是 - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

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Stroke order
9 strokes
Stroke order

(Kangxi radical 72, +5, 9 strokes, cangjie input 日一卜人 (AMYO), four-corner 60801, composition𤴓 or ⿱)

  1. Shuowen Jiezi radical №32
simp. and trad.
alternative forms 𣆞

| | Old Chinese | | | -------------------------------- | --------------------- | | | *teː | | | *teː, *deː | | | *teː, *teːʔ, *dje | | | *teː | | | *teːs, *deː | | | *tʰeːʔ, *deː | | | *tʰeːʔ, *deː | | | *deː, *dje | | | *deː | | | *deː, *deːs | | | *deː, *deːʔ, *djeʔ | | | *deː, *deʔ, *djeʔ | | | *deː, *tje, *dje | | | *deː | | | *deː | | | *deː, *deːs, *djes | | | *deːs, *deʔ | | | *deʔ, *djeʔ | | | *dje | | | *djeʔ | | | *djeʔ | | | *hljes, *kles | | | *tʰeːns | | | *djɯɡ | | | *dɯɡ | | | *djɯɡ |

Originally a phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *djeʔ): semantic + phonetic (OC *kjɯʔ), but the original meaning is unclear. It has been suggested that looks like a spoon, so may have been the original character for (OC *dje, “spoon”). As early as in late bronze inscriptions, the lower part of split off and combined with to give , which carried over to the small seal script, and Shuowen considers this a compound of (“sun”) + (“upright; right”) (i.e. as the upright sun).

“This [an independent pronoun] > this, it [object recapitulation], be right, correct, so > to be, indeed”. The modern copulative sense only emerged by the Eastern Han dynasty (Dobson, 1964; Norman, 1988; Zürcher, 2013), and gradually replaced the archaic (OC *ɢʷi, “to be”) and the classical copulative construction with (OC *laːlʔ).

This was due to the lack of a left-branching copula as archaic 唯 shifted into a contrasting and restricting particle, as well as its frequent use in presentational copulative constructions, often in the form of "A, 是 B 也" ("A, this is B"), which led to it being gradually reinterpreted as the copula instead of 也. Also note the semantic opposition with literary negative copula (OC *pɯl) as in "right" and "wrong", which emerged by the Warring States period from the frequent collocation of the expression "是 X 也, 非 Y 也" (This is X, not Y) (Pulleyblank, 1995) .

To understand this development, compare (OC *tjɯ, “him, it, this > possessive”), (OC *kɯ, “he, his, its > dialectal possessive”). Compare French c’est which in colloquial speech often replaces copula est, as well as Japanese , the topic particle like Old Chinese (OC *tjaːʔ), (OC *laːlʔ, “topicalizer”) and left-branching (OC *ba), but frequently misinterpreted as the copula by learners.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-daj ~ m-di (“that; this”). In Chinese, cognate with (OC *djɯɡ, “this (subject contrastive)”), (OC *ɦliɡ, “this (subject contrastive)”), (OC *tjɯ, “this; him; her; it (oblique)”), (OC *djeʔ, “to examine, to consider”). In Tibeto-Burman, cognate with Tibetan དེ (de, “that”), Jingpho dai, ndai (“this”), and Burmese ဒီ (di, “this”).


Note: 4ze (Shaoxingese) - vernacular pronunciation.

Note:


BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/1
ModernBeijing(Pinyin) shì
MiddleChinese dzyeX
OldChinese /*[d]eʔ/
English this
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
Reading # 1/1
No. 11645
Phoneticcomponent
Rimegroup
Rimesubdivision 0
CorrespondingMC rime
OldChinese /*djeʔ/
Notes

