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- === Sample Sentence Options ===
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The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details
====================================================
[](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/ASGE662E)
-
Level
[B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points)
-
Similar to
- \[...\_de%22\_construction\_for\_indicating\_purpose
The "shi... de" construction for indicating purpose\] (B1)
- \[...\_de%22\_patterns:\_an\_overview
The "shi... de" patterns: an overview\] (B1)
- [Using "de"
(modal particle)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Using_%22de%22_(modal_particle)) (B1)
-
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?
\
Used for
[Emphasizing](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Emphasizing),
[Referring to the
past](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Referring_to_the_past)
-
Keywords
[是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%98%AF),
[的](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%9A%84)
[{width="300"
height="300"}](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/File:Chinese-grammar-wiki-shi.jpg)
*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.
Contents
--------
[hide]([# "wikilink")\]
- [1 When to use
it](#When_to_use_it "wikilink")
- [2 Affirmative
Form](#Affirmative_Form "wikilink")
- [2.1
Structure](#Structure "wikilink")
- [2.2
Examples](#Examples "wikilink")
- [3 Negative
Form](#Negative_Form "wikilink")
- [4 Used in a
Question](#Used_in_a_Question "wikilink")
- [5 Is 是 always
optional ?](#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional_.3F "wikilink")
- [6 Position of
的](#Position_of_.E7.9A.84 "wikilink")
- [7 Completed
Action](#Completed_Action "wikilink")
- [8 See
also](#See_also "wikilink")
- [9 Sources and
Further Reading](#Sources_and_Further_Reading "wikilink")
- [9.1
Books](#Books "wikilink")
- [9.2
Websites](#Websites "wikilink")
- 你 昨天 **几点** 到 *了* ？Nǐ zuótiān **jǐ
diǎn** dào *le*?What time did you arrive
yesterday?
- 你 跟 **谁** 去 *了* ？Nǐ gēn **shéi** qù
*le*?Who did you go with?
- 他 **用 什么** 打 你 *了* ？Tā **yòng shénme**
dǎ nǐ *le*?What did he use to hit
you?
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:
- A: 昨天 我 去 杭州
了。Zuótiān wǒ qù Hángzhōu
le.I went to Hangzhou yesterday.
- B: 你 *是* **怎么** 去 *的*
？Nǐ *shì* **zěnme** qù
*de*?How did you get there?
- A: 我 *是* **坐 火车** 去 *的*
。Wǒ *shì* **zuò huǒchē** qù
*de*.I went by train.
Now let's revisit those other three sentences and ask the questions
correctly with 是⋯⋯的:
- 你 昨天 *是* **几点** 到 *的* ？Nǐ zuótiān
*shì* **jǐ diǎn** dào *de*?What time did
you arrive yesterday?
- 你 *是* **跟 谁** 去 *的* ？Nǐ *shì* **gēn
shéi** qù *de*?Who did you go
with?
- 他 *是* **用 什么** 打 你 *的* ？Tā *shì*
**yòng shénme** dǎ nǐ *de*?What did he
use to hit you?
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
Subj. + 是 + \[Information to be Emphasized\] + Verb + 的
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
- A: 你们 *是* **什么 时候** 到 *的*
？Emphasizing
"when"Nǐmen *shì* **shénme shíhou** dào
*de*?When did you arrive?
- B: 我们 *是* **昨天** 到 *的*
。"Yesterday" is
emphasized.Wǒmen *shì* **zuótiān** dào
*de*.We arrived yesterday.
- A: 你 *是* **在 哪儿** 出生 *的*
？"Where" is
emphasized.Nǐ *shì* **zài nǎr** chūshēng
*de*?Where were you born?
- 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.
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.
- A: 你 **骑 自行车** 来 *的* 吗
？Emphasizing "by
bike"Nǐ **qí zìxíngchē** lái *de*
ma?Did you come by bike?
- B: 我 **走** 来 *的*
。Emphasizing "by
foot"Wǒ **zǒu** lái
*de*.I came by foot.
- A: **谁** 告诉 你 *的*
？Emphasizing
"who"**Shéi** gàosu nǐ
*de*?Who told you?
- B: **一 个 同事** 告诉 我 *的*
。Emphasizing "a
colleague"**Yī gè tóngshì** gàosu wǒ
*de*.A colleague told me.
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:
- 他们 *不是* **在 网上** 认识 *的* 。Tāmen *bù
shì* **zài wǎngshàng** rènshi *de*.They
didn't meet online.
- 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.
- 我 *不* **坐 地铁** 来 *的* 。Wǒ *bù* **zuò
dìtiě** lái *de*.I didn't come by
metro.
- 我 *不* **在 中国** 出生 *的* 。Wǒ *bù* **zài
Zhōngguó** chūshēng *de*. I wasn't born
in China.
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:
- 她 **用 邮件** 回复 *的* 吗 ？Tā **yòng
yóujiàn** huífù *de* ma?Did she reply by
email?
- 你们 *是 不 是* **去年** 认识 *的* ？Nǐmen *shì
bu shì* **qùnián** rènshi *de*?Did you
meet each other last year?
- 这个 东西 **多少钱** 买 *的* ？Zhège dōngxi
**duōshǎo qián** mǎi *de*?How much did
you buy this thing for?
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:
- 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?
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.
- 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?
- 你 上周 *是* **和他** 去 北京 *的* 吗 ？和他 is
emphasizedNǐ shàng zhōu *shì* **hé tā**
qù Běijīng *de* ma?Did you go to Beijing
with him last weekend?
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:
- 我们 *是* **用 Skype** 开 **会** *的* 。Wǒmen
*shì* **yòng Skype** kāi **huì** *de*.We
had a meeting by Skype.
- 我们 *是* **用 Skype** 开 *的* **会** 。Wǒmen
*shì* **yòng Skype** kāi *de* **huì**.We
had a meeting by Skype.
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:
- **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.
- 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.
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/)
[Categories](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:Categories):
- [Structures](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Category:Structures)
- [B1 grammar
points](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Category:B1_grammar_points)
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