自己 (zìjǐ) — oneself; myself/yourself/himself

自己 (zìjǐ)

自己 is a reflexive pronoun meaning "oneself." Unlike English, the same form works for all persons: 我自己 (myself), 你自己 (yourself), 他自己 (himself). It emphasizes that the subject performs the action independently, without help. It can follow the subject for emphasis or replace a pronoun object.

Meanings

1. [pron] Oneself — reflexive, referring back to the subject of the sentence.
2. [pron] By oneself; on one's own — stressing independence or personal effort.

Example Sentences

我自己来，不需要你帮忙。 Wǒ zìjǐ lái, bù xūyào nǐ bāngmáng. I'll do it myself; I don't need your help.

他自己做了一顿饭。 Tā zìjǐ zuò le yī dùn fàn. He cooked a meal by himself.

你要相信自己。 Nǐ yào xiāngxìn zìjǐ. You need to believe in yourself.

孩子们可以自己穿衣服了。 Háizimen kěyǐ zìjǐ chuān yīfu le. The children can dress themselves now.

Collocations

Memory Hook

自 means "self" and 己 also means "self" — the word doubles up on "self" to make the reflexive meaning unmistakable.