是 shì is
is; to be; yes
How to remember 是: 日 sun + 𤴓 upright = is. Under the blazing sun a little girl stands upright beside her sandcastle and shouts "This is my castle!"
Component breakdown
是 = 日 sun + 𤴓 upright
- 日 sun
- 𤴓 upright
Under the blazing sun a little girl stands upright beside her sandcastle and shouts "This is my castle!"
How it came to be
The sun over a foot with its leg: walking straight towards the sun, the right way. From right it came to point at this one, and from this came is.
How it is used
- The is/am/are linking two nouns - 我是学生 (wǒ shì xuéshēng) I'm a student.
- Never use it before an adjective - say 很好 (hěn hǎo), not 是好; 是 joins nouns, 很 carries adjectives.
- Alone it means yes / that's right; the 是…的 frame highlights when/where/how - 我是昨天来的 (wǒ shì zuótiān lái de) it was yesterday that I came.
Characters built with 是
Words with 是
- 但是dànshìbutHSK 2
- 还是háishiorHSK 2
- 可是kěshìbutHSK 3
- 总是zǒngshìalwaysHSK 3
- 只是zhǐshìmerelyHSK 3
- 是否shìfǒuwhether (or not)HSK 4
- 要是yàoshiifHSK 4
- 于是yúshìas a resultHSK 4
- 就是jiùshìexactlyHSK 4
- 老是lǎoshìalwaysHSK 4
- 或是huòshìorHSK 5
- 要不是yàobúshìif it were not forHSK 5
- 倒是dàoshìcontrary to what one might expectHSK 6
- 算是suànshìconsidered to beHSK 6
- 凡是fánshìeach and everyHSK 6
- 可不是kěbúshiexactly!HSK 7
- 头头是道tóutóu-shìdàoclear and logicalHSK 7
- 实事求是shíshì-qiúshìliterally to seek truth from facts (idiom)HSK 7
- 是非shìfēiright and wrongHSK 7
- 真是zhēnshiindeedHSK 7
- 自以为是zìyǐwéishìto believe oneself infallible (idiom)HSK 7
- 似是而非sìshì-érfēiapparently right but actually wrongHSK 8
- 比比皆是bǐbǐ-jiēshìcan be found everywhereHSK 9
- 若是ruòshìifHSK 9
Example sentences
- 这是我家。 Zhè shì wǒ jiā.This is my house.
- 我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuéshēng.I am a student.
- 他是老师。 Tā shì lǎoshī.He is a teacher.
- 这里是哪儿？ Zhèli shì nǎr?Where are we?