Dictionary › 只是

只是

zhǐ shì

HSK 3.0 level 3 2-character word

只是 (zhǐ shì) means "just, merely; it is only that". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was not on the old six-level HSK list.

What 只是 means

1. merely; only; just; nothing but
2. simply
3. but; however

The characters in 只是

• 只zhǐonly; merely; just
• 是shìto be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true…

Example sentences

• 他只是哭。
  He did nothing but cry.
• 这只是马。
  This is only a horse.
• 只是瞎猜的。
  That was just a wild guess.
• 你只是个婊子。
  Nǐ zhǐshì gè biǎozi.
  You are just a whore.
• 可能只是巧合。
  Kěnéng zhǐshì qiǎohé.
  It could be just a coincidence.
• 他只是个诗人。
  He is nothing but a poet.

Sounds the same

Read zhǐ shì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 指示to point out; to indicate; to instruct
• 指事ideogram (one of the Six Methods 六书 of forming Chinese characters)…

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zhǐ shì correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.