<p>是指 = 指的是 (refer to)</p>
<p>XXX 是指/指的是 YYY = XXX refers to YYY.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>西半球<strong>是指/指的是</strong>南北美洲。- The Western Hemisphere refers to North and South America.</p>
</li>
<li><p>你<strong>是指/指的是</strong>昨天發生的事件嗎? - Do you refer to the event that occurred yesterday?</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-17T13:54:06.607Z
2023-01-17T13:54:06.607Z
r13
<p>是指 (is pointing to) means &quot;refers to&quot; or &quot;means&quot; in English</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>廣東俗語「完鬆(v)」 <strong>是指</strong>「逃避責任，一走了之」的行徑</p>
<p>The Cantonese proverb &quot;chowed down and then slip away&quot;  <strong>is referred to</strong> the behavior of &quot;evading responsibility and walking away&quot;</p>
<p>通常「完鬆(n)」是指 跟女人睡過之後就跑的人</p>
<p>Usually &quot;完鬆&quot;(n) refers to a person who runs away after sleeping with a woman</p>
<p>Another Example:</p>
<p>他說明年就不用還債了 是指 他時日無多，活不過明年了</p>
<p>He said he won't have to pay the debt next year referring to his time running out and he will not live past next year.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T13:49:10.187Z
Thanks for your usage examples. In the question above, I'm specifically looking for any clues as to how the word came to be, that is to say, why it took the form of 是 + 指.
Sanchuan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T14:04:29.937Z
For instance, you say that 是指 = "is + pointing to". That means you think 是指 is not a word, but a monosyllabic verb with an optional aspectual prefix in front of it. But I don't think 是 is optional here and I also don't think 是 is ever used as an aspectual prefix to mean "is V-ing". So there must be another logic to 是+指.
Sanchuan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T14:07:22.103Z
When you "指 (point to) something" that something is singled out as an explanation. That's how 指 acquired the meaning of 'refer to
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T14:11:08.007Z
俄總統口中的叛國者, 指的是反對戰爭的平民  (you don't need 是 here)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T14:18:38.357Z
That's true. But then what requires us to put 是 in front of 指 in other cases? What does 是 mean in those contexts? Can you think of any other example of 是 put in front of a single verb, just like in 是指?
Sanchuan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T14:26:24.187Z
[Topic]+ is + referring to [ Clarification] -->[Topic: 俄總統口中的叛國者] 是指 (is referring to) [Clarification: 反對戰爭的平民]
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T17:36:27.110Z
You keep suggesting that 是 is there to mark progressive aspect. That's not accurate ("is eating" ≠ 是吃). The question requires a different explanation.
Sanchuan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T17:48:01.197Z
no, 是 means "is", it itself is a verb.  [topic: 人類] [是(is)] [Statement: 滅绝生物物種的最大兇手]; [topic:普京的頑固] [是(is)] [Statement: 做成他現在陷入烏克蘭進退雍谷的原因]  -- [A是指B] =  [Subject 是] + [指 statement ], 指 is a verb just like 滅绝 and 做成. Take your example. [是吃] --> [醬油][是][吃壽司必備的調料]
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T19:00:13.297Z
What you just wrote agrees with the etymological hypothesis I already offered in my question, i.e. 是 is originally a copula to an underlying object, most likely an implicit (指..的)意思. In your examples, 是 is a copula of (灭绝..的)最大兇手, (造成..的)原因 and (吃..的)調料. But 的最大兇手, 的原因 and 的調料 cannot be left out. With 是指, however, the final 的意思 is always left out. So 是指 seems to be a special case of lexicalisation.
Sanchuan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T11:38:39.510Z
2023-01-16T13:58:55.177Z
2023-01-16T13:58:55.177Z
Tang Ho
<p>Is there any attested etymology for this word or can anyone otherwise attempt to break down its compositional logic for me please?</p>
<p>On the face of it, 是指 looks structurally similar to 是说. However, the 是 in 是指 lacks any emphatic or contrastive or concessive sense; in fact, 是指 is frequently used in the most declarative of contexts, such as dictionary definitions and the like.</p>
<p>My intuition tells me this word must have resulted from the lexicalisation of a longer construction:  something like X+是+指(=针对)Y+的意思 turning into X+是指+Y.</p>
<p>I would be grateful for any other suggestion.</p>

<etymology><word><morphology>
How to analyse the word 是指?
# How to analyse the word 是指?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-16)

Is there any attested etymology for this word or can anyone otherwise attempt to break down its compositional logic for me please?

