When Chinese Meets They/Them

How language, culture, and Western influence shape gender inclusivity in China

You might have seen some news circulating about the possibility of the Chinese language introducing a new character. If you remember one of our previous posts, modern Chinese very rarely creates brand-new characters.

The character, a fusion of the components 乂 and 也, currently typed as X也, is intended to become a new gender-neutral version of 他/她, equivalent to the English they/them.

However, it’s important to point out that while English-language news outlets have made it sound like a huge deal, in the Chinese-speaking world—including in progressive places like Taiwan—it is a relatively minor topic. It may take years before the character is officially incorporated into standard Mandarin.

You might be wondering: isn’t Chinese already a gender-neutral language? Well, it was—until Western ideologies influenced the language.