Sinograph Addenda · Signs
是this · shì · this; to be right
this
Where it comes from
The sun 日sun · rì · the sun; a day over the upright 正upright · zhèng · upright, correct; exactly: what stands squarely so, by
the received account. Rank 30; in the classics it points — “this,
the very one” — and judges: “right, so.” Taught in the stopping-at-true chapter.
How to remember it
Sunlight falling straight on the mark: this one, exactly
so. When later Chinese needed a plain word for “is,” it reached
for this character.
In the wild
知know · zhī · to know, to understand之of · zhī · of; him, her, it — the classical linker and object為do · wéi · to do, to make; to act as; for知know · zhī · to know, to understand之of · zhī · of; him, her, it — the classical linker and object，不not · bù · not — the plain negation知know · zhī · to know, to understand為do · wéi · to do, to make; to act as; for不not · bù · not — the plain negation知know · zhī · to know, to understand，是this · shì · this; to be right知know · zhī · to know, to understand也indeed · yě · the sentence-final 'it is so' of classical prose。zhī zhī wéi zhī zhī, bù zhī wéi bù zhī, shì zhī yě"…THAT is real knowing" — knowing what you know and admitting what you don't; 是this · shì · this; to be right seals the course's first fully open saying
Analects 2.17.
urn:nabu:kanripo:KR1h0004:002:18a · license: attribution.