就是说 (jiù shì shuō) — that is to say; in other words; namely

Definition

A discourse marker used to rephrase or clarify what was just said, similar to 'that is to say' or 'in other words' in English. Typically set off by a pause or comma.

verb
that is to sayin other wordsnamely

Examples

  • ，就是说，。
    Zhè ge fāng àn bú xiàn shí, jiù shì shuō, wǒ men gēn běn fù dān bù qǐ.
    This plan is unrealistic; in other words, we simply can't afford it.
  • ，就是说，。
    Tā shì wǒ mǔ qīn de dì di, jiù shì shuō, wǒ de jiù jiu.
    He is my mother's younger brother; that is to say, my maternal uncle.
  • ，就是说，。
    Nǐ xū yào jǐn kuài wán chéng zhè xiàng gōng zuò, jiù shì shuō, zuì wǎn zhōu wǔ zhī qián.
    You need to finish this task as soon as possible; in other words, by Friday at the latest.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An older form paired 享, a temple, with 京, a tower, showing sacrifice at a high place; in 就 the temple part was dropped and a right part for going upward was added.

Open 就 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

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