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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>The 是⋯⋯的 (shì... de) construction is used to draw particular
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.</p>
<p>While not strictly tied to any "tense," the 是⋯⋯ 的 construction
is frequently used when asking details about the past or telling
details about the past.</p>
<h2 id="basic-usage">Basic Usage</h2>
<p>A 是 ⋯⋯ 的 sentence is formed with this structure:</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 是 + [Information to be Emphasized] + Verb + 的</p>
</div>
<p>This structure can be used to emphasize any detail, but most
commonly it emphasizes <strong>time</strong>,
<strong>manner</strong>, or <strong>place</strong>. Don't worry if
this still seems a little confusing; lots of helpful examples are
coming up!</p>
<h3 id="singling-out-details-for-emphasis">Singling out Details for
Emphasis</h3>
<p>A 是⋯⋯ 的 construction can pick out any detail in a sentence.
Whatever comes immediately after 是 is emphasized. So in the
sentence below:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 上 周六 跟 我 家人 在 饭店 吃饭 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ shàng zhōuliù
gēn wǒ jiārén zài fàndiàn chīfàn.</span><span class="trans">I ate
with my family in a restaurant last Saturday.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>We can pick out any one of the details by putting 是 in front of
it:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 跟 我 家人 <em>是</em> <strong>上 周六</strong> 在 饭店 吃 <em>的</em> 饭
。<span class="expl">"last Saturday" is
emphasized.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ gēn wǒ jiārén
<em>shì</em> <strong>shàng Zhōuliù</strong> zài fàndiàn chī
<em>de</em> fàn.</span></li>
<li>我 上 周六 在 饭店 <em>是</em> <strong>跟 我 家人</strong> 吃 <em>的</em> 饭
。<span class="expl">"with my family" is
emphasized.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ shàng Zhōuliù zài fàndiàn
<em>shì</em> <strong>gēn wǒ jiārén</strong> chī <em>de</em>
fàn.</span></li>
<li>我 上 周六 跟 我 家人 <em>是</em> <strong>在 饭店</strong> 吃 <em>的</em> 饭
。<span class="expl">"in a restaurant" is
emphasized.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ shàng Zhōuliù gēn wǒ
jiārén <em>shì</em> <strong>zài fàndiàn</strong> chī <em>de</em>
fàn.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="more-simple-examples">More Simple Examples</h3>
<p>These are some of the most common questions asked using the 是 ⋯⋯
的 construction and some possible answers:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你们 <em>是</em> 什么时候 来 <em>的</em> ？<span class="expl">Emphasizing
"when"</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <em>shì</em> shénme shíhou
lái <em>de</em>?</span><span class="trans">When did you
come?</span></li>
<li>我们 <em>是</em> <strong>昨天</strong> 来 <em>的</em>。<span class=
"expl">"Yesterday" is emphasized.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen
<em>shì</em> <strong>zuótiān</strong> lái
<em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">We came
yesterday.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 <em>是</em> 怎么 来 <em>的</em> ？<span class="expl">Emphasizing
"how" or "in what manner"</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ
<em>shì</em> zěnme lái <em>de</em>?</span><span class="trans">How
did you come?</span></li>
<li>我 <em>是</em> <strong>坐 飞机</strong> 来 <em>的</em> 。<span class=
"expl">Emphasizing "by plane"</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ
<em>shì</em> <strong>zuò fēijī</strong> lái
<em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">I came by plane.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li><em>是</em> 谁 告诉 你 <em>的</em> ？<span class="expl">Emphasizing
"who"</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Shì</em> shéi gàosu nǐ
<em>de</em>?</span><span class="trans">Who was it that told
you?</span></li>
<li><em>是</em> <strong>一 个 同事</strong> 告诉 我 <em>的</em>
。<span class="expl">Emphasizing "a colleague"</span><span class=
"pinyin"><em>Shì</em> <strong>yī gè tóngshì</strong> gàosu
wǒ<em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">It was a colleague that
told me.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 <em>是</em> <strong>在 哪儿</strong> 出生 <em>的</em> ？<span class=
"expl">"Where" is emphasized.</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ
<em>shì</em> <strong>zài</strong> chūshēng
<em>de</em>?</span><span class="trans">Where were you
born?</span></li>
<li>我 <em>是</em> <strong>在 中国</strong> 出生 <em>的</em> 。<span class=
"expl">"In China" is emphasized.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ
<em>shì</em> <strong>zài Zhōngguó</strong> chūshēng
<em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">I was born in
China.</span></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, <em>no, not
really</em>. 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 id="when-to-use-是-的">When to Use 是⋯⋯ 的</h2>
<p>As described above, the 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction is used to draw
attention to particular information in a sentence. Whereas a
sentence without a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction might <em>describe</em> a
situation, a sentence with a 是⋯⋯ 的 construction <em>explains</em>
it. 是 ⋯⋯ 的 is not generally used for reporting new information, but
for adding important details that make the information clearer.</p>
<p>You could think of 是 ⋯⋯ 的 as being equivalent to saying one of
the following in English:</p>
<ul>
<li>"The situation is that"</li>
<li>"It's that... "</li>
<li>"It was... that... "</li>
</ul>
<p>If the sentence could be formed with one of those phrases in
English, it can probably use a 是⋯⋯ 的 construction in Chinese.
