Word: 是 (shì)

These are the Chinese grammar articles about 是 , whether they focus on it or mention it.

是 dictionary entry

shì: to be (followed by substantives only); correct; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion)

Full dictionary entry for 是

What 是 means in each sentence

to be (followed by substantives only) 53 sentences
correct 36 sentences

Grammar articles covering 是

The 是…的 (shì…de) construction vs 了 (le) in Chinese grammar
The 要是…就 (yàoshi…jiù) construction in Chinese grammar
The 是…的 (shì…de) construction in Chinese grammar
10 basic Chinese grammar points for beginners
Chinese grammar de hua (的话): expressing "if" in Chinese with de hua

Example sentences using 是

1000 sentences, showing page 1 of 10.

一个是新的，另一个是旧的。

Yí gè shì xīn de, lìng yí gè shì jiù de.

One is new, and the other is old.
一切事物皆是相对的。

Yíqiè shìwù jiē shì xiāngduì de.

Everything is relative.
一种语言是永远不够的。

Yìzhǒng yǔyán shì yǒngyuǎn búgòu de.

One language is never enough.
一角硬币的价值是五分的双倍。

Yìjiǎo yìngbì de jiàzhí shì wǔfēn de shuāngbèi.

Ten cent coins are worth twice as much as five cent coins.
三的三倍是九。

Sān de sānbèi shì jiǔ.

Three times three is nine.
下一个是我吗？

Xià yí gè shì wǒ ma?

Am I next?
下一个是谁？

Xià yí gè shì shéi?

Who is next?
不，一直是我在用。

Bù, yìzhí shì wǒ zài yòng.

No, I am always using it.
不，我是英国人。

Bù, wǒ shì Yīngguórén.

No, I am English.
「不方便」的相反词是「方便」。

「Bù fāngbiàn」de xiāngfǎn cí shì「fāngbiàn」.

The opposite of "inconvenient" is "convenient".
不是他们的话，那么又会是谁？

Bú shì tāmen dehuà, nàme yòu huì shì shéi?

If it wasn't them, then who else could it be?
不是的，他是我们的业务主管。

Bú shì de, tā shì wǒmen de yèwù zhǔguǎn.

No, he's our business manager.
不清楚她是什么意思。

Bù qīngchu tā shì shénme yìsi.

It wasn't clear what she meant.
不知道是谁发明的呢？

Bù zhīdào shì shéi fāmíng de ne?

I wonder who invented it.
不知道是那间？

Bù zhīdào shì nà jiān?

Don't you know what that is?
不管是谁总比没人好。

Bùguǎn shì shéi zǒng bǐ méi rén hǎo.

Anybody would be better than nobody.
世界是一个小村。

Shìjiè shì yí gè xiǎo cūn.

The world is a small village.
世界语是爱的语言。

Shìjièyǔ shì ài de yǔyán.

Esperanto is the language of love.
东京是一个很大的城市。

Dōngjīng shì yí gè hěn dà de chéngshì.

Tokyo is a big city.
东京是世界上最贵的城市。

Dōngjīng shì shìjiè shàng zuì guì de chéngshì.

Tokyo is the most expensive town in the world.
东京是日本最大的城市。

Dōngjīng shì Rìběn zuì dà de chéngshì.

Tokyo is the largest city in Japan.
东京是日本的首都。

Dōngjīng shì Rìběn de shǒudū.

Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
中国人口大约是英国人口的二十一倍。

Zhōngguó rénkǒu dàyuē shì Yīngguó rénkǒu de èrshí yībèi.

The population of China is about twenty-one times that of the UK.
中国是个巨大的国家。

Zhōngguó shì gè jùdà de guójiā.

China is a huge country.
中国是亚洲最大的国家。

Zhōngguó shì Yàzhōu zuì dà de guójiā.

China is the largest country in Asia.
中国是日本的20倍大。

Zhōngguó shì Rìběn de èrshí bèi dà.

China is twenty times as large as Japan.
中国是资本主义国家。

Zhōngguó shì zīběnzhǔyì guójiā.

