是 shì links the subject with a noun phrase in the predicate that identifies or describes it. Sentences with this form are equational sentences.
subject 是 shì noun or noun phrase
赵玫玲是学生。
趙玫玲是學生。
Zhào Méilíng shì xuésheng.
Zhao Meiling is a student.
苏州是一个城市。
蘇州是一個城市。
Sūzhōu shì yī gè chéngshì.
Suzhou is a city.
奔驰是一种车。
奔馳是一種車。
Bēnchí shì yī zhǒng chē.
The Mercedes Benz is a type of car.
Adjectival verbs may serve as the predicate of the sentence to describe the subject. The intensifier 很 hěn often occurs before the adjectival verb, especially if it is a one-syllable adjectival verb. Notice that 是 shì is not used when the predicate is an adjectival verb.
subject ( 很 hěn) adjectival verb
赵玫玲很聪明。
趙玫玲很聰明。
Zhào Méilíng hěn cōngming.
Zhao Meiling is very smart.
苏州很漂亮。
蘇州很漂亮。
Sūzhōu hěn piàoliang.
Suzhou is very beautiful.
奔馳很貴。
Bēnchí hěn guì.
The Mercedes Benz is very expensive.
► 10
Phrases that describe or ‘modify’ the noun always occur before the noun. The particle 的 de typically occurs right after the modifier and before the noun that is being described. In the following examples, the modifier + 的 de is emphasized.
很聪明的女孩子
很聰明的女孩子
hěn cōngming de nǚháizi
a very intelligent girl
很贵的车
很貴的車
hěn guì de chē
a very expensive car
很有名的大学
很有名的大學
hěn yǒu míng de dàxué
a very famous university
很安靜的地方
hěn ānjìng de dìfang
a very peaceful place
► 9.2
To ask what someone or something is like, say:
| person/place/thing | 怎么样？ |
| 怎麼樣？ | |
| zěnmeyàng? | |
| What about this person/place/thing? | |
| What is this person/place/thing like? | |
那个女孩子怎么样？
那個女孩子怎麼樣？
Nàge nǚ háizi zěnmeyàng?
What about that girl? (What is that girl like?)
那个大学怎么样？
那個大學怎麼樣？
Nàge dàxué zěnmeyàng?
What is that university like?
蘇州怎麼樣？
Sūzhōu zěnmeyàng?
What is Suzhou like?
► 28.6
To ask for more information about a person, place or thing, say:
什么/甚麼 shénme noun?
what person/place thing?
这是什么书？
這是甚麼書？
Zhè shì shénme shū?
What book is this?
or
什么样的/甚麼樣的 shénme yàng de noun?
what kind of noun?
这是什么样的地方？
這是甚麼樣的地方？
Zhè shì shénme yàng de dìfang?
What kind of place is this?
► 9.2.5.7, 28.6
To describe an item in terms of the material that it is made of, say:
(noun) 是(用) NP 做的
shì (yòng) NP zuò de
(noun) is made of ______
那个桌子是用木头做的。
那個桌子是用木頭做的。
Nàge zhuōzi shì yòng mùtou zuò de.
That table is made of wood.
这个花瓶是 (用) 玻璃做的。
這個花瓶是 (用) 玻璃做的。
Zhège huāpíng shì (yòng) bōli zuò de.
This vase is made of glass.
我的耳环是 (用) 金子做的。
我的耳環是 (用) 金子做的。
Wǒ de ěrhuán shì (yòng) jīnzi zuò de.
My earrings are made of gold.
► 57.2.4
To ask what an item is made of, say:
(noun) 是用什么做的？
是用甚麼做的？
shì yòng shénme zuò de?
What is (this object) made of ?
这个花瓶是用什么做的？
這個花瓶是用甚麼做的？
Zhège huāpíng shì yòng shénme zuò de?
What is this vase made of ?
你的耳环是用什么做的？
你的耳環是用甚麼做的？
Nǐ de ěrhuán shì yòng shénme zuò de?
What are your earrings made of ?
In Mandarin, adjectival verbs imply comparison, even when they are not used in a comparison structure. This is especially true when the adjectival verb is not preceded by an intensifier. Here are examples. The context usually makes it clear whether a simple description or a comparison is intended.
那本书贵。
那本書貴。
Nà běn shū guì.
That book is expensive.
or
That book is more expensive (than some other book).
王老师忙。
王老師忙。
Wáng lǎoshī máng.
Professor Wang is busy.
or
Professor Wang is busier (than some other people).
To describe a person in terms of his or her age, say:
王明(是)二十三岁。
王明(是)二十三歲。
Wáng Míng (shì) èrshísān suì.
Wang Ming is 23 (years old).
If it is clear from the context, 岁/歲 suì ‘years of age’ may be omitted:
王明(是)二十三。
Wáng Míng (shì) èrshísān.
Wang Ming is 23.
The verb 是 shì is optional and is usually absent in statements in which the predicate is an age, or, in fact, any number + classifier (+ noun) phrase.
我的弟弟十八岁。
我的弟弟十八歲。
Wǒ de dìdi shíbā suì.
My younger brother is 18 (years old).
However, when negation or an adverb occurs in the sentence, 是 shì must also occur.
他不是十八岁。他只是十五岁。
他不是十八歲。他只是十五歲。
Tā bù shì shíbā suì. Tā zhǐ shì shíwǔ suì.
He is not 18 (years old). He is only 15 (years old).
When the adverb 已经/已經 yǐjing ‘already’ occurs, 是 shì may be absent.
他已经(是)两岁了。
他已經(是)兩歲了。
Tā yǐjing (shì) liǎng suì le.
He is already two (years old).
► 11.4
To ask the age of an adult, say:
你多大年纪？
你多大年紀？
Nǐ duō dà niánjì?
How old are you?
or
你多大岁数？
你多大歲數？
Nǐ duō dà suìshu?
How old are you?
or
你岁数多大？
你歲數多大？
Nǐ suìshu duō dà?
How old are you?
To ask the age of a young person, say:
你多大？
Nǐ duō dà?
How old are you?
To ask the age of a child (up to ten years of age), you can say:
你几岁？
你幾歲？
Nǐ jǐ suì?
How old are you?
A formal and very polite way to inquire about the age of an older person is:
您今年高寿？
您今年高壽？
Nín jīnnián gāoshòu?
How old are you?
NOTE
几/幾 jǐ is a classifier that is used to ask about small numbers. Therefore, it is appropriate to use when asking the age of young children, but not when asking the age of older people.
► 28.6
Here are common Mandarin expressions used when discussing the weather. Notice that there is no word in Mandarin that is equivalent to the ‘it’ used in weather descriptions in English. Mandarin weather descriptions often begin with the verb and do not have a subject.
| 天气/天氣 | 舒服 | 涼快 |
| tiānqì | shūfu | liángkuai |
| weather | comfortable | cool |
| 闷热/悶熱 | 冷 | 暖和 |
| mēnrè | lěng | nuǎnhuo |
| muggy; hot and humid | cold | warm |
| 热/熱 | 多云/多雲 | 温和/溫和 |
| rè | duō yún | wēnhé |
| hot | cloudy | mild |
| 下雪 | 下雨 | 刮风/刮風 |
| xià xuě | xià yǔ | guā fēng |
| snowing | raining | windy |
今天的天气很好。
今天的天氣很好。
Jīntiān de tiānqì hěn hǎo.
Today’s weather is very good.
昨天很闷热。
昨天很悶熱。
Zuótiān hěn mēnrè.
Yesterday was very humid and hot.
今天多云。
今天多雲。
Jīntiān duō yún.
Today it is cloudy. (used in weather reports)
昨天的天气很舒服。
昨天的天氣很舒服。
Zuótiān de tiānqì hěn shūfu.
Yesterday’s weather was very comfortable.
昨天很凉快/冷/热/暖和。
昨天很涼快/冷/熱/暖和。
Zuótiān hěn liángkuai/lěng/rè/nuǎnhuo.
Yesterday was cool/cold/hot/warm.
Xià yǔ le.
It’s raining. (lit. ‘falling the rain’)
下雪了。
Xià xuě le.
It’s snowing. (lit. ‘falling the snow’)
刮风了。
颳風了。
Guā fēng le.
It is windy. (lit. ‘blowing the wind’)
To ask about the weather or climate in general terms, use 怎么样/怎麼樣 zěnmeyàng ‘what about it?’ The following questions are followed by a typical answer.
| Q: | 这儿的天气怎么样？ |
| 這兒的天氣怎麼樣？ | |
| Zhèr de tiānqì zěnmeyàng? | |
| What is the weather like here? | |
| A: | 这儿的天气很好。不冷也不热。 |
| 這兒的天氣很好。不冷也不熱。 | |
| Zhèr de tiānqì hěn hǎo. Bù lěng yě bù rè. | |
| The weather here is very nice, neither cold nor hot. | |
| Q: | 今年这儿的天气怎么样？ |
| 今年這兒的天氣怎麼樣？ | |
| Jīnnián zhèr de tiānqì zěnmeyàng? | |
| What was the weather like here this year? | |
| A: | 今年这儿的天气不太正常。 |
| 今年這兒的天氣不太正常。 | |
| Jīnnián zhèr de tiānqì bù tài zhèngcháng. | |
| The weather here was not normal this year. | |
| Q: | 杭州的气候怎么样？ |
| 杭州的氣候怎麼樣？ | |
| Hángzhōu de qìhòu zěnmeyàng? | |
| What is the climate like in Hangzhou? | |
| A: | 杭州的气候非常温和。 |
| 杭州的氣候非常溫和。 | |
| Hángzhōu de qìhòu fēicháng wēnhé. | |
| Hangzhou’s climate is very mild. |
Here are expressions associated with temperature.
| 温度/溫度 | 度 | 零下 |
| wēndù | dù | língxià |
| temperature | degree | below zero |
| 华氏/華氏 | 摄氏/攝氏 | |
| huáshì | shèshì | |
| Fahrenheit | Celsius; centigrade |
Notice that when describing temperature, you can use the verb shì. 是 shì is required with negation, but is otherwise usually absent. With the adverb 差不多 chàbùduō ‘almost,’ the verb may be 有 yǒu.
