是grammar point · tier 1 · 繫動詞 — copula 是 (link a noun to a noun)
· shì
Copula: sets two nouns equal — X is Y. Links a noun to a noun for identity or category, never a noun to an adjective.
字源 FORM what the parts do
The sun (日) above, straight (正) below — what stands true under the sun. The classical pointer 'this' settled into the graph and became the everyday verb to be.
故事 STORY a scene to remember it by
Two things laid side by side under one true sign, and the sign holds them as the same one.
字源記憶法
框 · Frame
[noun A] 是 [noun B]
觸 · Trigger
You want to say one thing is another thing — name it, or place it in a class.
序 · The move
1name the first thing (noun A)is A a noun or pronoun?
2是 sets the equals signare both sides nouns?
3name the second thing (noun B)is B a noun, not an adjective?
4for an adjective predicate, drop 是 and reach for 很 insteaddid an adjective sneak in after 是?