China is a capitalist country.
中国的首都是北京。

Zhōngguó de shǒudū shì Běijīng.

The capital of China is Beijing.
为什么天是蓝的？

Wèishénme tiān shì lán de?

Why is the sky blue?
为什么它是必要的？

Wèishénme tā shì bìyào de?

Why should it be necessary?
为什么宗教是必要的？

Wèishénme zōngjiào shì bìyào de?

Why is religion necessary?
为什么是我？

Wèishénme shì wǒ?

Why me?
为什么植物是绿色的？

Wèishénme zhíwù shì lǜsè de?

Why are plants green?
为什么草是绿色的？

Wèishénme cǎo shì lǜsè de?

Why is grass green?
为什么雪是白色的呢？

Wèishénme xuě shì báisè de ne?

Why is snow white?
主要问题是什么时候开始。

Zhǔyào wèntí shì shénme shíhou kāishǐ.

When to start is the main problem.
义大利是很美丽的国家。

Yìdàlì shì hěn měilì de guójiā.

Italy is a very beautiful country.
义大利的首都是罗马。

Yìdàlì de shǒudū shì Luómǎ.

The capital of Italy is Rome.
也许他会是一个很好的老师。

Yěxǔ tā huì shì yí gè hěn hǎo de lǎoshī.

Maybe he will be a good teacher.
习惯是第二天性。

Xíguàn shì dì'èrtiān xìng.

Habit is second nature.
习惯的力量是伟大的。

Xíguàn de lìliang shì wěidà de.

Great is the power of habit.
书是不会读得太多的。

Shū shì búhuì dú de tài duō de.

We cannot read too many books.
二加三加四的和是九。

Èr jiā sān jiā sì de hé shì jiǔ.

The sum of two plus three plus four is nine.
二的二倍是四。

Èr de èr bèi shì sì.

Two times two is four.
二的四倍是八。

Èr de sì bèi shì bā.

Two times four is eight.
亚美尼亚是一个多山的国家。

Yàměiníyà shì yí gè duō shān de guójiā.

Armenia is a mountainous country.
京都市曾经是日本的首都。

Jīngdū shì céngjīng shì Rìběn de shǒudū.

Kyoto was the former capital of Japan.
人们是这样说的。

Rénmen shì zhèyàng shuō de.

So they say.
人们相信神是存在的。

Rénmen xiāngxìn shén shì cúnzài de.

People believe that god exists.
人们认为他是一名伟大的学者。

Rénmen rènwéi tā shì yì míng wěidà de xuézhě.

People thought him to be a great scholar.
人体的组织是由细胞构成的。

Réntǐ de zǔzhī shì yóu xìbāo gòuchéng de.

Human tissue is made up of cells.
人是一种动物。

Rén shì yìzhǒng dòngwù.

Humans are animals.
人是唯一会使用火的动物。

Rén shì wéiyí huì shǐyòng huǒ de dòngwù.

Man is the only animal that can make use of fire.
人是唯一会说话的动物。

Rén shì wéiyí huì shuōhuà de dòngwù.

Man is the only animal that can speak.
人类是自然的一部分。

Rénlèi shì zìrán de yíbùfen.

Humans are part of nature.
什么时候对你来说是方便的？

Shénme shíhou duì nǐ lái shuō shì fāngbiàn de?

When will it be convenient for you?
什么是幸福？

Shénme shì xìngfú?

What is happiness?
什么是民主？

Shénme shì mínzhǔ?

What's democracy?
什么是脸书？

Shénme shì Liǎnshū?

What's Facebook?
今天是什么日子？

Jīntiān shì shénme rìzi?

What day is it today?
今天是今年最热的一天。

Jīntiān shì jīnnián zuì rè de yì tiān.

Today is the hottest day this year.
今天是周几呀？

Jīntiān shì zhōu jǐ ya?

Which day of the week is it?
今天是地球日。

Jīntiān shì dìqiú rì.

