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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
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<title>The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details</title>
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<h1>The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details</h1>
<p>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.
</p>
<p>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.</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 When to use it </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Affirmative Form </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 Negative Form </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Used in a Question </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5 Is 是 always optional ? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6 Position of 的 </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">7 Completed Action </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">8 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">9 Sources and Further Reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">9.1 Books </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">9.2 Websites</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h2>When to use it
</h2>
<p>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?
</p>
<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 昨天 几点 到 了 ？
Nǐ zuótiān jǐ diǎn dào le?
What time did you arrive yesterday? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 跟 谁 去 了 ？
Nǐ gēn shéi qù le?
Who did you go with? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 用 什么 打 你 了 ？
Tā yòng shénme dǎ nǐ le?
What did he use to hit you?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 昨天 我 去 杭州 了。
Zuótiān wǒ qù Hángzhōu le.
I went to Hangzhou yesterday. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 你 是 怎么 去 的 ？
Nǐ shì zěnme qù de?
How did you get there? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 我 是 坐 火车 去 的 。
Wǒ shì zuò huǒchē qù de.
I went by train.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Now let's revisit those other three sentences and ask the questions correctly with 是⋯⋯的:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 昨天 是 几点 到 的 ？
Nǐ zuótiān shì jǐ diǎn dào de?
What time did you arrive yesterday? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 是 跟 谁 去 的 ？
Nǐ shì gēn shéi qù de?
Who did you go with? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 是 用 什么 打 你 的 ？
Tā shì yòng shénme dǎ nǐ de?
What did he use to hit you?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Affirmative Form</h2>

<p>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:</p>


"The situation is that"
"It's that... "
"It was... that... "

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + 是 + [Information to be Emphasized] + Verb + 的</div>

<p>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!</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 你们 是 什么 时候 到 的 ？Emphasizing "when"
Nǐmen shì shénme shíhou dào de?
When did you arrive? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 我们 是 昨天 到 的 。"Yesterday" is emphasized.
Wǒmen shì zuótiān dào de.
We arrived yesterday. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 你 是 在 哪儿 出生 的 ？"Where" is emphasized.
Nǐ shì zài nǎr chūshēng de?
Where were you born? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 我 是 在 香港 出生 的 。"In Hong Kong" is emphasized.
Wǒ shì zài Xiānggǎng chūshēng de.
I was born in Hong Kong.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>


<p>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.</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 你 骑 自行车 来 的 吗 ？Emphasizing "by bike"
Nǐ qí zìxíngchē lái de ma?
Did you come by bike? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 我 走 来 的 。Emphasizing "by foot"
Wǒ zǒu lái de.
I came by foot. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 谁 告诉 你 的 ？Emphasizing "who"
Shéi gàosu nǐ de?
Who told you? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 一 个 同事 告诉 我 的 。Emphasizing "a colleague"
Yī gè tóngshì gàosu wǒ de.
A colleague told me.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>
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.</p>

<h2>Negative Form
</h2>
<p>是⋯⋯的 sentences can only be negated with 不, as 没 can not be used to negate 是.</p>

<h3>Some examples:
</h3>
<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他们 不是 在 网上 认识 的 。
Tāmen bù shì zài wǎngshàng rènshi de.
They didn't meet online. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 不是 跟 我们 一起 去 的 。
Tā bù shì gēn wǒmen yīqǐ qù de.
He didn't go together with us. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 不 坐 地铁 来 的 。
Wǒ bù zuò dìtiě lái de.
I didn't come by metro. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 不 在 中国 出生 的 。
Wǒ bù zài Zhōngguó chūshēng de.
I wasn't born in China.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>


<p>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.</p>

<h2>Used in a Question</h2>

<p>是⋯⋯的 constructions can be made into questions in the usual three ways to form questions in Chinese:</p>


With a question particle
Within affirmative-negative questions
With a question word

<h3>Some examples:</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 用 邮件 回复 的 吗 ？
Tā yòng yóujiàn huífù de ma?
Did she reply by email? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你们 是 不 是 去年 认识 的 ？
Nǐmen shì bu shì qùnián rènshi de?
Did you meet each other last year? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这个 东西 多少钱 买 的 ？
Zhège dōngxi duōshǎo qián mǎi de?
How much did you buy this thing for?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Is 是 always optional ?</h3>

<p>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:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 上周 和 他 去 北京 的 吗 ？
Nǐ shàng zhōu hé tā qù Běijīng de ma?
Did you go to Beijing with him last weekend?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>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.</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 是 上周 和 他 去 北京 的 吗 ？上周 is emphasized
Nǐ shì shàng zhōu hé tā qù Běijīng de ma? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 上周 是 和他 去 北京 的 吗 ？</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">和他 is emphasized
Nǐ shàng zhōu shì hé tā qù Běijīng de ma?
Did you go to Beijing with him last weekend?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Position of 的</h3>

<p>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:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 是 用 Skype 开 会 的 。
Wǒmen shì yòng Skype kāi huì de.
We had a meeting by Skype. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 是 用 Skype 开 的 会 。
Wǒmen shì yòng Skype kāi de huì.
We had a meeting by Skype.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>


<p>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.</p>

<p>Take a look at these two sentences which remove the ambiguity by including a bit more information about the timeframe:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">那次 我们 是 用 Skype 开 会 的 。
Nà cì wǒmen shì yòng Skype kāi huì de.
That time we had the meeting by Skype. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 平时 是 用 Skype 开 会 的 。
Wǒmen píngshí shì yòng Skype kāi huì de.
We usually have a meetings by Skype.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>


<p>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.</p>

<h2>Completed Action</h2>

<p>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 for that. Instead, use 是⋯⋯的 to draw attention to certain details of a completed action.</p>

<h3>See also
</h3>
<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">的 (modal particle)
Adding emphasis with "jiushi" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">The "shi... de" patterns: an overview </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">The "shi... de" construction for indicating purpose</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Sources and Further Reading</h3>

<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 577-9) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 54-5) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 46-7, 173-80) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 319-22) [ →buy] </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Contemporary Chinese 2 (当代中文2) (pp. 46) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 119-121) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 14-6) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 152-4) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 587-94) →buy
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 233-5) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 88-9, 153) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 204-5) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Short-term Spoken Chinese: Threshold Vol. 2 (汉语口语入门篇下) (pp. 66-8) [ →buy] </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 530) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 205) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>Websites</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">University website: de construction The shi... de construction </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">East Asia Student: The 是 … 的 construction in Mandarin</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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