人民

Attestable in pre-Qin texts as a term meaning "common people". Modern sense first attested in An English and Chinese dictionary published in 1884 by W. Lobscheid.

人民

1. people (collectively, as members of society)

   熱愛人民／热爱人民  ―  rè'ài rénmín  ―  to love the people

   人民民主專政／人民民主专政  ―  rénmín mínzhǔ zhuānzhèng  ―  people's democratic dictatorship

   全過程人民民主／全过程人民民主  ―  quán guòchéng rénmín mínzhǔ  ―  whole-process people's democracy

   人民生活步步高  ―  rénmín shēnghuó bùbùgāo  ―  the lives of the people improve step by step

   科技應為人民利益服務。 [MSC, trad.]
   科技应为人民利益服务。 [MSC, simp.]

   Kējì yīng wèi rénmín lìyì fúwù.

   Science and technology should work for the good of the people.

   中國人民政治協商會議 [MSC, trad.]
   中国人民政治协商会议 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhōngguó rénmín zhèngzhì xiéshāng huìyì

   Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

   • 孟子曰：「諸侯之寶三：土地、人民、政事。寶珠玉者，殃必及身。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孟子曰：「诸侯之宝三：土地、人民、政事。宝珠玉者，殃必及身。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Mèngzǐ yuē: “Zhūhóu zhī bǎo sān: tǔdì, rénmín, zhèngshì. Bǎo zhūyù zhě, yāng bì jíshēn.”

     Mencius said, 'The precious things of a prince are three: the territory, the people, the government and its business. If one value as most precious pearls and jade, calamity is sure to befall him.'

2. humanity; humans (as a collective); humankind; the human race

人民 (rénmín) can only refer to people collectively, as a unit. To refer to people as individually countable persons, use 人 (rén). To refer to people in an otherwise general sense, use 人們／人们 (rénmen).

• (people):

• (humanity): 人類／人类 (rénlèi)

Others:

• → Manchu: ᠨᡳᠶ᠋ᠠᠯᠮᠠ
  ᡳᡵᡤᡝᠨ (niyalma irgen) (calque)
• → Zhuang: yinzminz

• 人口 (rénkǒu)
• 人類／人类 (rénlèi)
• 人們／人们 (rénmen)
• 人士 (rénshì)
• 人員／人员 (rényuán)

From Middle Chinese compound 人民 (MC nyin mjin). Compare modern Mandarin 人民 (rénmín), Wu 人民 (⁶zen-min₆), Min Nan 人民 (jîn-bîn).

Formerly pronounced with a consistent 呉音 (goon) reading of ninmin, later changing to a mixed 漢音 (kan'on) / 呉音 (goon) reading of jinmin.^[1][2]

• (Tokyo) じんみん (Nakadaka – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

人(じん)民(みん) • (jinmin) 

1. the people, the general public, the citizens

• (people of a nation): 国民(こくみん) (kokumin)

人民 • (inmin) (hangeul 인민)

1. hanja form^? of 인민 (“the people (of a country), citizens”)

人民

1. chữ Hán form of nhân dân (“people”).