himself
himself — 代名詞
1. Points back to the male subject of the sentence, showing that he does the action
他自己
動作回到主詞本身
Points back to the male subject of the sentence, showing that he does the action and receives the result at the same time — for instance, a man cutting his own finger while cooking.
Jude cut himself while chopping vegetables for the stir-fry.
Jude 切菜時割傷了自己。
reflexive: verb + himself (object = subject)
Hassan introduced himself to the new neighbours at the welcome party.
Hassan 在迎新派對上向新鄰居介紹自己。
Ryan taught himself to play the guitar using online video lessons.
Ryan 透過線上影片自學吉他。
Samir asked himself whether he had made the right decision about the job.
Samir 問自己是否對這份工作做了正確的選擇。
After the long run, Cole poured himself a large glass of cold water.
長跑結束後，Cole 給自己倒了一大杯冷水。
文法句型
verb + himself (object = subject)
用法筆記
Frequently used with grooming verbs (shave, wash, dress), injury verbs (cut, hurt, burn), and cognitive verbs (ask, tell, convince). Can also act as an indirect object as in 'poured himself a drink.'
常見錯誤
2. Placed immediately after a male noun or pronoun to highlight that this person —
本人；親自
強調就是這個人
Placed immediately after a male noun or pronoun to highlight that this person — and not someone else — is the one involved in the action.
The mayor himself came to inspect the damaged bridge after the storm.
市長本人親自前來視察風災後受損的橋樑。
emphatic: noun + himself after the subject
James himself admitted that the plan had serious problems from the start.
James 自己承認這個計畫從一開始就存在嚴重問題。
Esteban himself painted the entire mural over a single weekend.
Esteban 在一個週末內親手畫完整幅壁畫。
The headmaster himself called Benjamin's parents to discuss the incident.
校長親自打電話給 Benjamin 的父母討論這件事。
Professor Okonkwo gave the award to the author himself at the ceremony.
Professor Okonkwo 在頒獎典禮上把獎項交給了作者本人。
文法句型
noun + himself
pronoun + himself
用法筆記
Common with titles and roles (the president himself, the doctor himself, the teacher himself) to add authority or surprise. Works in subject and object positions.
常見錯誤
❌ 'He himself did it.' is grammatically correct but can sound redundant — in speech, stress on 'He' alone often carries the emphasis.
3. When a male acts without any company or without the assistance of other people —
獨自；靠自己
無人陪伴或沒人協助
When a male acts without any company or without the assistance of other people — the phrase 'by himself' can refer to either solitude or independent effort.
Hao moved all the furniture by himself while his wife was at work.
Hao 趁妻子上班時，一個人把家具全部搬好。
by himself = without help
Benjamin prefers to study by himself in the library rather than in a group.
Benjamin 比較喜歡自己在圖書館讀書，而不是跟小組一起。
by himself = alone
Vivek built the wooden bookshelf by himself using only basic hand tools.
Vivek 只用基本手工具，就自己把木書架做好了。
The old man lived by himself in a small cottage near the lake.
那位老先生獨自住在湖邊的一間小屋裡。
Kevin carried the heavy suitcase up the stairs by himself.
Kevin 一個人把沉重的手提箱提上了樓梯。
- alone
focuses on solitude; does not imply lack of help
- on his own
covers both solitude and independence, similar to 'by himself'
- together with others
opposite of being alone
- with help
opposite of doing something without assistance
文法句型
by himself
用法筆記
The context determines whether 'by himself' means 'alone' or 'without help' — and sometimes both apply. For clarity, 'all by himself' can be used for extra emphasis on solitude.
常見錯誤
❌ 'He went by himself to the store' can mean either 'alone' or 'without help' — context is needed to tell which. Add 'all' ('all by himself') if you want to stress solitude.
4. Used to say that a male person can use, occupy, or enjoy something without havin
獨享
專供他一人使用
Used to say that a male person can use, occupy, or enjoy something without having to share it with anyone else at all.
The professor had the study all to himself during the summer break.
那位教授在暑假期間獨享了書房。
all to himself = for his exclusive use
The young groom wanted the rooftop garden to himself for the evening party.
年輕的新郎希望在晚宴上獨享屋頂花園。
Christopher kept the last piece of chocolate cake all to himself.
