一家人

• Pinyin: yī jiā rén
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = one/a; 家 = 宀 + 豕 (roof + pig — a household, a family home); 人 = pictograph of a standing person

Meaning

Family members; one's own family; people of the same household. Also used figuratively for groups as close as family or who share a common identity.

Literally 'one household's people.' Used for blood relatives connected by family bonds. In its extended sense, 一家人 is used metaphorically for close groups who share ties — 我们都是一家人 (we are all one family) is a common expression of solidarity. Warm and affectionate in tone.

Examples

1. 虽然三兄弟因工作原因分居三个城市，但每逢春节都会回到父母家，一家人团聚在一起。 Although the three brothers live in three different cities for work, every Spring Festival they return to their parents’ home and reunite as a family.
2. 她初到这座城市时举目无亲，幸好邻居一家人对她照顾有加，让她倍感温暖与安心。 When she first arrived in this city, she had no one, but fortunately her neighbors’ family took great care of her, making her feel warm and at ease.
3. 公司老员工笑说，大家在这里工作了十几年，早就是一家人了，有什么困难互相帮忙解决便是。 A longtime employee joked that after working here for more than ten years, everyone is practically family—when someone has trouble, they help each other out.

Usage Guide

Context: family, daily life, social, solidarity

Tone: warm

Do Say

• 海外华人社区习惯照顾新人，不论来自哪里，只要在异乡，大家就像一家人，彼此扶持。(Overseas Chinese communities are used to caring for newcomers; no matter where they come from, once they are away from home, everyone feels like one family and supports each other.)
• 婚礼上，新郎父亲在祝酒词中动情地说，从今天起两家人正式合并为一家人，过去是亲家，往后便是骨肉，这份缘分值得双方共同珍惜与呵护。(At the wedding, the groom's father said with feeling that from today the two families were officially joining into one — formerly in-laws by arrangement, henceforth as close as blood — and that this bond was worthy of being treasured and nurtured by both sides.)

Don't Say

• 我的一家人朋友 — 一家人 is a fixed noun phrase meaning 'family members'; it cannot modify another noun like 朋友; use 亲如一家 (close as family) as an attributive

Origin & History

一 (one/a single) + 家 (family/home — 宀 roof + 豕 pig; a household with a pig under the roof) + 人 (people/person — pictograph of a standing person)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal