Chinese Equative Verbs

Grammar Point:
Equative verbs connect two equal nouns or nominal expressions, such as “I am a teacher” or “He is John.” The three most common equative verbs in Chinese are 是 shì, 叫 jiào, and 姓 xìng. If you want to negate an equative verb, you should always use 不 bú.

是 shì

Is, am, are, to be

我wǒ是shì一yí位wèi老師lǎoshī我wǒ是shì一yí位wèi老师lǎoshī
I am a teacher.

她tā不是búshì中國人zhōngguórén， 是shì美國人měiguórén她tā不是búshì中国人zhōngguórén， 是shì美国人měiguórén
She is not Chinese, she is American.

你nǐ是shìTiffany 嗎ma？ 你nǐ是shìTiffany 吗ma？
Are you Tiffany?

叫 jiào

To be named; to be called

我的wǒde狗gǒu叫jiàoLuLu 我的wǒde狗gǒu叫jiàoLuLu
My dog is named LuLu.
(My dog’s name is LuLu.)

我的wǒde媽媽māma不bú叫jiào美美Měiměi我的wǒde妈妈māma不bú叫jiào美美Měiměi
My mother is not called MeiMei.

你的nǐde老師lǎoshī叫jiàoTiffany 嗎ma？ 你的nǐde老师lǎoshī叫jiàoTiffany 吗ma？
Is your teacher’s name Tiffany?

姓 xìng

To be surnamed. Yes, “surname” is a verb in Chinese.

我wǒ姓xìng張Zhāng我wǒ姓xìng张Zhāng
My last name is Zhang.

他的tāde哥哥gēge不bú姓xìng陳Chén他的tāde哥哥gēge不bú姓xìng陈Chén
His brother’s last name is not Chen.

老師lǎoshī姓xìng什麼shénme？ 老师lǎoshī姓xìng什么shénme？
What is the teacher’s last name?

Note: If you want to ask an older people’s surename, you should say

您nín貴guì姓xìng？ 您nín贵guì姓xìng？
What is your last name? (In a respectful way)
貴贵 guì is mostly used when asking someone their name and when wishing to be very polite, but it is never used in the reply. Therefore, to answer this question, you just need to say 我姓李 wǒ xìng Lǐ.

Business term

When doing business, we don’t say “What is your name” instead, we say “how can I address you.”

您nín怎麼zěnme稱呼chēnghū？ 您nín怎么zěnyāo称呼chēnghū？
How can I address you?

叫jiào我wǒ王Wáng經理jīnglǐ就jiù好hǎo叫jiào我wǒ王Wáng经理jīnglǐ就jiù好hǎo
Just call me Manager Wang.

FYI of 是 shì 叫 jiào 姓 xìng
Chinese personal names consist of two parts: a surname and a given name. Unlike in English, the Chinese family name comes before the given name. The most common pattern for Chinese names is a single-syllable family name followed by a two-syllable given name.

Additionally, it is not acceptable to address someone older than you by their name. To show respect, it is customary to address someone by their surname and title, such as Mr. Lee, Teacher Wang, or Uncle Chen.