是
to be (is/am/are)
shì
What does 是 mean?
是 (shì) is the Chinese copula — the verb that links a subject to a noun: 我是学生 'I am a student,' 这是茶 'This is tea.' It corresponds to 'is / am / are / was / were' in English, but with a critical restriction: 是 only links nouns to nouns. To say 'I am tired,' you do NOT use 是 — adjectives in Chinese act like verbs and take 很 (hěn) instead: 我很累, not 我是累. Saying 我是高 sounds broken to a Chinese ear. 是 is also the standard 'yes' answer to a yes-no question (是 / 不是 = yes / no), and it appears in the common 是…的 construction used to emphasize when, where, how, or who did something. The negation is 不是 (bú shì).
Character breakdown
to be; yes; correct
Memory hook: 是 contains 日 'sun' on top — 'as sure as the sun.' Use it for facts that equate two nouns: A = B.
Example sentences
我是中国人。
Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.
I am Chinese.
neutral
这是我的朋友。
Zhè shì wǒ de péngyou.
This is my friend.
spoken
他不是学生。
Tā bú shì xuésheng.
He is not a student.
neutral
你是老师吗？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
Are you a teacher?
neutral
Common phrases with 是
Synonyms
Formal/literary 'to be,' seen in written Chinese and idioms (以…为… 'take as'). Never used in everyday speech the way 是 is.
Don't confuse 是 with
在 means 'to be located at / at.' English uses 'is' for both 'I am a student' (是) and 'I am at home' (在). Chinese splits them — never say 我是在家.
有 means 'to have / there is.' Don't use 是 for existence — 'There is a book on the table' is 桌子上有书, not 桌子上是书.
Same pinyin and tone but a different character: 事 means 'matter / affair / thing' (有事 'have something to do'). Beginners write 我事学生 by mistake — it must be 是.