别人
biérén · HSK 1
other people
👥 别 (other/separate) + 人 (person) = other people
别 means 'other' or 'to separate'; 人 means 'person'. Together: persons-other-than-you. The 别 here is the same one in 别的 (other) and 告别 (farewell, a separating).
别 — separate (knife 刂 + 另 phonetic/'other')
别 originally depicted using a knife (刂) to separate flesh from bone, giving the core sense of 'divide' or 'part from'. The left component 另 ('another, other') reinforces the idea of setting things apart and also hints at the sound. From 'separate' the meaning naturally extended to 'other, different' and to the adverb 'don't' (i.e. do otherwise).
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.