Usually the topic of a 是⋯⋯ 的 sentence has already been
established.</p>
<h3 id="completed-action">Completed Action</h3>
<p>It's important to note that a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction also indicates
that an action has been completed. However, this is not the purpose
of a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction. The association with a completed action
is more like a <em>side effect</em> of 是 ⋯⋯ 的. This means you
shouldn't use 是 ⋯⋯ 的 just to indicate that an action is completed.
Use the <a href="aspect_particle_%E4%BA%86" title="wikilink">aspect
particle 了</a> for that. Instead, use 是 ⋯⋯ 的 to draw attention to
particular features of the action.</p>
<h2 id="negating-是-的">Negating 是 ⋯⋯ 的</h2>
<p>是 ⋯⋯ 的 sentences can only be negated with 不, as 没 can not be
used to negate 是. Place 不 before 是 as you would in a standard
sentence.</p>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我们 <em>不</em> 是 坐 火车 来 的 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen
<em>bù</em> shì zuò huǒchē lái de.</span><span class="trans">We
didn't come by train.</span></li>
<li>这个 电话 <em>不</em> 是 打给他的 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhège diànhuà
<em>bù</em> shì dǎ gěi tā de.</span><span class="trans">This phone
call isn't to him.</span></li>
<li>我们 <em>不</em> 是 去 看她 的 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>bù</em>
shì qù kàn tā de.</span><span class="trans">We didn't go to see
her.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Note that negating a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction creates the implication
that the action in the sentence <em>was</em> carried out, and only
the detail emphasized by 是 ⋯⋯ 的 is being denied. So, in the last
sentence, the implication is that 你 didn't go out with 她, but
<em>did</em> go out with <em>someone</em>. So negative 是 ⋯⋯ 的
constructions would work nicely in the final scenes of detective
dramas.</p>
<h2 id="used-in-a-questions">Used in a Questions</h2>
<p>是 ⋯⋯ 的 constructions can be made into questions in the usual
three ways to form questions in Chinese:</p>
<ul>
<li>With a <a href="Interrogative_Sentences#Question_particles"
title="wikilink">question particle</a></li>
<li>With a <a href=
"Word_order#Using_question_words_in_a_Chinese_sentence" title=
"wikilink">question word</a></li>
<li>Within <a href="affirmative-negative_questions" title=
"wikilink">affirmative-negative questions</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他 是 用 左 手 写 的 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="trans">Did he write this
with his left hand?</span></li>
<li>你 是 跟 <em>谁</em> 出去 的？<span class="trans">Who did you go out
with?</span></li>
<li>你 是 <em>怎么</em> 来 北京 的？<span class="trans">How did you come to
Beijing?</span></li>
<li>你们 <em>是 不 是</em> 去年 认识 的？<span class="trans">Did you meet each
other last year?</span></li>
<li>你 的 车 是 <em>在 哪儿</em> 买 的？<span class="trans">Where did you buy
your car?</span></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>
<h2 id="the-optional-是">the Optional 是</h2>
<p>A few examples:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 坐 地铁 来 <em>的</em> 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zuò dìtiě lái
<em>de</em> ma?</span><span class="trans">Did you come by
metro?</span></li>
<li>我们 两 个 月 以前 认识 <em>的</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen liǎng gè
yuè yǐqián rènshi <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">We met two
months ago.</span></li>
<li>我 跟 我 男朋友 一起 去 <em>的</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ gēn wǒ
nánpéngyou yīqǐ qù <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">I went
there with my boyfriend.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="where-to-put-的-when-theres-an-object">Where to Put 的 When
there's an Object</h2>
<p>Up till now we've said that 的 appears at the end of the sentence
in a 是⋯⋯ 的 construction. This is very often the case. However, if
there's an object, 的 can appear before the object.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>是</em> 在 加拿大 学 <em>的</em>
<strong>英语</strong>。<span class="expl">the 的 comes before the
object 英语</span><span class="trans">I studied English in
Canada.</span></li>
<li>我 <em>是</em> 在 加拿大 学 <strong>英语</strong>
<em>的</em>。<span class="expl">the 的 comes after the object
英语</span><span class="trans">I studied English in
Canada.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Note that if the object is a person, 的 has to go at the end of
the sentence. Otherwise it can go before the object or at the end
of the sentence.</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>是</em> 在 法国 认识 <em>的</em> <strong>她</strong>。<span class=
"expl">the 的 cannot come before the object 她</span><span class=
"trans">I met her in France.</span></li>
<li>我 <em>是</em> 在 法国 认识 <strong>她</strong> <em>的</em>。<span class=
"expl">the 的 can only come after the object 她</span><span class=
"trans">I met her in France.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="more-useful-examples">More Useful Examples</h2>
<p>The 是⋯⋯ 的 construction is very versatile and can be used to pick
out a large variety of details in a sentence. Have a look at the
examples below to get a stronger grasp of how this structure can be
used.</p>
<p>Focusing on Manner:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>是</em> <strong>开车</strong> 回家 <em>的</em>。<span class=
"expl">"by car" is emphasized.</span><span class="trans">I came
home by car.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Focusing on Instrument:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>是</em> <strong>用 法文</strong> 写 <em>的</em> 信 。<span class=
