Nonbinary

Nonbinary describes people whose gender identity does not fall entirely within the two boxes of “man” and “woman”: between them, outside them, both, fluid over time, or no gender at all. It is an umbrella term, and the experiences under it vary widely. The Chinese rendering is 非二元 (fei eryuan, “not two-element”).

Many nonbinary people also identify under the broader transgender umbrella (gender identity differing from the sex assigned at birth); some do not — follow each person’s own framing. On address: many English speakers use they/them pronouns; written Chinese often uses the gender-neutral “TA” (spoken Chinese pronouns are already gender-free, an accidental head start). When unsure, asking is always polite.

On “isn’t this newly invented”: cultural traditions that place gender outside a strict binary long predate the word — “nonbinary” is a contemporary name for a longstanding human experience (see Is nonbinary made up?).

Register note: most common in community and younger contexts; “enby” (from the letters N-B) is the affectionate shorthand.

Common misuse: equating nonbinary with androgynous fashion. Gender identity (who I am) and gender expression (how I dress) are different things — a nonbinary person need not look androgynous to count, just as a man need not look rugged to be a man. For the fundamentals, see Gender basics.