便是 meaning in English
(emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated); precisely
Meaning of 便是
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated)
- precisely
- exactly
- even
- if
- just like
- in the same way as
How to use 便是
便是 is a more literary or written way to say 就是 (jiùshì), used to stress that something is exactly what is stated. You see it often in novels, essays, and formal speech. Example: 这便是我的家。(Zhè biàn shì wǒ de jiā.) This is precisely my home.
便 (biàn) means convenient or then, and 是 (shì) means is. Think of 便是 as "then it is": once you point at something, then that is exactly it.
Common mistake: Learners often read 便 here as pián, as in 便宜 (piányi, cheap), but in 便是 it is always biàn. Also, 便是 sounds too formal in casual chat, where 就是 is the natural choice.
便是 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
便 biàn · plain · 9 strokes
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是 shì · to be · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 便是.
| 还是 | háishi | still (as before); had better |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 但是 | dànshì | but; however |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 随便 | suíbiàn | as one wishes; as one pleases |
| 正是 | zhèngshì | is precisely |
| 方便 | fāngbiàn | convenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy |
| 便宜 | piányi | convenient |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 方便面 | fāngbiànmiàn | instant noodles |
| 就是 | jiùshì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
Questions about 便是
What does 便是 mean?
便是 (biàn shì) means "(emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated); precisely".
How do you write 便是?
便是 is made of 2 characters: 便 (9 strokes), 是 (9 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 便是 an HSK word?
Yes. 便是 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 便是 and 就是?
They mean almost the same thing. 就是 is everyday spoken Chinese, while 便是 has a bookish, literary feel. In writing you can often swap them without changing the meaning.
Can 便是 mean "even if"?
Yes, in literary style 便是 can introduce a concession, similar to 即使 (jíshǐ). For example, 便是再难，我也要做。(Biàn shì zài nán, wǒ yě yào zuò.) means "Even if it is harder, I will still do it."