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<table class="s-table">
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<th style="text-align: center;">時期<br>字體</th>
<th style="text-align: center;">字形</th>
<th style="text-align: center;">參考資料</th>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西周</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/g7JyO.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/g7JyO.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guoji_Zibai_pan" rel="nofollow noreferrer">虢季子白盤</a><br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=10173&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成10173</a></td>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period" rel="nofollow noreferrer">春秋</a><br>金<br></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Q6yj3.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Q6yj3.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">陳公叔父甗<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=947&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成947</a></td>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period" rel="nofollow noreferrer">戰國</a>・<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楚</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips" rel="nofollow noreferrer">簡</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/1AYIy.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1AYIy.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4<br>包山竹簡</td>
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<td style="text-align: center;">戰國・楚<br>簡</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/X0P2K.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/X0P2K.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">036<br>信陽書簡</td>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">秦</a><br>簡</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Fg7hq.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Fg7hq.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">24.28<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">睡虎地秦簡</a></td>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han" rel="nofollow noreferrer">東漢</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">隸</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/z1BRA.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/z1BRA.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%AD%94%E5%AE%99%E7%A2%91" rel="nofollow noreferrer">孔宙碑</a><br> </td>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><br>楷</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/4c8re.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/4c8re.png" alt="是" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"></td>
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<p>「是」 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_(2014)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baxter-Sagart OC</a>: <strong>/*[d]eʔ/</strong>) is comprised of phonetic <a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=141" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「止」</a> (<strong>/*tə/</strong>), which is the lower component. The earliest meaning of 「是」 was <em>this</em>, later extended to mean <em>to be</em>.</p>
<p>The upper component's functionality is unknown, and was later corrupted to look like 「旦」. Note that <a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=245" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「旦」</a> or <a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=390" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「早」</a> in the corresponding time periods do not form part of 「是」, and so are unrelated to 「是」.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-25T17:52:41.273Z
This is very helpful. The fact that the character once meant "this" makes the transition to "to be" clearer to me. The possibility of occasional corruption over time is something that I have to keep in mind for the future for all language study, especially for a language that has existed as long as Chinese has. Thank you for your detailed and excellent response.
MikeLangStudent
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-28T15:58:10.250Z
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe 是 also cognates with 此 which means this/here, as well as 時 referring to measuring movement of the sun (hence time), and both actually have 止 as a component.
Fishuman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-25T16:56:49.080Z
2022-08-18T23:20:02.683Z
2022-08-18T23:20:02.683Z
dROOOze
<p>I have been looking into the <strong>etymology of the character 是.</strong></p>
<p>The site <a href="https://hanziyuan.net/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Etymology</a> notes that this character was: &quot;originally meaning straight or correct. The sun 旦 rises or 早 in the correct 正 place.&quot; It also notes that it is: &quot;from sun-day 日 rì and foot-complete 正 zhèng&quot;.</p>
<p>I am wondering how a character for &quot;straight&quot; or &quot;correct&quot; came to have the meaning of &quot;is or &quot;equals&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-25T16:13:57.203Z
*Chinese Etymology* is wrong, there is no 正 or  in 是.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-25T17:52:53.227Z
Thank you for your comment and your detailed response below.
MikeLangStudent
<usage><etymology><glyph-origin>
How Did 是 Come to Mean "To Be"?
# How Did 是 Come to Mean "To Be"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-25)

I have been looking into the **etymology of the character 是.**

The site [Chinese Etymology](https://hanziyuan.net/) notes that this character was: "originally meaning straight or correct. The sun 旦 rises or 早 in the correct 正 place." It also notes that it is: "from sun-day 日 rì and foot-complete 正 zhèng".

I am wondering how a character for "straight" or "correct" came to have the meaning of "is or "equals".

**Tags:** usage, etymology, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: *Chinese Etymology* is wrong, there is no 正 or  in 是.  
> **username_0**: Thank you for your comment and your detailed response below.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-12-25. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

| 時期 字體 | 字形 | 參考資料 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou) [金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions) | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/g7JyO.png) | [虢季子白盤](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guoji_Zibai_pan) [集成10173](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=10173&jgwfl=) |
| [春秋](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period) 金 | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/Q6yj3.png) | 陳公叔父甗 [集成947](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=947&jgwfl=) |
| [戰國](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period)・[楚](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)) [簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips) | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/1AYIy.png) | 4 包山竹簡 |
| 戰國・楚 簡 | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/X0P2K.png) | 036 信陽書簡 |
| [秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty) 簡 | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/Fg7hq.png) | 24.28 [睡虎地秦簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts) |
| [東漢](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han) [隸](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script) | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/z1BRA.png) | [孔宙碑](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%AD%94%E5%AE%99%E7%A2%91) |
| 楷 | [是](https://i.sstatic.net/4c8re.png) |  |

「是」 ([Baxter-Sagart OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_(2014)): **/\*[d]eʔ/**) is comprised of phonetic [「止」](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=141) (**/\*tə/**), which is the lower component. The earliest meaning of 「是」 was *this*, later extended to mean *to be*.

The upper component's functionality is unknown, and was later corrupted to look like 「旦」. Note that [「旦」](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=245) or [「早」](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=390) in the corresponding time periods do not form part of 「是」, and so are unrelated to 「是」.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: This is very helpful. The fact that the character once meant "this" makes the transition to "to be" clearer to me. The possibility of occasional corruption over time is something that I have to keep in mind for the future for all language study, especially for a language that has existed as long as Chinese has. Thank you for your detailed and excellent response.  
> **username_2**: Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe 是 also cognates with 此 which means this/here, as well as 時 referring to measuring movement of the sun (hence time), and both actually have 止 as a component.  

---

