Mandarin Banana

是

is / are / am / yes / to be | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 是

Sherlock Holmes watches Neanderthal Man trying to climb to the sun on a ladder in the space station's bathroom. Sherlock is afraid that he'll open the window, so he puts on a big skull and scares him off. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 1 year ago | add a painting

Mnemonic symbol: a skull, from "to be or not to be" - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 1 year ago | add a painting

是
=
日
+
下
+
人

日

ri4 =
r + Ø4

sun / day / date, day of the month / abbr. for 日本 Japan | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 日

The space station has become too close to the sun. In the bathroom, Robinson Crusoe is hiding from the sun with the help of a wooden box full of flutes. - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

日
=
囗
+
一

囗

wei2 =
w + ei2

enclosure | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 囗

Finally, Willy Walrus (wu-) is just inside the entrance of the Eiffel Tower (-ei2). He smuggled himself in sitting in a large wooden box (囗). - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

日
=
囗
+
一

一

yi1 =
y + Ø1

one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 一

Maud Younger (y) plays her flute (一) in front of the space station (Ø1). - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 3 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

是
=
日
+
下
+
人

下

xia4 =
xi + a4

down / downwards / below / lower / later / next (week etc) / second (of two parts) / to decline / to go down / to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc) / measure word to show the frequency of an action | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 下

Marie Curie tries to escape from Adziogol Lighthouse by climbing through the window in the bathroom. To build a ladder, she puts a voodoo staff under a flute. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 2 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

下
=
一
+
卜

一

yi1 =
y + Ø1

one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 一

Maud Younger (y) plays her flute (一) in front of the space station (Ø1). - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 3 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

下
=
一
+
卜

卜

bu3 = bu + Ø3	surname Bu \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of 卜
bu3 = bu + Ø3	to divine / to forecast or estimate / (of a place to live etc) to choose \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of 卜 Mnemonic symbol: a voodoo staff. Bruno Bear (bu-) tries to forecast (卜) the future in the space station (-3). He uses a voodoo staff which is made out of a big dinosaur bone (丨) and has a petal leaf (丶) attached. - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 2 years ago Image by Matthias, over 2 years ago
bo5 = b + o5	see 蘿蔔\|萝卜[luo2 bo5] \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of 卜

卜
=
丨
+
丶

丨

gun3 =
gu + (e)n3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 2) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丨

This character shall be represented by a dinosaur bone when it appears in other characters. - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
almost 3 years ago

Mnemonic symbol: dinosaur bone.

Gitta Giraffe (gu-) found a gorgeous dinosaur bone (丨) in the Forbidden City (-(e)n3). - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

shu4 =
shu + Ø4

see 豎筆|竖笔[shu4 bi3] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丨

卜
=
丨
+
丶

丶

zhu3 =
zhu + Ø3

"dot" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 3) / see also 點|点[dian3] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丶

This character shall be represented by a petal leaf when appearing in other characters. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 2 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

George Giant Squid is trying out two petal leafs as eyebrows in the space station. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 2 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

是
=
日
+
下
+
人

人

ren2 =
r + (e)n2

man / person / people / CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 人

Robinson Crusoe (r-) has just entered the Forbidden City (-en2), when he suddenly meets Neanderthal Man (人). Neanderthal Man offers him a banana (丿), but Robinson Crusoe doesn't trust the present and pokes it with a finger (㇏). - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
almost 3 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

人
=
丿
+
㇏

丿

pie3 =
pi + e3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 4) / see 撇[pie3] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丿

Pocahontas (pi-) is watching a giant banana (丿) inside the Erectheion (-e3). - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
almost 3 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 2 years ago

人
=
丿
+
㇏

㇏

xx5	character component without inherent meaning / see 捺 \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of ㇏ It's a finger! - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 2 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 2 years ago

Stroke order

是 order bd8c9b5f25c6e0bb4fd214d13af5a1909d5c8dd1848af4d8d3ad520b302174b7

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是 appears as component in

是 is the simplified version of 昰 .

HSK level: 1

Pronunciation: Gorodish elements and their mnemonics (what's this?)

sh	"sh" is for Sherlock Holmes. - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 2 years ago
Ø4	"Ø4" is happening in the bathroom of the space station. - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 3 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, almost 3 years ago

Words with 是

但 dan4 是 shi4		but / however (HSK level 2)
总 zong3 是 shi4		always (HSK level 3)
还 hai2 是 shi5		or / still / nevertheless / had better (HSK level 3)
于 yu2 是 shi4		thereupon / as a result / consequently / thus / hence (HSK level 4)
可 ke3 是 shi4		but / however (HSK level 4)
凡 fan2 是 shi4		each and every / every / all / any (HSK level 5)
是 shi4 否 fou3		whether (or not) / if / is or isn't (HSK level 5)
要 yao4 是 shi5		if (HSK level 5)
是 shi4 非 fei1		right and wrong / quarrel (HSK level 6)
实 shi2 事 shi4 求 qiu2 是 shi4		to seek truth from facts (idiom) / to be practical and realistic (HSK level 6)
既 ji4 是 shi4		is both ...(and...) / since / as / being the case that
搬 ban1 弄 nong4 是 shi4 非 fei1		to incite a quarrel (idiom); to sow discord between people / to tell tales / to make mischief
赔 pei2 不 bu2 是 shi5		to apologize
明 ming2 辨 bian4 是 shi4 非 fei1		to distinguish right and wrong (idiom)
便 bian4 是 shi4		(emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated) / precisely / exactly / even / if / just like / in the same way as
比 bi3 比 bi3 皆 jie1 是 shi4		can be found everywhere
惟 wei2 利 li4 是 shi4 图 tu2		variant of 唯利是圖\|唯利是图[wei2 li4 shi4 tu2]
自 zi4 行 xing2 其 qi2 是 shi4		to act as one thinks fit / to have one's own way
颠 dian1 倒 dao3 是 shi4 非 fei1		to invert right and wrong
乃 nai3 是 shi4		equivalent to either 是[shi4] or 就是[jiu4 shi4]
是 shi4 非 fei1 曲 qu1 直 zhi2		lit. right and wrong, crooked and straight (idiom); fig. merits and demerits / pros and cons
于 yu2 是 shi4 乎 hu1		therefore
是 shi4 的 de5		yes, that's right / variant of 似的[shi4 de5]
是 shi4 不 bu4 是 shi4		is or isn't / yes or no / whether or not
老 lao3 是 shi5		always
求 qiu2 是 shi4		to seek the truth
那 na4 是 shi5		(coll.) of course / naturally / indeed
不 bu4 是 shi4		no / is not / not
不 bu2 是 shi5		fault / blame
有 you3 的 de5 是 shi4		have plenty of / there's no lack of
倒 dao4 是 shi5		contrary to what one might expect / actually / contrariwise / why don't you
要 yao4 不 bu5 是 shi4		if it were not for / but for
若 ruo4 是 shi4		if
就 jiu4 是 shi4		(emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated) / precisely / exactly / even / if / just like / in the same way as
算 suan4 是 shi4		considered to be / at last
正 zheng4 是 shi4		(emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated) / precisely / exactly / even / if / just like / in the same way as
自 zi4 以 yi3 为 wei2 是 shi4		to believe oneself infallible (idiom) / to be opinionated
惹 re3 是 shi4 生 sheng1 非 fei1		to stir up trouble
只 zhi3 是 shi4		merely / simply / only / but
而 er2 是 shi4		rather