On the face of it, 是指 looks structurally similar to 是说. However, the 是 in 是指 lacks any emphatic or contrastive or concessive sense; in fact, 是指 is frequently used in the most declarative of contexts, such as dictionary definitions and the like.

My intuition tells me this word must have resulted from the lexicalisation of a longer construction: something like X+是+指(=针对)Y+的意思 turning into X+是指+Y.

I would be grateful for any other suggestion.

**Tags:** etymology, word, morphology


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-01-17. Score: 1

是指 = 指的是 (refer to)

XXX 是指/指的是 YYY = XXX refers to YYY.

* 西半球**是指/指的是**南北美洲。- The Western Hemisphere refers to North and South America.
* 你**是指/指的是**昨天發生的事件嗎? - Do you refer to the event that occurred yesterday?


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### Answer by username_2 on 2023-01-16. Score: 1

是指 (is pointing to) means "refers to" or "means" in English

Example:

廣東俗語「完鬆(v)」 **是指**「逃避責任，一走了之」的行徑

The Cantonese proverb "chowed down and then slip away" **is referred to** the behavior of "evading responsibility and walking away"

通常「完鬆(n)」是指 跟女人睡過之後就跑的人

Usually "完鬆"(n) refers to a person who runs away after sleeping with a woman

Another Example:

他說明年就不用還債了 是指 他時日無多，活不過明年了

He said he won't have to pay the debt next year referring to his time running out and he will not live past next year.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for your usage examples. In the question above, I'm specifically looking for any clues as to how the word came to be, that is to say, why it took the form of 是 + 指.  
> **username_0**: For instance, you say that 是指 = "is + pointing to". That means you think 是指 is not a word, but a monosyllabic verb with an optional aspectual prefix in front of it. But I don't think 是 is optional here and I also don't think 是 is ever used as an aspectual prefix to mean "is V-ing". So there must be another logic to 是+指.  
> **username_2**: When you "指 (point to) something" that something is singled out as an explanation. That's how 指 acquired the meaning of 'refer to  
> **username_2**: 俄總統口中的叛國者, 指的是反對戰爭的平民  (you don't need 是 here)  
> **username_0**: That's true. But then what requires us to put 是 in front of 指 in other cases? What does 是 mean in those contexts? Can you think of any other example of 是 put in front of a single verb, just like in 是指?  
> **username_2**: [Topic]+ is + referring to [ Clarification] -->[Topic: 俄總統口中的叛國者] 是指 (is referring to) [Clarification: 反對戰爭的平民]  
> **username_0**: You keep suggesting that 是 is there to mark progressive aspect. That's not accurate ("is eating" ≠ 是吃). The question requires a different explanation.  
> **username_2**: no, 是 means "is", it itself is a verb.  [topic: 人類] [是(is)] [Statement: 滅绝生物物種的最大兇手]; [topic:普京的頑固] [是(is)] [Statement: 做成他現在陷入烏克蘭進退雍谷的原因]  -- [A是指B] =  [Subject 是] + [指 statement ], 指 is a verb just like 滅绝 and 做成. Take your example. [是吃] --> [醬油][是][吃壽司必備的調料]  
> **username_0**: What you just wrote agrees with the etymological hypothesis I already offered in my question, i.e. 是 is originally a copula to an underlying object, most likely an implicit (指..的)意思. In your examples, 是 is a copula of (灭绝..的)最大兇手, (造成..的)原因 and (吃..的)調料. But 的最大兇手, 的原因 and 的調料 cannot be left out. With 是指, however, the final 的意思 is always left out. So 是指 seems to be a special case of lexicalisation.  

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