今天的温度是二十度。
今天的溫度是二十度。
Jīntiān de wēndù shì èrshí dù.
Today’s temperature is 20 degrees.
| Q: | 今天的温度怎么样？ |
| 今天的溫度怎麼樣？ | |
| Jīntiān de wēndù zěnmeyàng? | |
| What is today’s temperature? | |
| A: | 天气预报说今天的温度差不多有三十度。 |
| 天氣預報說今天的溫度差不多有三十度。 | |
| Tiānqì yùbào shuō jīntiān de wēndù chàbùduō yǒu sānshí dù. | |
| The weather report says today’s temperature will be around 30 degrees. | |
| Q: | 你说的是华氏还是摄氏？ |
| 你說的是華氏還是攝氏？ | |
| Nǐ shuō de shì huáshì háishi shèshì? | |
| Do you mean Fahrenheit or centigrade? | |
| A: | 在中国我们用的是摄氏。 |
| 在中國我們用的是攝氏。 | |
| Zài Zhōngguó wǒmen yòng de shì shèshì. | |
| We use centigrade in China. | |
| Q: | 摄氏三十度是华氏多少度？ |
| 攝氏三十度是華氏多少度？ | |
| Shèshì sān shí dù shì huáshì duōshao dù? | |
| Thirty degrees centigrade is how many degrees Fahrenheit? | |
| A: | 差不多是华氏九十度。 |
| 差不多是華氏九十度。 | |
| Chàbuduō shì huáshì jiǔshí dù. | |
| It’s about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. |
今天很冷，零下五度。
Jīntiān hěn lěng, língxià wǔ dù.
It’s really cold today, five degrees below zero.
Here are the most common ways to express having an illness or an allergy.
| General illness | Cold | Allergy |
| (我) 病了。 | (我) 感冒了。 | (我) 对 (青霉素) 过敏。 (我) 對 (青黴素) 過敏。 |
| Wǒ) bìng le. | (Wǒ) gǎn mào le. | (Wǒ) duì (qīng méi sù) guòmǐn. |
| (I) have become ill. | (I) have a cold. | (I) am allergic to (penicillin). |
| or | ||
| (我)有病。 | ||
| (Wǒ) yǒu bìng. | ||
| (I)have an illness. | ||
In English, symptoms are described as a possession of the patient: ‘I have a headache,’ ‘you have a broken leg,’ etc. Notice how symptoms are described in Mandarin.
| Fever | Cold symptoms | Sore throat |
| (我) 发烧了。 | (我) 流鼻涕。 | (我) 咳嗽。 |
| (我) 發燒了。 | ||
| (Wǒ) fā shāo le. | (Wǒ) liú bíti. | (Wǒ) késou. |
| (I) have fever. | (I) have a runny nose. | (I) have a cough. |
| (我) 发高烧。 | (我) 打喷嚏。 | (我) 嗓子疼。 |
| (我) 發高燒。 | (我) 打噴嚏。 | |
| (Wǒ) fā gāo shāo. | (Wǒ) dǎ pēntì. | (Wǒ) sǎngzi téng. |
| (I) have a high fever. | (I) am sneezing. | (I) have a sore throat. |
| General infection | Earache | Headache |
| (我) 发炎。 | (我) 耳朵疼。 | (我) 头疼。 |
| (我) 發炎。 | (我) 頭疼。 | |
| (Wǒ) fāyán. | (Wǒ) ěrduo téng. | (Wǒ) tóu téng. |
| (I) have an infection. | (I) have earache. | (I) have a headache. |
| Stomach ache | Diarrhea | Broken bones |
| (我) 肚子疼。 | (我) 拉稀。 | 他骨头断了。 |
| (Wǒ) dùzi téng. | (Wǒ) lā xī. | 他骨頭斷了。 |
| (I) have a stomach ache. | (I) have diarrhea. | Tā gǔtou duàn le. |
| He has a broken bone. | ||
| (lit. ‘His bone broke.’) | ||
| 我泻肚了。 | 他腿(手) 断了。 | |
| 我瀉肚了。 | 他腿(手) 斷了。 | |
| Wǒ xièdù le. | Tā tuǐ (shǒu) duàn le. | |
| I have diarrhea. (formal expression) | He has a broken leg (arm). | |
| (我) 拉肚子。 | ||
| (Wǒ) lā dùzi. | ||
| (I) have diarrhea. |
The following expressions are commonly used to ask about symptoms:
你什么地方不舒服？
你甚麼地方不舒服？
Nǐ shénme dìfang bù shūfu?
Where are you uncomfortable?
| 发不发烧？ | 发烧吗？ |
| 發不發燒？ | 發燒嗎？ |
| Fā bù fā shāo? | Fā shāo ma? |
| Do you have a fever? | Do you have a fever? |
| (头)疼不疼？ | (头)疼吗？ |
| (頭)疼不疼？ | (頭)疼嗎？ |
| (Tóu) téng bù téng? | (Tóu) téng ma? |
| Do you have a headache? | Do you have a headache? |
► 28.14, 28.6