Zi:是
是 [shì] to be, is/are; right/proper/true; 是非 right and wrong; 是否 whether or not; affirm/approve; (HDZ:) 正, 直; … [shí] 寔 [tí] 月边
One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):
►¹shì* 是 {A} v. ①be ②〈environment:〉 wr. praise; justify ◆b.f. matter; affair ‖ guó∼ 国∼ national affairs ◆pr. this; all ◆s.v. right; true ◆adv. certainly; for sure ‖ Tiānqì ∼ rè. 天气∼热。 It sure is hot. ◆cons. A ∼ A it's A all right, but ... ‖ Hǎo ∼ hǎo, kěshì wǒ bù xǐhuan. 好∼好, 可是我不喜欢。 It's good all right, but I don't like it.
The character 是(昰) shì ‘right/straight/true’ (是非) combines 日 rí ‘sun’ (phonosemantic), and 𤴓/正 ‘right/correct’: everything under heaven pales in comparison with the sun, fountain of light, illuminating darkness, revealing the truth; formerly also wr. 𣆞, with 㱏(𧾸), old wr. of 正, in which 𠄞(丄上) ‘above’, as in 示 shì ‘heavens’.
Note: 是(昰) shì, and 日 rí ‘sun/day’ are phonologically similar in OC, though imperfect rhymes; OC 是 ‘this’ and 時 ‘time’ are closer, distinguished only by the medial vowel (GSR); the semantic role of 日 rí ‘sun/day’ in all of these compounds is prominent, cf. (SW:) 是(昰): …天下之物莫正於日 ‘under heaven, nothing is more true than sun/light’ (DYC); such statement reflects associations with 阳/陽(昜) yáng (⚊); cf. 昜, in which the central line ⚊ divides 易.
Note: In the modern form 是 the lower component is wr. 𤴓 (as in 定; not 疋), where the old form 昰 has 正; this reflects an old/obscure 是/昰 distinction, of 昰 used for 夏(夓) xià.
An old bronze inscriptional form associated with 是 (HDZ) seems to have 早 ‘early’ (or 旦 ‘dawn’), over 止 zhǐ ‘foot/step/stop/beat’ (phonetic): 是 ‘be/is’, a 止 ‘step/beat’ of 日/旦/早 ‘time’.
Compare: 时/時(旹) shí ‘time’, in which 之(𡳿) zhī, rather than 止 zhǐ; 之/止 are very close in MC/OC.
Compare: 实/實 shí ‘true/real (valuables)’; 视/視 shì ‘look/watch’.
“从日, 从正, 会意。What was 正 controlled at 日 sun’s light... truthfulness, reality, existence” —Wieger.
HDZ: 是 : shì : 正, 直; 法则; 对, 正确 (ant. 非) (一无是处, 自以为是, 是非); 肯定, 认为是正确的; 肯定判断: (解释或分类; 存在 (满身是汗, 山上全是树, 宿舍前面是花园); 严格区分, 绝不含糊 (敌是敌, 友是友; 一是一, 二是二; 丁是丁, 卯是卯; 说是说, 做是做, 有意见也不能耽误干活)); 匡正, 订正; (代词) (此, 这; 确指 (惟你是问, 惟命是听, 惟利是图)); (语气词) 加重或加强肯定 (…); 凡是, 任何; (你是吃饭是吃面, …); 算作, 作数 (走一步是一步); 应答的词; (副词) (则, 就, 便; 只); (连词) (于是; 因此; 虽, 虽然); 試: 尝试; 甚/什: 什么, 怎么; 甚: 极, 很; 寔 (shí): (充实, 充满; 真实, 实在) (cf. 實); 視: 审视; (姓) • tí : 月边
►references: Guǎngyùn:241.03; Wieger:112i; Karlgren:AD890,GSR866a; Wáng(1993):194; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:2.1497.5; Mathews:5794; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:493.26; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:113.1.07; EDOC:1
►components: 日𤴓正
►Cantonese: sih-
<cdl char='是' uni='662F' points='0,4 124,128'>
<comp char='日' uni='65E5' points='38,0 102,42' />
<comp char='𤴓' uni='24D13' points='0,62 128,128' />
<!-- 2016-09-04T21:40:31Z -->
</cdl>
<cdl char='日' uni='65E5' points='24,8 104,120'>
<comp char='冂' uni='5182' variant='5' points='0,0 128,128' />
<comp char='二' uni='4E8C' variant='5' points='0,60 128,128' />
</cdl>
<cdl char='冂' uni='5182' variant='5' points='4,4 124,128'>
<stroke type='s' points='0,0 0,128' tail='long' />
<stroke type='hz' points='0,0 128,0 128,128' head='cut' tail='long' />
<!-- variant based on [U+EF7E](V=0) -->
</cdl>
<cdl char='二' uni='4E8C' variant='5' points='0,4 128,124' radical='K0'>
<stroke type='h' points='0,0 128,0' head='cut' tail='cut' />
<stroke type='h' points='0,128 128,128' head='cut' tail='cut' />
<!-- variant based on [U+EF79](V=0) -->
</cdl>
<cdl char='𤴓' uni='24D13' points='0,4 128,128' radical='K0'>
<stroke type='h' points='8,0 126,0' />
<comp char='龰' uni='9FB0' variant='1' points='0,0 128,128' />
</cdl>
<cdl char='龰' uni='9FB0' variant='1' radical='K0'>
<comp char='卜' uni='535C' variant='4' points='70,0 114,112' />
<stroke type='wp' points='36,34 0,128' tail='long' />
<stroke type='pn' points='36,48 96,128 128,128' />
<!-- variant based on [U+EFDD](V=0) -->
</cdl>
<cdl char='卜' uni='535C' variant='4' points='32,0 96,128' radical='K0'>
<stroke type='s' points='0,0 0,128' head='cut' tail='cut' />
<stroke type='h' points='0,60 128,60' head='cut' />
<!-- variant based on [U+E631](V=0) -->
</cdl>
►stroke 是 (... strokes)
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Unicode: U+662F
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