Today is Earth day.
今天是母亲节。

Jīntiān shì Mǔqīnjié.

It's Mother's Day today.
今天是2019年的第一天。

Jīntiān shì èr líng yī jiǔ nián de dìyī tiān.

Today is the first day of 2019.
今年是哪一年？

Jīnnián shì nǎ yì nián?

What year is it?
从我的房间望出去是街道。

Cóng wǒ de fángjiān wàng chūqù shì jiēdào.

My room looks out on the street.
从某种意义上来说，她也是对的。

Cóng mǒuzhǒng yìyì shànglái shuō, tā yě shì duì de.

In a sense, she is right, too.
从某种意义来说，你是对的。

Cóng mǒuzhǒng yìyì lái shuō, nǐ shì duì de.

You're right in a sense.
他一定是校长。

Tā yídìng shì xiàozhǎng.

He must be the principal.
他不再是以前的那个他了。

Tā búzài shì yǐqián de nàge tā le.

He is not what he used to be.
他不再是以前那个他。

Tā búzài shì yǐqián nàge tā.

He isn't himself anymore.
他不是医生，他是教师。

Tā bú shì yìshēng, tā shì jiàoshī.

He is not a doctor but a teacher.
他不过是个孩子。

Tā búguò shì gè háizi.

He is but a child.
他主要是心理的问题。

Tā zhǔyào shì xīnlǐ de wèntí.

His trouble was chiefly mental.
他买土地的目的是要造房子。

Tā mǎi tǔdì de mùdì shì yào zào fángzi.

He bought the land for the purpose of building a house on it.
他买土地目的是要造房子。

Tā mǎi tǔdì mùdì shì yào zào fángzi.

He bought the land for the purpose of building a house on it.
他们一定是美国人。

Tāmen yídìng shì Měiguórén.

They must be Americans.
他们不知道我是日本人。

Tāmen bù zhīdào wǒ shì Rìběn rén.

They don't know that I'm Japanese.
他们以为地球是平的。

Tāmen yǐwéi dìqiú shì píng de.

They believed that the earth was flat.
他们告诉我这是你的错。

Tāmen gàosu wǒ zhè shì nǐ de cuò.

They told me it was your fault.
他们所知道的事实只有三分之一是正确的。

Tāmen suǒ zhīdào de shìshí zhǐyǒu sānfēnzhīyí shì zhèngquè de.

Of the facts they know, only one third are correct.
他们是不错的学生。

Tāmen shì búcuò de xuésheng.

They're able students.
他们是人类。

Tāmen shì rénlèi.

They are human.
他们是从法国南部来的。

Tāmen shì cóng Fǎguó nánbù lái de.

They come from the south of France.
他们是俄罗斯人。

Tāmen shì Éluósī rén.

They are Russian.
他们是儿童吗？

Tāmen shì értóng ma?

Are these children?
他们是兄弟吗？

Tāmen shì xiōngdì ma?

Are they brothers?
他们是去年搬的家。

Tāmen shì qùnián bān de jiā.

They moved house last year. It was last year that they moved house.
他们是学生。

Tāmen shì xuésheng.

They were students.
他们是学生吗？

Tāmen shì xuésheng ma?

Are they students?
他们是孩子。

Tāmen shì háizi.

They're kids.
他们是怎么认识的？

Tāmen shì zěnme rènshi de?

How did they meet?
他们是我的兄弟。

Tāmen shì wǒ de xiōngdì.

They are my brothers.
他们是我的父母。

Tāmen shì wǒ de fùmǔ.

They're my parents.
他们是日本人吗？

Tāmen shì Rìběn rén ma?

Are they Japanese?
他们是昨天来的。

Tāmen shì zuótiān lái de.

They got here yesterday. ⇒ It was yesterday that they got here.
他们是朋友吗？

Tāmen shì péngyou ma?

Are they friends?
他们是演员。

Tāmen shì yǎnyuán.

They are actors.
他们是用甚么来打你的？

Tāmen shì yòng shénme lái dǎ nǐ de?

What did they hit you with?