  1. (literary) this; this thing
    shìthis day
    1. (literary, archaic) a pronoun that refers to an anteposed object of the verb, usually introduced by the a topicalizer or constrative like in the form of …… 是 + V, adding emphasis to the object of the verb. Compare (zhī), which as a pronoun can also refers to the topic as the object, and in earlier forms was also placed before the verb.
      [Classical Chinese, _trad._]
      [Classical Chinese, _simp._]
      From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE
      wéi yú mǎ shǒu shì zhān [Pinyin]
      Just look at my horse's head
  2. (copulative) to be
    1. indicating that the subject and object are the same.
      泰晤士河英國第二河流。 [MSC, _trad._]
      泰晤士河英国第二河流。 [MSC, _simp._]
      Tàiwùshìhé shì Yīngguó dì'èr cháng de héliú. [Pinyin]
      The River Thames is the second longest river in the UK.
    2. indicating that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
      老師。/老师。 ― shì lǎoshī. ― I am a teacher.
      中國人。/中国人。 ― shì zhōngguórén. ― I am Chinese.
    3. indicating a place being occupied by the object, where the place forms the subject.
      房子前面禾場。 [MSC, _trad._]
      房子前面禾场。 [MSC, _simp._]
      Fángzǐ qiánmiàn shì hécháng. [Pinyin]
      The threshing floor is in front of the house.
      到處到处dàochù dōu shì ― to be everywhere
  3. a particle emphasizing the word following it.
    昨天。 [MSC, _trad._]
    昨天。 [MSC, _simp._]
    shì zuótiān mǎi de piào. [Pinyin]
    It was yesterday when I bought the ticket.
  4. a particle showing agreement. In this meaning, 是 is stressed. truly; indeed.
    天氣。/天气。 ― Tiānqì shì lěng. ― It is indeed cold.
    裙子漂亮但是。 [MSC, _trad._]
    裙子漂亮但是。 [MSC, _simp._]
    Zhè jiàn qúnzi shì hěn piàoliàng, dànshì tài guì le. [Pinyin]
    Although this dress is truly beautiful, it's too expensive.
  5. a particle used in an alternative or a negative question
    喝茶咖啡? [MSC, _trad._]
    喝茶咖啡? [MSC, _simp._]
    shì hēchá háishì hē kāfēi? [Pinyin]
    Would you like coffee or tea?
  6. (in affirmative answers) yes; right
    張三。 [MSC, _trad._]
    张三。 [MSC, _simp._]
    Nǐ shì Zhāng Sān ma? Shì. [Pinyin]
    Are you Zhang San? Yes.
    長官。/长官。 ― Shì, zhǎngguān.Yes, sir.
    明白。 ― Shì, míngbái le.Yes, got it.
  7. true; correct
    shì ― fault; mistake; wrongdoing
    nǐ shuō de shì ― What you said is right
    gè xíng qí shì ― to have each going his own way, i.e., doing what he considers right
    gòng shāng guóshì ― to discuss national affairs (This is a fossil word from Ancient Chinese where (OC *djeʔ) originally means "what is right (for the country)", i.e., "laws and policies")
  8. a surname

When translated as "to be", 是 is used only to link two nouns or nominal expressions.

老師老师shì lǎoshī ― I am a teacher

泰晤士河英國第二河流。 [MSC, _trad._]
泰晤士河英国第二河流。 [MSC, _simp._]

Tàiwùshìhé shì Yīngguó dì'èr cháng de héliú. [Pinyin]

The River Thames is the second longest river in the UK.

是 is not used to link a noun and an adjective. The following sentence would be incorrect:

*/** zhè shì hǎo ― *

The correct sentence is

zhè hěn hǎo ― This is (very) good

Here, (hěn) is used as a filler to link a noun and an adjective and is not interpreted as "very".

A way to use 是 with an adjective is to use (de) after the adjective to turn it into a noun.

nà zhī māo shì hēi de ― That cat is black (That cat is a black one)

Dialectal synonyms of (“this”) [map]

