<p>Each of us two pay half the fee, what do you think?</p>

<p>it's very common to say 一人..., e.g. 一人一个, 一人一次
there's also an idiom 一人做事一人当</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-16T21:47:58.677Z
2012-07-16T21:47:58.677Z
Fivesheep
<p>车费我们俩一人付一半，怎么样？</p>

<p>It is AA.</p>

<p>车费10元，一人付一半，就是每人5元。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-10T04:24:30.793Z
2020-01-10T04:24:30.793Z
scrapy
<p>一人 can be thought of as 'per person' or 'each person'. </p>

<p>This grammatical construction is extremely common in Chinese. I think it's called topical construction (correct me if I am wrong here). Essentially, you have the topic of the sentence (bus/taxi fare) at the start, followed by the subject, verb and the rest of the object. </p>

<p>So let's break it down:</p>

<ol>
<li>Topic: 车费 (bus/taxi fare - need more context to determine the exact
nature)</li>
<li>Subject: 我们俩 (We [two])</li>
<li>Verb: 付 (to pay)</li>
<li>Object: 一半(车费) (half [of the fare])</li>
<li>Adverbial: 一(个)人 (each person, per person - alternative wording: 每(个)人)</li>
</ol>

<p>Possible translations:</p>

<ul>
<li>We split the fare by paying half of it each.</li>
<li>We both pay half the fare.</li>
<li>Each of us pays for half the fare.</li>
</ul>

<p>I missed the last bit of your question the first time around. The measure word 个 is omitted. It means the same whether it's in there or not (in this case). However, 一人 in this sense is also used in some set phrases (such as 一人做事一人当 - one is responsible for one's own actions), and in those cases, you cannot use 一个人 in its stead. Fivesheep's answer has enough examples to give you a good idea how often it's used. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-20T02:06:43.113Z
@deutschZuid, for the '个人' part, it is not right. '个人' means *an individual* or *personal*, which is rarely used in daily conversation to mean 'each person/per person'. For example: "个人意见" means "personal opinion", "个人所得税" means "individual income tax".
neevek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-20T02:18:03.690Z
@NS.X. When you say "一半" or "half", it only refers to exactly 2 people, which "各人" or "各个人" in some contexts implies more than 2 people. It's even hard for me, a native speaker to explain how "各" and "每" is different, but the following sentences are more natural in daily conversations. 1. `每人各付一半` 2. `一人付一半`
neevek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-17T15:21:19.257Z
is there a difference between 一人 and 个人 in this context?  Are they interchangeable?  (Ignoring the 我们俩 part which would make 个人 confusing).
Kang Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-17T18:39:22.813Z
Great answer. Worth noting that `一` is one of the most complicated morpheme in the language despite its simple meaning as word (and its look maybe). There are even theses discussing the syntax and semantics of `一X一Y` (http://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10216-2010089251.htm).
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-17T20:28:16.840Z
@KangMing Not 个人 but 一个人, in which case, it is equivalent to 一人. The measure word 个 is omitted. That being said, however, in colloquial speech, you'd probably hear '个人' used in this context as well; just the speakers being lazy in my opinion.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-18T02:56:48.920Z
@JamesJiao, if you hear `个人付一半` I believe it's actually `各人付一半`.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-18T04:27:42.813Z
@NS.X. You are probably right :).
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-16T22:38:21.450Z
2012-07-17T22:07:33.093Z
2012-07-17T22:07:33.093Z
deutschZuid
<p>In this sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>车费我们俩一人付一半，怎么样？</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I don't fully understand the meaning of <code>一人付一半</code>. </p>

<p>I have found that <code>付一半</code> can mean "pay half", but <code>一人</code> confuses me (if it refers to one person, why is that form used instead of <code>一个人</code>?).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-17T19:14:55.757Z
一个人付一半 is also valid in this case
AngelLeliel
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-10T07:08:07.993Z
一人付一半, each person pays half
Ray
<meaning><expressions>
Meaning of 一人付一半 in 车费我们俩一人付一半，怎么样？
# Meaning of 一人付一半 in 车费我们俩一人付一半，怎么样？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-07-16)

In this sentence:

> 车费我们俩一人付一半，怎么样？

I don't fully understand the meaning of `一人付一半`.

I have found that `付一半` can mean "pay half", but `一人` confuses me (if it refers to one person, why is that form used instead of `一个人`?).

**Tags:** meaning, expressions
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 一个人付一半 is also valid in this case  
> **username_2**: 一人付一半, each person pays half  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2012-07-16. Score: 14 | Accepted answer

一人 can be thought of as 'per person' or 'each person'.

This grammatical construction is extremely common in Chinese. I think it's called topical construction (correct me if I am wrong here). Essentially, you have the topic of the sentence (bus/taxi fare) at the start, followed by the subject, verb and the rest of the object.

So let's break it down:

1. Topic: 车费 (bus/taxi fare - need more context to determine the exact
   nature)
2. Subject: 我们俩 (We [two])
3. Verb: 付 (to pay)
4. Object: 一半(车费) (half [of the fare])
5. Adverbial: 一(个)人 (each person, per person - alternative wording: 每(个)人)

Possible translations:

* We split the fare by paying half of it each.
* We both pay half the fare.
* Each of us pays for half the fare.

I missed the last bit of your question the first time around. The measure word 个 is omitted. It means the same whether it's in there or not (in this case). However, 一人 in this sense is also used in some set phrases (such as 一人做事一人当 - one is responsible for one's own actions), and in those cases, you cannot use 一个人 in its stead. Fivesheep's answer has enough examples to give you a good idea how often it's used.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: is there a difference between 一人 and 个人 in this context?  Are they interchangeable?  (Ignoring the 我们俩 part which would make 个人 confusing).  
> **username_8**: Great answer. Worth noting that `一` is one of the most complicated morpheme in the language despite its simple meaning as word (and its look maybe). There are even theses discussing the syntax and semantics of `一X一Y` (http://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10216-2010089251.htm).  
> **username_5**: @KangMing Not 个人 but 一个人, in which case, it is equivalent to 一人. The measure word 个 is omitted. That being said, however, in colloquial speech, you'd probably hear '个人' used in this context as well; just the speakers being lazy in my opinion.  
> **username_8**: @JamesJiao, if you hear `个人付一半` I believe it's actually `各人付一半`.  
> **username_5**: @NS.X. You are probably right :).  
> **username_6**: @deutschZuid, for the '个人' part, it is not right. '个人' means *an individual* or *personal*, which is rarely used in daily conversation to mean 'each person/per person'. For example: "个人意见" means "personal opinion", "个人所得税" means "individual income tax".  
> **username_6**: @NS.X. When you say "一半" or "half", it only refers to exactly 2 people, which "各人" or "各个人" in some contexts implies more than 2 people. It's even hard for me, a native speaker to explain how "各" and "每" is different, but the following sentences are more natural in daily conversations. 1. `每人各付一半` 2. `一人付一半`  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2012-07-16. Score: 2

Each of us two pay half the fee, what do you think?

it's very common to say 一人..., e.g. 一人一个, 一人一次
there's also an idiom 一人做事一人当


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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-01-10. Score: 0

车费我们俩一人付一半，怎么样？

It is AA.

车费10元，一人付一半，就是每人5元。


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