它
它是一只猫。
It is a cat.
A neutral pronoun used to refer to a non-human object or animal, equivalent to 'it' in English.
它在桌子上。
It is on the table.
它看起来很可爱。
It looks very cute.
In Chinese, '它' is used for inanimate objects and animals, while '他' and '她' are used for male and female humans, respectively.
Pro Tip
Gender Neutrality
'它' is strictly for non-human referents. For humans, use '他' (male) or '她' (female).
Gold Rule
Subject Pronoun
'它' functions as a subject pronoun, similar to 'it' in English.
Word Origin
Derived from Classical Chinese demonstrative pronouns, '它' was standardized in modern Chinese to specifically denote neutral gender for non-human entities.
Usage Notes
'它' is the only neutral pronoun in Chinese for non-human referents. Unlike English, Chinese does not use 'it' for humans, which would require '他' (he) or '她' (she).