Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

toPiC, FoCUS, aNd emPhaSiS

57.2

谁都喜欢这个电影。连爸爸也喜欢。

誰都喜歡這個電影。連爸爸也喜歡。

Shéi dōu xǐhuan zhège diànyǐng. Lián bàba yě xǐhuan.

Everyone likes that movie. Even Dad likes it.

57.2.4 Focusing with 是 shì or 是... 的 shì... de

是 shì, or 是... 的 shì... de together, focus on some detail of an event: the time, the place,

the actor, etc.

The phrase that is focused occurs immediately after 是 shì.

If the sentence refers to a situation in past time, 的 de occurs at the very end of the sentence,

or immediately after the verb. In the following examples, the phrase that is focused is

emphasized.

C11.4, 30.5

Focus on the subject

是他给我们介绍的。

是他給我們介紹的。

Shì tā gěi wǒmen jièshào de.

It was he who introduced us.

Focus on the place

我是在中国学中文的。

我是在中國學中文的。

Wǒ shì zài Zhōngguó xué Zhōngwén de.

It was in China where I studied Chinese.

你们是在哪儿认识的？

你們是在哪兒認識的？

Nǐmen shì zài nǎr rènshi de?

Where did you meet?

Focus on the ‘time when’

他是去年买的那本书。

他是去年買的那本書。

Tā shì qùnián mǎi de nà běn shū.

It was last year when he bought that book.

Focus on the prepositional phrase

我是跟朋友看电影的。

我是跟朋友看電影的。

Wǒ shì gēn péngyou kàn diànyǐng de.

It was with friends that I saw the movie.

是 shì may be omitted, unless it is negated.

这双鞋(是)在王府井买的。

這雙鞋(是)在王府井買的。

Zhè shuāng xié (shì) zài Wángfǔjǐng mǎi de.

These shoes were bought in Wangfujing.

这双鞋不是在王府井买的。

這雙鞋不是在王府井買的。

Zhè shuāng xié bù shì zài Wángfǔjǐng mǎi de.

These shoes were not bought in Wangfujing.