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Sentence PatternsHSK 4

Topic-comment sentences

In Chinese, a topic can be placed at the beginning of a sentence to establish the context before making a comment about it. Use this when you want to emphasize what you're talking about, especially in spoken Chinese. Avoid assuming any noun before a comma is the subject; the topic may not be the grammatical subject of the following clause.

Structure

Topic + Comment
The topic is often separated from the comment by a comma in writing.

Examples

  • 水果，我最爱吃草莓。
    Shuǐguǒ , wǒ zuì ài chī cǎoméi.
    Fruit, I like strawberries best.
  • 这个问题，你一个人没办法解决。
    Zhège wèntí , nǐ yīgèrén méi bànfǎ jiějué.
    There is no way that you can solve this problem all by yourself.
  • 那部电影，看过的人都喜欢。
    Nà bù diànyǐng , kàn guo de rén dōu xǐhuan.
    All the people that have watched that movie like it.
  • 他的事，我不想管那么多。
    Tā de shì , wǒ bù xiǎng guǎn nàme duō.
    I don't want to be so involved in his business.
  • 我的笔，弟弟弄坏了。
    Wǒ de bǐ , dìdi nòng huài le.
    My younger brother broke my pen.