Today’s word of the day is 是 (shì) which is one of the most common Chinese characters and it means ‘to be’. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 是 (shì).
就是 (jiù shì) To be (More emphasis)
The first word is 就是 (jiù shì) which is a stronger way of emphasizing that something is the way that it is stated to be. For example, we have the very popular saying: 时间就是金钱。(Shíjiān jiùshì jīnqián.) Time is money. So in this saying, we are emphasizing that time is exactly equal to money.
但是 (dàn shì) But
Another word we can create with 是 (shì) is 但是 (dàn shì) which means ‘but’. A way of using it in a sentence is 我喜欢她，但是她不喜欢我。(Wǒ xǐhuan tā, dànshì tā bù xǐhuan wǒ.) I like her, but she doesn’t like me.
只是 (zhǐ shì) Only
Finally, we can create the word 只是 (zhǐ shì) which means only to be. A way of using it in a sentence is 他只是个孩子。(Tā zhǐshì gè háizi.) He is only a child.