Christopher 把最後一塊巧克力蛋糕獨自留下了。
Daichi had the entire home office to himself while his family was on a trip.
Daichi 的家人外出旅行時，他獨享了整間家庭辦公室。
- for himself alone
more formal; less common in everyday speech
文法句型
have something (all) to himself
用法筆記
Often appears with 'all' to strengthen the idea of sole possession (e.g. 'all to himself'). Common with verbs of possession like have, keep, get, and reserve.
5. Said when a man seems or feels less happy, less healthy, or less like his normal
不對勁
情緒或狀態不如平時
Said when a man seems or feels less happy, less healthy, or less like his normal character than usual — as in being unusually quiet, irritable, or withdrawn.
Hassan hasn't been himself since he lost his job last month.
Hassan 自從上個月失業後就一直不太對勁。
not himself = not feeling normal
I knew something was wrong when Emre was not himself at dinner.
Emre 晚餐時不太對勁，我就知道出了問題。
His wife noticed that he just was not himself after returning from the trip.
他太太注意到他旅行回來後整個人都不太對。
Ari seemed quiet and distant — clearly not himself that evening.
Ari 看起來安靜又疏遠——那天晚上顯然不太對勁。
After a good night of sleep, the elderly man felt himself again and went back to work.
好好睡了一覺之後，那位老先生恢復正常，回去上班了。
- out of sorts
informal; suggests mild irritation or discomfort rather than deep unhappiness
- himself again
restored to normal state of mind or health
文法句型
be not himself
be himself
用法筆記
Usually appears with the verb 'be' in negative form ('not himself'). The positive form ('he is himself again') signals a return to normal after illness or difficulty.
常見錯誤
6. Used to describe a man whose behaviour or mood is affected by a physical illness
因病不適
因生理疾病而狀態異常
Used to describe a man whose behaviour or mood is affected by a physical illness — for instance, being confused, weak, or acting strangely because of a high fever or infection.
With the high fever, Kevin was not himself and kept asking the same questions.
Kevin 發高燒時很不對勁，一直重複問同樣的問題。
not himself + with [illness]
The doctor said that when a patient is not himself from the flu, rest is the best cure.
醫生說病人因流感而不適時，最好的療法就是休息。
Benjamin was not himself with the stomach bug and could barely get out of bed.
Benjamin 因為腸胃型感冒而非常不舒服，幾乎下不了床。
Asher was not himself after the strong medication and needed help walking to the bathroom.
Asher 服用強效藥物後狀態很不對勁，需要有人扶他去洗手間。
文法句型
be not himself + with/from [illness]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 5: sense 6 is tied directly to a physical illness (named with 'with' or 'from'), whereas sense 5 covers emotional and mental states. If the cause is a clear physical symptom or disease, use sense 6.
常見錯誤
❌ 'He is not himself with sadness.' — sadness is an emotion, not a physical illness. Use sense 5 for emotional causes.
7. Found in older English, where 'himself' was used as a gender-neutral reflexive p
泛指自己
性別不明時的舊式用法
Found in older English, where 'himself' was used as a gender-neutral reflexive pronoun when the subject's gender was unknown or unimportant — for example, 'everyone must ask himself.' Modern English typically uses 'themselves' instead.
In older textbooks, a student was told that each person must prepare himself for the exam.
在舊版教科書裡，學生被告知每個人都要為考試做好準備。
dated: generic masculine pronoun
The original rule said that every employee should conduct himself with honesty at all times.
原始的規定指出，每位員工應當時時以誠實的態度要求自己。
A classic but now dated sentence reads: 'Everyone should ask himself what he can contribute.'
一句經典但已過時的句子是：「每個人都應該捫心自問自己能貢獻什麼。」
Modern style guides recommend 'everyone should ask themselves' instead of using 'himself' for everyone.
現代的寫作指南建議使用「everyone should ask themselves」，而不是用「himself」來泛指所有人。
- themselves
standard modern gender-neutral reflexive pronoun
- himself or herself
formal alternative that explicitly includes both genders
文法句型
each + noun + himself
one + verb + himself
用法筆記
This usage is now widely considered outdated and potentially exclusive. For academic or professional writing, use 'themselves,' 'himself or herself,' or rephrase the sentence to avoid a pronoun altogether.