update time：2025-08-05 09:49:35 Number of clicks：549 hits
是…的 (shì…de) is a very common and important structure in Mandarin Chinese grammar. It's essential for any student of Chinese to learn and be familiar with, and comes up constantly in written and spoken Chinese.
There are two key things to note about the 是…的 construction:
It's used to emphasize a detail in a sentence.
是…的 sentences are usually about past events.
Most beginner's Chinese textbooks and courses place a lot of emphasis on the 是…的 construction because it's so common. This is good as everyone should learn it.
As with all grammar, though, remember not to get lost in memorising ‘rules’ and set structures. The more Chinese you read and listen to, and the more you practice, the more natural these structures will become. That's always the best way to learn.
As you can see in the name of this structure, something goes in between 是 and 的! Whatever goes in between those two words is the thing that will be emphasized or focused on in the sentence. So in the most basic way, the 是…的 structure is simply this:
是 [thing to be emphasized] 的
But how do you use that in a sentence? The full structure is as follows (pay most attention to where 是 and 的 are):
[subject] 是 [thing to be emphasized] [verb] 的
As you can see, we actually get the verb in between 是 and 的 as well as the thing we want to emphasize. The thing we emphasize is some detail about the action of the verb. This detail is often described as being time, manner or place, but really it can be anything.
Let's have a look at some initial example sentences for this structure:
你是什么时候来的？
When did you get here?
她是坐火车去上海的。
She went to Shanghai by train.
他是在德国长大的。
He grew up in Germany.
Notice how there is some detail about the action of the verb included in the 是…的 structure. Also notice how these sentences are all about things in the past.
An equivalent structure in English might be “it was … that”. So the above sentences could also be translated as:
“When was it that you got here?”
“It was by train that she went to Shanghai.”
“It was in Germany that he grew up.”
Notice how those sentences draw attention to particular details about the action of the verb. That structure is a little bit unusual in English, though, whereas 是…的 is super common and normal in Chinese.
As mentioned above, the 是…的 construction is used to give focus to a specific detail in a sentence (as well as indicating that it's about the past). Whatever is placed right after 是 is emphasized.
The detail that gets emphasized is often described as being about the time, manner or place of the verb. Whilst the detail might actually be anything, these make nice categories to focus on. Let's look at each one in turn.
You can use 是…的 to emphasize the time that the action took place. Have a look at some example sentences:
他们是昨天来的。
They got here yesterday.
⇒ It was yesterday that they got here.
我们是去年搬的家。
We moved house last year.
⇒ It was last year that we moved house.
她是1996年毕业的。
She graduated in 1996.
⇒ It was in 1996 that she graduated.
Notice how the time the action took place comes immediately after 是. That's how the 是…的 construction works: you put the thing you want to emphasize after 是, then the verb, then finish it with 的.
English translations that emphasize the detail more heavily have been given underneath. Remember, though, that the 是…的 structure in Chinese is much more natural and commonly used than that English structure might suggest.
Notice the slightly different word order, with 的 before the object? Don't worry, we'll explain that below! We've just introduced it here to help you get used to it from the start.
You can also use 是…的 to emphasize the manner of an action, i.e. how it was done. Again, you put the way the action was done right after 是 to emphasize it. Have a look at some examples:
她是跟她朋友一起去旅行的。
She went travelling with her friend.
⇒ It was with her friend that she went travelling.
我们是坐飞机去韩国的。
We went to Korea by plane.
⇒ It was by plane that we went to Korea.
我是用刀切蛋糕的。
I cut the cake with a knife.
⇒ It was with a knife that I cut the cake.
她是偷偷去的。
She went secretly.
⇒ It was secretly that she went.
There are endless ways you could use 是…的 to emphasize the manner in which an action was done. Again, note that all of the events described took place in the past.