Variety Location Words edit
Classical Chinese , , , , anteclassical, ,
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing
Taiwan
Chengde
Chifeng
Hulunbuir (Hailar)
Heihe
Qiqihar
Jiamusi
Baicheng
Changchun
Tonghua
Shenyang
Jinzhou
Malaysia
Singapore
Jilu Mandarin Tianjin
Tangshan
Cangzhou
Baoding
Shijiazhuang
Lijin
Jinan
Jiaoliao Mandarin Dalian
Dandong
Yantai
Qingdao
Zhucheng
Central Plains Mandarin Lingbao
Jining
Linfen
Shangqiu
Yuanyang
Zhengzhou
Xinyang
Baihe
Xi'an
Baoji
Tianshui
Xining
Xuzhou
Pizhou
Lianyungang (Ganyu)
Donghai
Fuyang
Lanyin Mandarin Yinchuan
Lanzhou
Dunhuang
Hami
Ürümqi
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu
Nanchong
Dazhou
Hanyuan
Xichang
Zigong
Chongqing
Wuhan
Yichang
Tianmen
Guiyang
Zunyi
Bijie
Liping
Zhaotong
Dali
Kunming
Mengzi
Guilin
Liuzhou
Jishou
Changde
Hanzhong
Jianghuai Mandarin Nanjing
Yangzhou
Baoying
Taizhou
Zhenjiang
Lianyungang
Huai'an (Huaiyin)
Lianshui
Xuyi
Nantong
Rugao
Yancheng
Funing
Sihong
Wuhu
Hefei
Hong'an
Cantonese Guangzhou ,
Hong Kong ,
Macau
Taishan
Dongguan
Yangjiang
Nanning
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)
Singapore (Guangfu) ,
Gan Nanchang
Nanchang (Wangcheng)
Anyi
Lushan
Duchang
Wuning (Quankou)
Poyang
Yugan
Wannian
Yanshan (Hekou)
Yichun
Yifeng
Gao'an
Fengxin
Shanggao
Wanzai
Fengcheng
Xinyu
Fuzhou (Shangdundu)
Fuzhou (Dongxiang)
Nancheng
Nanfeng
Yihuang
Lichuan
Chongren
Pingxiang
Ji'an
Taihe
Xiajiang
Yingtan (Yujiang)
Guixi
Jianning
Jinxian
Jinxi
Le'an
Guangchang
Suichuan
Wan'an
Jing'an
Zhangshu
Xingan
Fenyi
Hakka Changting
Ninghua
Qingliu
Yudu
Ningdu
Ruijin
Shicheng
Xunwu
Huichang
Xingguo
Miaoli (N. Sixian)
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
Hong Kong
Huizhou Jixi
Shexian
Wuyuan
Jin Taiyuan
Yangyuan
Datong
Xinzhou
Lüliang (Lishi)
Changzhi
Linhe
Jining
Hohhot
Erenhot
Pingshan
Zhangjiakou
Handan
Suide
Northern Min Jian'ou 𱕇
Eastern Min Fuzhou , ,
Fuzhou (Changle)
Lianjiang
Fuqing
Pingtan
Yongtai
Minqing
Gutian
Pingnan
Luoyuan
Fu'an
Ningde
Xiapu
Zherong
Shouning
Zhouning
Fuding
Singapore (Fuqing)
Southern Min Xiamen
Xiamen (Tong'an)
Quanzhou ,
Jinjiang
Nan'an
Shishi
Hui'an
Anxi
Yongchun
Dehua
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou (Longhai)
Zhangzhou (Changtai)
Hua'an
Nanjing
Pinghe
Zhangpu
Yunxiao
Zhao'an
Dongshan
Taipei
Kinmen
Penang (Hokkien)
Singapore (Hokkien)
Manila (Hokkien)
Longyan 迄好
Zhangping
Chaozhou
Shantou
Jieyang
Haifeng
Singapore (Teochew)
Batam (Teochew)
Wenchang
Haikou
Singapore (Hainanese)
Puxian Min Putian 只蜀
Xianyou 只蜀
Central Min Yong'an
Sanming (Shaxian)
Shaojiang Min Guangze
Jiangle
Mingxi
Shunchang
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi)
Shehua Cangnan
Jingning (Hexi)
Wu Shanghai , dated, obsolete
Shanghai (Songjiang)
Shanghai (Fengxian)
Shanghai (Jinshan)
Shanghai (Chongming) , , also that
Suzhou ,
Suzhou (Shengze, Wujiang)
Wuxi
Changshu
Jiaxing
Jiashan
Pinghu
Haining (Yanguan)
Tongxiang
Haiyan
Changzhou
Danyang
Nanjing (Gaochun)
Huzhou
Changxing
Anji
Deqing
Hangzhou
Hangzhou (Yuhang)
Hangzhou (Lin'an)
Hangzhou (Fuyang)
Tonglu
Tonglu (Wusheng) 個個
Shaoxing
Zhuji
Shengzhou
Xinchang
Ningbo
Ningbo (Zhenhai)
Yuyao
Cixi
Taizhou (Huangyan)
Tiantai
Sanmen
Wenling ,
Wenzhou
Yueqing
Yongjia (Fenglin)
Rui'an
Pingyang
Taishun
Wencheng
Lishui
Qingtian
Jinyun
Songyang (Xiping)
Yunhe
Qingyuan
Longquan
Suichang
Jiangshan
Changshan
Kaihua
Longyou
Jinhua ,
Yiwu
Yongkang
Pujiang ,
Dongyang
Wuyi 愛個
Lanxi
Shangrao
Shangrao (Guangfeng)
Yushan
Xiang Changsha
Shuangfeng

Dialectal synonyms of (“to be (+ noun)”) [map]


simp. and trad.
alternative forms

  1. (Northern Wu) Pronominal prefix
    [Northern Wu] ― I, me

(Jōyō kanji)

  1. this
  2. right, correct, just
  3. indicates agreement or affirmation
Kanji in this term
Grade: S
goon

From Middle Chinese (MC dzyeX)

是() (ze)

  1. right, justice
    **是(ぜ)**と非(ひ)区別(くべつ)する
    ze to hi o kubetsu suru
    to tell apart right and wrong
Kanji in this term
これGrade: S
kun'yomi
For pronunciation and definitions of 是 – see the following entry.
(This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)
  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

(eumhun (i si))

  1. hanja form? of (“this, to be”)

(eumhun 바를 (bareul si))

  1. hanja form? of (“right”)

A semantically adopted phonogram (hun'gaja). 是 means "this" in Chinese, and the native Korean word for "this" is (i).

(*-i)

  1. A syllabic phonogram denoting final vowel *-i
    Synonym:

A phonetically adopted phonogram (eum'gaja), from the Middle Chinese reading (MC dzyeX).

(*-si)

  1. A syllabic phonogram denoting final syllable *-si
    Synonym:

(*-i)

  1. Nominative case marker
    Synonyms: , 弋只

(*i-)

  1. to be

是: Hán Nôm readings: thị

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{[rfdef](/wiki/Template:rfdef#top "Template:rfdef")}}.