Chinese phrase
他是〜人 tā shì 〜 rén
Meaning
be from ___
When to use it
Says where a person is from. A place or region completes the phrase, which is a simple, neutral way to state someone's origin in everyday conversation.
Example dialogue
听说他是东北人。 tīng shuō tā shì dōng běi rén
I heard he's from Northeast China.
是吗？我还以为他是南方人。 shì ma wǒ hái yǐ wéi tā shì nán fāng rén
Is that so? I thought he was from the south.