是 shì
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shì
verb is / are / am / to be
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: 是 is used in this sense as a copular verb used between two nouns or noun phrases to indicate equality (Ho 2002, '是' 1; NCCED '是' 2). Use in this form is not common in literary Chinese but was used as early as the Han, (Norman 1988, p. 125) notably in translation of Buddhist texts (Kroll 2015 '是' 4). 是 is the fourth most frequently used word in the Beijing Language Institute's 1985 frequency wordlist (Ho 2002, '是'). -
shì
verb
is exactly
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: To connect two words with identical meaning -
shì
verb
is suitable / is in contrast / used for emphasis
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: 是 is used in this sense in front of a noun to emphasize its suitability or contrast (NCCED '是' 4). -
shì
pronoun
this / that / those
Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
Notes: In literary Chinese 是 most often functions as an anaphoric (referring to something previously mentioned) demonstrative pronoun (Pulleyblank 1995, p. 85; NCCED '是' 1; Kroll 2015 '是' 1). 是 is also used as an indefinite demonstrative pronoun in literary Chinese (Kroll 2015 '是' 2). -
shì
adverb
really / certainly
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: In this sense, 是 is used in front of a verb or adjective to emphasize it (NCCED '是' 6). For example, 特别是在大家面前 'especially in front of everybody.'(Lao She, 2003, p. 176) -
shì
adjective
correct / affirmative
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: In this sense, 是 is used as an alternative in a question or as the affirmative answer to a question. 是 is used in this sense in both modern and literary Chinese (NCCED '是' 8; Kroll 2015 '是' 3). -
shì
verb
to exist
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: 是 is used in this sense rather than 有 in some cases for a specific condition (Ho 2002, '是' 2). -
shì
verb
used between repetitions of a word
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: 是 is used in this form to indicate a distinction of some kind (NCCED '是' 3). For example, 从此她是她,我是我,再也不吵嘴 'From now on, she will be who she is and I will be who I am but we will not quarrel again.' (Lao She, 2003, p. 205)
Contained in
- 于是乎(於是乎) therefore
- 实事求是(實事求是) to handle matters according to the actual situation / to be practical and realistic
- 则是(則是) only
- 现在是过去钥匙(現在是過去鑰匙) Today is the key to the past.
- 是啥说啥(是啥說啥) call a spade a spade
- 时间是把杀猪刀(時間是把殺豬刀) time is a butcher's knife / time marches on, relentless and unforgiving / nothing gold can stay
- 也是 in addition ; either
- 派不是 to criticize / to find fault with
- 不是一家人不进一家门(不是一家人不進一家門) people who don't belong together, don't get to live together / marriages are predestined / people marry because they share common traits
- 为的是(為的是) for the sake of / for the purpose of
- 团结就是力量(團結就是力量) unity is strength
- 俯拾皆是 so numerous that one could just bend down and pick them up / extremely common / easily available
- 于是(於是) thereupon / as a result / consequently / thus / hence
- 见风是雨(見風是雨) see the wind and assume it will rain / gullible / to believe whatever people suggest
- 或是 or / either ... or ...
- 乃是 nevertheless ; to be / exactly so
- 真是 really ; expresses dissatisfaction
- 积非成是(積非成是) a wrong repeated becomes right / a lie or an error passed on for a long time may be taken for the truth
- 一是一,二是二 one is one, two is two / things are (or ought to be) perfectly clear-cut / unequivocal
- 是的 as / yes
- 不是 no / is not / not ; a fault / an error ; illegal ; or else / otherwise
- 真是的 Really! (expressing annoyance or frustration)
- 总是(總是) always
- 何尝不是(何嘗不是) how could it be anything else?
- 凡是 every / all
- 需要是发明之母(需要是發明之母) Necessity is the mother of invention (European proverb).
- 有奶便是娘 whoever provides milk is your mother / to follow whoever is feeding you
- 正是 precisely / exactly / even / if / just like / in the same way as
- 自以为是(自以爲是) to believe oneself infallible / always right / opinionated ; to believe oneself infallible / to be opinionated
- 是非分明 to distinguish right from wrong
- 回头是岸(回頭是岸) the shore is right before you / to repent and start afresh
- 有道是 as they say, ... / as the saying goes, ...
- 如是 thus / so
- 倒是 actually / contrariwise
- 是何祥也(是何祥也) What do these foretell? ; What do these foretell?
- 触目皆是(觸目皆是) everywhere you look
- 比比皆是 able to be found anywhere / available everywhere ; can be found anywhere
- 以是 for that reason / therefore / for this reason ; for example / to say
- 是非不分 to not distinguish true from false
- 就是说(就是說) in other words / that is to say
- 是以 therefore / thus / so / hence
- 确是(確是) certainly
- 听见风就是雨(聽見風就是雨) on hearing wind, to say rain / to agree uncritically with whatever people say / to parrot other people's words
- 一身是胆(一身是膽) devoid of fear / intrepid
Also contained in
那空叻差是玛 、 爱就是惜 、 观受是苦 、 忙就是营养 、 金刚经如是解 、 是心是佛 、 是德科技
Word is mentioned most frequently in
Truncated for common words
- 卷105之三 天象志一之三 Volume 105c Treatise 1: Celestial Phenomena 3 Book of Wei 魏書 — count: 213
- 卷105之四 天象志一之四 Volume 105d Treatise 1: Celestial Phenomena 4 Book of Wei 魏書 — count: 167
- 昭公 Lord Zhao The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 127
- 魏紀 Records of the Wei Bamboo Annals 竹書紀年 — count: 120
- 卷二十九 志第十九 五行下 Volume 29 Treatises 19: Five Elements Part Three Book of Jin 晉書 — count: 118
- 卷六十 Scroll 60 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 102
- 卷六 Scroll 6 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 101
- 卷五 Scroll 5 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 97
- 卷十三 志第三 天文下 Volume 13 Treatises 3: Astronomy Part Three Book of Jin 晉書 — count: 95
- 襄公 Lord Xiang The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 94