不是嗎

简 不是吗 · 繁 不是嗎
Mandarin · pinyin bù shì ma

Meanings

  1. isn't that so?
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

不
bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
是
shì · indeed, yes, right; to be; demonstrative pronoun, this, that
嗎
ma · final interrogative particle
吗
ma · final interrogative particle
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–5 · bu4 shi4 ma5

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

不是嗎 · find source passages ↗ · 不是吗 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. isn't it?

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack