ)** being used with **她们** to add emphasis.
  * **Example 10:**
    * **她们**一致同意这个计划。
    * Pinyin: **Tāmen** yīzhì tóngyì zhège jìhuà.
    * English: They unanimously agreed to this plan.
    * Analysis: A more formal example showing collective action by a group of females.
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **The Golden Rule Mistake:** The most common error for learners is using **她们** for a mixed-gender group. Remember: 1 man + 99 women = **他们**. There are no exceptions.
    * //Incorrect:// 教室里的学生们，**她们**都在学习。(Jiàoshì lǐ de xuéshēngmen, **tāmen** dōu zài xuéxí.) -> //Why it's wrong:// The word "学生们" (students) is gender-neutral and likely includes males. You must use the default **他们**.
  * **Spoken vs. Written Confusion:** A learner hears their teacher say "tāmen" when referring to a mixed group and might incorrectly write **她们** in their notes. Always clarify the composition of the group before writing.
  * **Over-correction:** Some learners, after learning about **她们**, might start using it for singular women. Remember, **她们** is plural. The singular is always **她 (tā)**.
    * //Incorrect:// 这是我的妈妈，**她们**是医生。(Zhè shì wǒ de māma, **tāmen** shì yīshēng.) -> //Why it's wrong:// "My mom" is one person. It should be **她**是医生 (Tā shì yīshēng).
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * [[他们]] (tāmen) - The masculine "they/them," and more importantly, the default pronoun for any mixed-gender group.
  * [[它们]] (tāmen) - The "they/them" used for animals and inanimate objects. All three are pronounced identically.
  * [[她]] (tā) - The singular form: "she" or "her." This is the building block of **她们**.
  * [[他]] (tā) - The singular "he" or "him."
  * [[它]] (tā) - The singular "it."
  * [[我们]] (wǒmen) - The first-person plural: "we" or "us."
  * [[你们]] (nǐmen) - The second-person plural: "you" (referring to more than one person).
  * [[女士们]] (nǚshìmen) - A formal term meaning "ladies," often used in speeches (e.g., "女士们，先生们" - "Ladies and gentlemen").
  * [[姐妹]] (jiěmèi) - "Sisters." Can be used literally or figuratively to refer to a close group of female friends ("sisterhood").