TongTong
Sign in

是否 (shì fǒu) — whether (or not); if

Definition

Whether (or not); if. Pairs with 不 to form 是否… not… (literally 'whether or not'). Distinct from 不管, which means 'no matter whether' (concessive, not a yes/no question).

adverb
whether (or not)if

Examples

  • 是否？
    Nǐ shì fǒu zhī dào dá àn?
    Do you know the answer?
  • 是否。
    Qǐng gào sù wǒ nǐ shì fǒu tóng yì.
    Please tell me whether you agree.
  • 是否，。
    Tā shì fǒu néng wán chéng, wǒ men hái bú què dìng.
    We're still not sure if he can finish.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

是shìyes
否fǒuno

是 and 否 mean yes and no; together they ask whether something is or isn't.

Characters in this word

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
不
不bù否pǐ
Same sound today

否 is built from 口 (mouth) and 不 (not), with 不 giving the sound and 口 relating to speech.

Open 否 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.