zhè shì kèfúdiànhuà.

Questions & Answers about zhè shì kèfúdiànhuà.

What does 这 mean here, and why is it translated as this?

这 means this.

In this sentence, 这 stands alone as a pronoun, so it means this or this thing:

  • 这是客服电话。 = This is the customer service phone number.

If 这 comes before a noun, it usually works like this + noun, often with a measure word:

  • 这个电话 = this phone
  • 这个号码 = this number

But here, 这 is not directly modifying a noun. It is the subject of the sentence, so this is a natural translation.

Why is 是 used here?

是 is the verb to be in this sentence. It links 这 and 客服电话:

  • 这 = this
  • 是 = is
  • 客服电话 = customer service phone number / customer service line

So the basic pattern is:

  • A 是 B = A is B

This is one of the most common sentence patterns in Mandarin.

Examples:

  • 这是老师。 = This is a teacher.
  • 这是我的手机。 = This is my phone.
Do I need a measure word after 这? Why not 这个?

In this sentence, no. You do not need a measure word because 这 is being used by itself as a pronoun:

  • 这 是 客服电话。

If you want 这 to directly modify a noun, then you usually need a measure word:

  • 这个电话 = this phone
  • 这个号码 = this number

So compare:

  • 这 是 客服电话。 = This is the customer service phone number.
  • 这个电话是客服电话。 = This phone number is the customer service number.
    (depending on context)

A very common learner mistake is to think 这 must always be 这个. It does not.

Is 客服电话 one word? How is it built?

Yes, 客服电话 is commonly treated as a compound noun.

It can be understood in parts:

  • 客服 = customer service
  • 电话 = telephone / phone call / phone number

So:

  • 客服电话 = customer service phone number / customer service line / customer service hotline

Also, 客服 itself is a shortened form of:

  • 客户服务 = customer service

Chinese often makes compact compound nouns like this, so it is very natural to put the words together without extra linking words.

Why is there no 的 in 客服电话?

Because 客服电话 is a fixed noun phrase or compound, not a full possession phrase.

English often uses of or apostrophe-like relationships:

  • customer service phone number
  • the phone number for customer service

In Chinese, nouns are often simply placed together to form a compound:

  • 客服 + 电话 → 客服电话

You do not normally say:

  • 客服的电话

unless you specifically mean something like the phone belonging to customer service in a more literal or contextual sense.

So in this sentence, 客服电话 without 的 is the most natural form.

Does 电话 really mean phone number? I thought it meant telephone or phone call.

Yes, 电话 can mean several related things depending on context:

  • telephone / phone
  • phone call
  • sometimes phone number

In 客服电话, it often refers to the customer service phone line or phone number.

If you want to be extra explicit, you can also say:

  • 客服电话号码 = customer service phone number

But in everyday Chinese, 客服电话 is already very natural and commonly understood.

How should I pronounce 这 是 客服电话?

With pinyin and tones:

  • 这 — zhè (4th tone)
  • 是 — shì (4th tone)
  • 客服电话 — kèfúdiànhuà

Tone breakdown:

  • 客 kè — 4th tone
  • 服 fú — 2nd tone
  • 电 diàn — 4th tone
  • 话 huà — 4th tone

A rough pronunciation guide:

  • zhè sounds a bit like juh with a falling tone, but with the tongue curled back slightly
  • shì sounds somewhat like shir (without a strong r), also with a falling tone

Natural rhythm:

  • Zhè shì kèfúdiànhuà.

Because 这 and 是 are both 4th tone, each one falls sharply.

What is the sentence structure here?

The structure is:

So it follows a very basic identification pattern:

  • This is X.

You can use this pattern with many nouns:

  • 这是水。 = This is water.
  • 这是我的名片。 = This is my business card.
  • 这是公司地址。 = This is the company address.

It is a very useful beginner pattern in Mandarin.

Can this sentence be turned into a question?

Yes, very easily. The most common way is to add 吗 at the end:

  • 这是客服电话吗? = Is this the customer service phone number?

You can also answer:

  • 是。 = Yes.
  • 不是。 = No, it isn’t.

Another possible question in context would be:

  • 这是什么? = What is this?

Answer:

  • 这是客服电话。
Is there a more natural or fuller way to say this?

Yes. Depending on context, you might also hear:

  • 这是客服电话。
  • 这是客服电话号码。
  • 这是客服的电话号码。

Differences:

  • 客服电话 — short, natural, common
  • 客服电话号码 — more explicit: customer service phone number
  • 客服的电话号码 — also clear, slightly more expanded

The original sentence is perfectly natural, especially in practical contexts like websites, forms, signs, or customer support information.

What punctuation is 。, and do I need it?

。 is the Chinese full stop, equivalent to the English period .

So:

  • 这是客服电话。

In typed Chinese, you normally use 。 instead of .

If you are just practicing vocabulary or writing notes by hand, leaving it off is not a big problem, but in normal written Chinese it should be included.

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