是 shì — is; are; am; yes; to be
他是一名医生。Tā shì yì míng yī shēng.He is a doctor.
Common words: 还是 (hái shi)、是不是 (shì bu shì)、但是 (dàn shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to be"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to be", including 是 (shì), 有 (yǒu), 为 (wèi), 当 (dāng / dàng), 值 (zhí), 临 (lín). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to be" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 是 (shì), 有 (yǒu), 为 (wèi), 当 (dāng / dàng), 值 (zhí), 临 (lín), 乃 (nǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, yǒu, wèi, dāng, dàng, zhí, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 是 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 是 shìis; are; am; yes; to beUseful words: 还是, 是不是
- 有 yǒuto have; there is; there are; to exist; to beUseful words: 没有, 还有
- 为 wèiact as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to becomeUseful words: 因为, 认为
- 当 dāng / dàngto be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; duringUseful words: 当时, 当然
- 值 zhívalue; (to be) worth; to happenUseful words: 值得, 价值
Common words for these 7 "to be" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 是 (shì) — so "to be" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
还是hái shistill (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or是不是shì bu shìis or is not (used to form yes-no questions)但是dàn shìbut; however没有méi yǒuhaven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have还有hái yǒuthere still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition有些yǒu xiēsome; somewhat; rather; a bit因为yīn wèibecause; owing to; on account of认为rèn wéito believe; to think; to consider; to feel成为chéng wéito become; to turn into当时dāng shíthen; at that time
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 7 ways to say "to be".
有 yǒu — to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be
我有两个哥哥。Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge gē ge.I have two older brothers.
Common words: 没有 (méi yǒu)、还有 (hái yǒu)、有些 (yǒu xiē)
为 wèi — act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become
他为家人做了一顿晚饭。Tā wèi jiā rén zuò le yí dùn wǎn fàn.He made a dinner for his family.
Common words: 因为 (yīn wèi)、认为 (rèn wéi)、成为 (chéng wéi)
当 dāng / dàng — to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during
当老师来的时候，大家都安静了。Dāng lǎo shī lái de shí hou, dà jiā dōu ān jìng le.When the teacher came, everyone became quiet.
Common words: 当时 (dāng shí)、当然 (dāng rán)、相当 (xiāng dāng)
值 zhí — value; (to be) worth; to happen
这本书很值得一读。Zhè běn shū hěn zhí dé yì dú.This book is well worth reading.
Common words: 值得 (zhí de)、价值 (jià zhí)、值班 (zhí bān)
临 lín — to face; to overlook; to arrive; to be (just) about to; just before
临走前，他和大家一一道别。Lín zǒu qián, tā hé dà jiā yī yī dào bié.Before leaving, he said goodbye to everyone one by one.
Common words: 面临 (miàn lín)、临时 (lín shí)、光临 (guāng lín)
乃 nǎi — to be; thus; so; therefore; then; only
失败乃成功之母。Shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ.Failure is the mother of success.
Common words: 乃至 (nǎi zhì)、乃是 (nǎi shì)、乃尔 (nǎi ěr)
All 7 characters
Open 是、有、为 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.