"expl">"used French" is emphasized.</span><span class="trans">I
used French to write the letter.</span></li>
<li>她 <em>是</em> <strong>用 邮件</strong> 回复 我们
<em>的</em>。<span class="expl">"used the email" is
emphasized.</span><span class="trans">She used email to reply to
us.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Focusing on Agent:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 的 钱包 <em>是</em> <strong>被 一个男人</strong> 偷走
<em>的</em>。<span class="expl">"by a man" is
emphasized.</span><span class="trans">My wallet was stolen by a
man.</span></li>
<li>弟弟 <em>是</em> <strong>被 同学</strong> 打伤 <em>的</em>。<span class=
"expl">"by his classmate" is emphasized.</span><span class=
"trans">My younger brother was hit and got injured by his
classmates.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Focusing on Target:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 <em>是</em> <strong>给 谁</strong> 做 <em>的</em> 饭 ？<span class=
"expl">"for whom" is emphasized.</span><span class="trans">Who did
you make food for?</span></li>
<li>他 <em>是</em> <strong>向 你</strong> 借 <em>的</em> 钱？<span class=
"expl">"from you" is emphasized.</span><span class="trans">He
borrowed the money from you?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="%E7%9A%84_(modal_particle)" title="wikilink">的 (modal
particle)</a></li>
<li><a href="Adding_emphasis_with_&quot;jiushi&quot;" title=
"wikilink">Adding emphasis with "jiushi"</a></li>
<li><a href="Uses_of_&quot;shi_%E2%8B%AF%E2%8B%AF_de&quot;" title=
"wikilink">Uses of "shi ⋯⋯ de"</a></li>
<li><a href="Bei_sentence" title="wikilink">被 sentence</a>''</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and Further
Reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar" title=
"wikilink">Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar</a> (pp. 54-5)
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1933330899">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition" title=
"wikilink">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition</a> (pp.
46-7, 173-80) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0415372615">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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)"
title="wikilink">Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items -
Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)</a> (pp. 319-22)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"Contemporary_Chinese_2_(%E5%BD%93%E4%BB%A3%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%872)"
title="wikilink">Contemporary Chinese 2 (当代中文2)</a> (pp. 46)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7800529029/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7800529029">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)</a> (pp.
119-121) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276709">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1</a> (pp. 14-6)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276792">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_2" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2</a> (pp. 152-4)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276881/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0887276881">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Mandarin_Chinese:_A_Functional_Reference_Grammar"
title="wikilink">Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference
Grammar</a> (pp. 587-94) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520066103?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0520066103">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide"
title="wikilink">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical
Guide</a> (pp. 233-5) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0415700108">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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)"
title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)</a> (pp.
88-9, 153) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7561911297">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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)"
title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)</a> (pp.
204-5) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7561913192">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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)"
title="wikilink">Short-term Spoken Chinese: Threshold Vol. 2
(汉语口语入门篇下)</a> (pp. 66-8) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913656/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7561913656">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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"
title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course
(基础汉语40课下册）</a> (p. 530)<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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"
title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course
(基础汉语40课上册）</a> (p. 205)<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
<ul>
<li>University website: [<a href=
"http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Lang%20work/Grammar%20database/grammar_database1.htm#The%20shi%20">http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Lang%20work/Grammar%20database/grammar_database1.htm#The%20shi%20</a>⋯⋯
%20de%20%20construction The shi... de construction]</li>
<li>East Asia Student: <a href=
"http://eastasiastudent.net/2713/china/mandarin/cmn-grammar/shi-de-construction/">
The 是 … 的 construction in Mandarin</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:Structures" class="uri" title=
"wikilink">Category:Structures</a></p>
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