他人 means 'others' or 'other people' and functions as a collective noun referring to people besides oneself or the immediate group. It is composed of 他 (tā, 'he/they') and 人 (rén, 'person/people'), combining to emphasize people outside one's own circle — not just 'he' but 'others' in a general, often formal or reflective sense. Unlike the pronoun 他们 (tāmen, 'they'), 他人 carries a more abstract, inclusive, or even philosophical nuance, frequently appearing in discussions about social responsibility, ethics, privacy, or interpersonal boundaries.

This term is commonly used in written Chinese and formal speech — for example, in laws, moral education, or psychology — rather than casual daily talk, where speakers might prefer simpler alternatives like 别人 (biérén). It’s neutral in tone but leans slightly formal or literary, and it rarely appears in isolation; it usually modifies or follows verbs like 尊重 (zūnzhòng, 'to respect'), 考虑 (kǎolǜ, 'to consider'), or 影响 (yǐngxiǎng, 'to affect').