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是的 (shì de) — yes, that's right; correct; (variant of 似的) as if; seems like

Definition

是的 is an affirmative reply meaning 'yes, that's right' — stronger and more emphatic than the bare 是. When written as 似的, it shifts to the comparison particle meaning 'as if / seems like.'

verb
yesthat's rightcorrect(variant of 似的) as ifseems like

Examples

  • ？是的。
    Zhè shì nǐ de shū ma? shì de.
    Is this your book? Yes, it is.
  • 是的，。
    Tā gāo xìng dé gēn zhòng jiǎng le shì de, xiào dé hé bù lǒng zuǐ.
    He was as happy as if he had won the lottery, grinning from ear to ear.
  • ？是的，。
    Nǐ jué de zhè ge jì huà kě xíng ma? shì de, wǒ jué de hěn hé lǐ.
    Do you think this plan is feasible? Yes, I think it's very reasonable.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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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
白白báiwhite
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo的de
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

的 pairs 白, related to white or brightness, with 勺, which gives a clue to the sound. Its older form 旳 meant bright.

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Appears in
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