pron. 他们, 它们

He \He\ (h[=e]), pron. [nom. {He}; poss. {His} (h[i^]z); obj.
{Him} (h[i^]m); pl. nom. {They} ([th][=a]); poss. {Their} or
{Theirs} ([th][^a]rz or [th][=a]rz); obj. {Them}
([th][e^]m).] [AS. h[=e], masc., he['o], fem., hit, neut.;
pl. h[=i], or hie, hig; akin to OFries. hi, D. hij, OS. he,
hi, G. heute to-day, Goth. himma, dat. masc., this, hina,
accus. masc., and hita, accus. neut., and prob. to L. his
this. [root]183. Cf. {It}.]
1. The man or male being (or object personified to which the
masculine gender is assigned), previously designated; a
pronoun of the masculine gender, usually referring to a
specified subject already indicated.

Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee. --Gen. iii.
16.

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou
serve. --Deut. x. 20.

2. Any one; the man or person; -- used indefinitely, and
usually followed by a relative pronoun.

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise. --Prov.
xiii. 20.

3. Man; a male; any male person; -- in this sense used
substantively. --Chaucer.

I stand to answer thee,
Or any he, the proudest of thy sort. --Shak.

Note: When a collective noun or a class is referred to, he is
of common gender. In early English, he referred to a
feminine or neuter noun, or to one in the plural, as
well as to noun in the masculine singular. In
composition, he denotes a male animal; as, a he-goat.


She \She\, pron. [sing. nom. {She}; poss. {Her}. or {Hers}; obj.
{Her}; pl. nom. {They}; poss. {Their}or {Theirs}; obj.
{Them}.] [OE. she, sche, scheo, scho, AS. se['o], fem. of the
definite article, originally a demonstrative pronoun; cf. OS.
siu, D. zij, G. sie, OHG. siu, s[=i], si, Icel. s[=u],
sj[=a], Goth. si she, s[=o], fem. article, Russ. siia, fem.,
this, Gr. ?, fem. article, Skr. s[=a], sy[=a]. The possessive
her or hers, and the objective her, are from a different
root. See {Her}.]
1. This or that female; the woman understood or referred to;
the animal of the female sex, or object personified as
feminine, which was spoken of.

She loved her children best in every wise.
--Chaucer.

Then Sarah denied, . . . for she was afraid. --Gen.
xviii. 15.

2. A woman; a female; -- used substantively. [R.]

Lady, you are the cruelest she alive. --Shak.

Note: She is used in composition with nouns of common gender,
for female, to denote an animal of the female sex; as,
a she-bear; a she-cat.


They \They\ ([th][=a]), pron. pl.; poss. {Theirs}; obj. {Them}.
[Icel. [thorn]eir they, properly nom. pl. masc. of s[=a],
s[=u], [thorn]at, a demonstrative pronoun, akin to the
English definite article, AS. s[=e], se['o], [eth][ae]t, nom.
pl. [eth][=a]. See {That}.]
The plural of he, she, or it. They is never used adjectively,
but always as a pronoun proper, and sometimes refers to
persons without an antecedent expressed.

Jolif and glad they went unto here [their] rest
And casten hem [them] full early for to sail.
--Chaucer.

They of Italy salute you. --Heb. xiii.
24.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness. --Matt. v. 6.

Note: They is used indefinitely, as our ancestors used man,
and as the French use on; as, they say (French on dit),
that is, it is said by persons not specified.