Question

who作为关系代词和连接代词是有什么区别？两种代词的名称由何而来？

Thought

Explaining "who" usage

We need to clarify the difference between "who" as a relative pronoun and as a conjunctive pronoun in English, and I'll explain this in Chinese. As a relative pronoun, "who" connects a relative clause to a noun: it has an antecedent and serves roles like subject or object. Meanwhile, as a conjunctive pronoun, it introduces an indirect question or noun clause without an antecedent.

Clarifying "who" as pronoun

In the sentence "Tell me who you are," "who" functions as an interrogative pronoun, which in English grammar introduces a question. Chinese often calls this a "连接代词" (connecting pronoun) because it links the clause, though in English it's usually called an "interrogative pronoun." This is a stable grammatical concept, and it’s not time-sensitive to explore further.

Clarifying "who" in grammar

When explaining "who," it's important to recognize how it's used. As a relative pronoun, "who" modifies a noun and can’t carry the question intonation common in interrogatives. It refers to a definite entity, unlike content clauses where "who" introduces an open, unknown element. Also, "who" isn't typically used in free relatives except in more formal contexts, like legal texts.

"Who" and its use in clauses

When used as a relative pronoun, "who" is essential, especially as the subject, where it cannot be omitted, like in "the man who I saw." As an interrogative pronoun, it's needed for meaning—dropping it would change the sentence's structure or meaning. For example, "I know who you like" would lose its clarity without "who."

Thought for 32s

Answer

好问题！汉语里常说的“关系代词 who”和“连接代词 who”，其实对应英语术语是 relative pronoun 与 interrogative/conjunctive pronoun（引导名词性从句的 wh-代词）。核心差别就两点：** 有没有先行词**、整个从句在句中充当什么成分。

一看就懂的区别

比较点	关系代词 who（定语从句）	连接代词 who（名词性从句）
是否有先行词	✅ 必有，被它修饰的名词/代词	❌ 没有先行词
从句充当成分	修饰名词（做定语）	充当主语/宾语/表语/同位语
who 在从句里的作用	既“连接”又充当从句内部成分（主/宾）	同样既“连接”又充当从句内部成分（主/宾）
可否用 that 替换	多数限制性用法可被 that 替换（口语常见）	❌ 不能用 that 替代 who
可否省略	做宾语时常可省略：the person (who) I met	通常不能省略，省了就不成“疑问意义”的名词性从句了
逗号	非限制性从句要用逗号（且不能用 that）	名词性从句不加逗号

例子对照

关系代词（修饰名词，有先行词）

The woman who called me is our new boss.
（who = 从句的主语，修饰 the woman）
The man (who/whom) I met yesterday is a pilot.
（who/whom = 宾语，口语可省略）

连接代词（引导名词性从句，无先行词）

I don’t know who called me.（整个从句作 know 的宾语）
Who will host the meeting is still unclear.（从句作主语） ※ 这里不能用 that，也不能把 who 省掉。

名称从何而来？

关系代词（relative pronoun）：来自拉丁传统 pronomen relativum，意思是“把一个从句与前面的名词关联起来”的代词——它指回（relate to）先行词，并在从句里充当语法成分。
连接代词（conjunctive/interrogative pronoun）：中文教学里用“连接”强调它一边连接主从句，一边在从句里当主语/宾语，同时保留疑问意义（所以英语里更常叫 interrogative pronoun 引导“间接疑问句/名词性从句”）。与“连接词 that”不同，who 本身在从句里有语法位置；that（作连词时）不在从句里充当成分。

小窍门（快速判别）

前面有没有被修饰的名词？有＝关系代词；没有＝连接代词。
能不能换成 that？能换（且合理）多半是关系代词；不能换多半是连接代词。
去掉 who 还顺不顺？定语从句里做宾语的 who 常可省；名词性从句里的 who 一般不能省。

补充：who / whom / whose

主格用 who（主语）：the girl who sits there
宾格正式场合用 whom（口语常用 who 代替）：the man whom/who I saw
所有格用 whose（两类从句都可用）：the student whose bike was stolen / I wonder whose bike this is

如果你愿意，我可以出几道练习句，帮你快速检测是否分得清这两类用法～