*Also known as: 是⋯⋯的结构 (shì... de jiégòu), 是⋯⋯的 sentence and 是⋯⋯的 pattern.* The 是⋯⋯的 (shì... de) construction is used to draw attention to certain information in a sentence. It's often used to ask questions that seek specific information, or to explain a situation by emphasizing a particular detail. While not strictly tied to any "tense," the 是⋯⋯的 construction is frequently used when asking or telling details about the past. This use of 是⋯⋯的 (shì... de) is usually emphasized in textbooks over other uses, and therefore is sometimes called the "classic" 是⋯⋯的 construction. When to use it ------------------------------------------------------------------- Even if you understand that 了 is not used to mark "past tense" in Chinese, it's possible that you incorrectly use it that way sometimes. For example, what if you want to ask a question about something that happened in the past? Would you ever say one of the following sentences? In each of these sentences above, 了 is not the right choice, because you're not asking if an event happened or not. You're asking about details of past events. When you are singling out details for emphasis--in a question or a statement--you need to use the 是⋯⋯的 construction. A 是⋯⋯的 construction can pick out any detail that's related to a past event. Whatever comes immediately after 是 is emphasized. Check out this example: Now let's revisit those other three sentences and ask the questions correctly with 是⋯⋯的: Affirmative Form ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 是⋯⋯的 is not generally used for reporting new information but for adding important details that make the information clearer. You could think of 是⋯⋯的 as being equivalent to saying one of the following in English: - "The situation is that" - "It's that... " - "It was... that... " ### Structure This structure can be used to emphasize any detail, but most commonly it emphasizes **time**, **manner**, or **place**. Don't worry if this still seems a little confusing; lots of helpful examples are coming up! ### Examples Although this structure is called the 是⋯⋯的 construction, the 是 is nearly always optional. You will often hear this structure with 是 omitted, so be aware. The only time 是 is required in this construction is when it's being negated. Other than that, 是 is commonly omitted. You might be wondering, "can I still say the same thing without the 是 and the 的?" The answer is that in most cases, *no, not really*. While the 是 can sometimes be dropped, these examples sound weird without the 的. It's just a part of learning to ask questions naturally in Mandarin. You don't have to learn a "past tense," but you do have to learn this way of asking for details about the past sooner or later. Negative Form ----------------------------------------------------------------- 是⋯⋯的 sentences can only be negated with 不, as 没 can not be used to negate 是. Some examples: Note that negating a 是⋯⋯的 construction creates the implication that the action in the sentence *was* carried out, and only the detail emphasized by 是⋯⋯的 is being denied. So, in the second sentence, the implication is that 他 didn't go with 我们, but *did* go out with *someone*. So negative 是⋯⋯的 constructions would work nicely in the final scenes of detective dramas. Used in a Question --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 是⋯⋯的 constructions can be made into questions in the usual three ways to form questions in Chinese: - With a [question particle](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Interrogative_Sentences#Question_particles) - Within [affirmative-negative questions](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Affirmative-negative_questions) - With a [question word](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Word_order#Using_question_words_in_a_Chinese_sentence) Some examples: Is 是 always optional ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Generally, 是 can be omitted, and the meaning will not change. However, in a small number of cases, omitting 是 will make it unclear which part of the sentence is being emphasized. In these cases, 是 clearly indicates which words are being emphasized. Take a look at this example: This sentence could emphasize 上周 (time), or 和他 (part of the subject). A simple 是 can make clear which one the speaker is emphasizing. Position of 的 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until now we've said that the 的 appears at the end of the sentence in a 是⋯⋯的 construction. This is very often the case. However, it can actually appear in one of two places. Take a look at the examples below: As you can see, when the verb is followed by an object, 的 can go before *or* after the object. Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the first the sentence could be referring to either a specific event in the past or habitual actions. Take a look at these two sentences which remove the ambiguity by including a bit more information about the timeframe: For the most part, you should be fine regularly putting 的 at the end of your 是……的 sentences. Just be aware that there is some potential for ambiguity in certain situations. If you don't want to move 的 around, then including a bit of extra information about time can keep things clear. Completed Action ----------------------------------------------------------------------- It's important to note that while the 是⋯⋯的 construction also indicates that an action has been completed, this is not the *purpose* of a 是⋯⋯的 construction. The completed action part is more like a *prerequisite* for using 是⋯⋯的. This means you shouldn't use 是⋯⋯的 just to indicate that an action is completed. Use the [aspect particle 了](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Aspect_particle_%E4%BA%86) for that. Instead, use 是⋯⋯的 to draw attention to certain details of a completed action. See also ------------------------------------------------------- - [的 (modal particle)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%9A%84_(modal_particle)) - [Adding emphasis with "jiushi"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Adding_emphasis_with_%22jiushi%22) - \[...\_de%22\_patterns:\_an\_overview The "shi... de" patterns: an overview\] - \[...\_de%22\_construction\_for\_indicating\_purpose The "shi... de" construction for indicating purpose\] Sources and Further Reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)) (pp. 577-9) [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA) - [Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar) (pp. 54-5) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2ykU1OD) - [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition) (pp. 46-7, 173-80) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2h67UYa) - [Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%99%BE%E9%A1%B9%E8%AE%B2%E7%BB%83_-_%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7)) (pp. 319-22) \[ →buy\] - [Contemporary Chinese 2 (当代中文2)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Contemporary_Chinese_2_(%E5%BD%93%E4%BB%A3%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%872)) (pp. 46) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7800529029/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7800529029) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)) (pp. 119-121) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2femBuy) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 14-6) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2fdV2l3) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_2) (pp. 152-4) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2ftpILV) - [Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Mandarin_Chinese:_A_Functional_Reference_Grammar) (pp. 587-94) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2yOtlXc) - [Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide) (pp. 233-5) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2xCpX2m) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC2)) (pp. 88-9, 153) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_4_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC4)) (pp. 204-5) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561913192) - [Short-term Spoken Chinese: Threshold Vol. 2 (汉语口语入门篇下)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Short-term_Spoken_Chinese:_Threshold_Vol._2_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%A5%E9%97%A8%E7%AF%87%E4%B8%8B)) (pp. 66-8) \[ →buy\] - [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8B%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89) (pp. 530) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20) - [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8A%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89) (pp. 205) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20) ### Websites - University website: [%20de%20%20construction The shi... de construction](http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Lang%20work/Grammar%20database/grammar_database1.htm#The%20shi%20%E2%8B%AF%E2%8B%AF) - East Asia Student: [The 是 … 的 construction in Mandarin](http://eastasiastudent.net/2713/china/mandarin/cmn-grammar/shi-de-construction/)

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