核心问题
They say that blood is thicker than water, that our relatives are more important to us than others. (《大学英语》) they究竟是指谁呢？
词典解答
以前一些守旧的语言学家确实曾经批评过这种用法，说they的所指是不明确的。但是现在这种用法已经固定下来：they泛指人们（people），一般不包括说话者和听话者。they say一般可译为“人们说”“据说”：
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They say oil prices will be going up soon. 据说石油价格很快就要上涨。
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They say he kept a whore in the White House, but I don't suppose I ought to say that. (MW-DEU) 据说他在白宫养过一个妓女，但是我认为我不应当说出这一点。
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They say Freddy plays only when he wants to. (MWDEU) 人们说弗雷戴只是在愿意玩的时候才玩。