Chinese reflexive pronouns refer actions back to the self, equivalent to English myself or yourself. The common form is 自己, which can combine with pronouns to form 我自己 or 你自己, etc. Reflexive pronouns are used to express actions, feelings, or decisions related to the self, and to emphasize the subject rather than others.

自己 is a non-personal reflexive pronoun; its referent is usually determined by context in the sentence. The personal forms include 我自己, 你自己, 他自己, 我们自己, 你们自己, 他们自己, indicating a clear referent. Personal-reflexive pronouns are often used in contexts where explicit reference is needed.

"Self" in a sentence usually refers to the nearest personal subject; for example, if the subject is 'he', 'self' most often refers to 'he'. When there are multiple possible referents, you can use he himself or she herself to avoid ambiguity. Context can also influence who 'self' refers to, especially in chained sentences or dialogues.

Reflexive pronouns are often placed before or after the verb and adjusted according to collocation and emphasis. In de constructions, 'self' is often placed before de, as in self-made. In double-object constructions, 'self' usually serves as an indirect object or with 'de' to form an attributive. Changing position does not change reference, but it can affect naturalness and focus.

Reflexive pronouns are often used to express autonomous decision-making or proactive actions, emphasizing that the action is not done by someone else. In this sense, 'self' carries meanings of personally and independently. They can pair with verbs like choose, decide, complete to highlight the subject's responsibility. They can also be used in comparisons to emphasize that it was not someone else.

"Self" is often used to express inner states or thoughts, indicating a person’s feelings about themselves. Common collocations include feel that oneself, believe oneself, remind oneself. This usage highlights the subject's internal experience rather than external evaluation.

The is to oneself structure emphasizes the doer. The is itself emphasis? This line has been corrected for clarity: The is is oneself structure emphasizes the doer. The only oneself emphasizes the sole subject. Personal reflexive pronouns can also create contrasts in a sentence to highlight a specific person. If emphasis is not needed, you can simply use oneself to keep it natural.

When there are multiple third-person referents, using only self may be unclear about who it refers to; you can use he himself or use a noun instead. In long sentences or nested sentences, keeping the subject and self referent consistent reduces confusion. In written language, explicit reference is more important than in spoken language, especially in formal settings.

Reflexive pronouns are often paired with verbs such as take care of, manage, control, remind, believe to express self-management and self-awareness. They also commonly pair with complete, decide, solve, explain to express the subject completing personally. Mastering these high-frequency collocations helps natural expression.

In contexts where repetition is obvious, Chinese can omit the reflexive pronoun without affecting understanding, especially in dialogues. It is kept only when emphasis or to avoid ambiguity is needed. Sometimes one may use 本人 to express formal or written self-reference, which is more formal than 自己. The choice to keep or omit depends on clarity and style.