What are topic-comment structures in Mandarin Chinese?
In a topic-comment structure, we move the topic (what the sentenceNo definition set for sentenceLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is about) to the beginning of the sentence, and then a comment on the topic follows.
Have you ever heard or seen this sentence in Mandarin: 中文我学过！ (zhōngwén wǒ xué guo, I have learned Mandarin → Mandarin I have learned)? In this sentence, 中文 (zhōngwén, Mandarin) is the topic, which is what the sentence is about; 我学过 (wǒ xué guo, I have learned) is the comment on the topic 中文.
This simple structure is really common in Mandarin. Let’s call it the T-C structure in this post.
Keep reading and at the end of the post, you will know how to use a T-C structure like a native speaker!
Table of Contents
What is a S-V-O structure and a T-C structure in Mandarin Chinese?
The standard Mandarin Chinese structure is subject-verb-object (SVO), which is similar to the English SVO sentences. For example:
我喜欢热茶。
(Wǒ xǐhuan rè chá.)
I like hot tea.
In this sentence, 我 (wǒ, I) is the subject, 喜欢 (xǐhuan, like) is the verb, and 热茶 (rè chá, hot tea) is the object. These word orders are fixed: the subject goes before the verb and the object goes after the verb. Since Mandarin SVO works similarly to English SVO, most learners prefer to use this pattern.
However, the SVO is not the only pattern we use in Mandarin, the T-C structure is also often used among native speakers. We can easily change a SVO structure to a T-C structure by simply moving the object in the SVO structure to the beginning of the T-C structure, followed by the SV part to comment on the topic. We can add a comma between the topic and the comment, but it’s totally optional. Let’s look at the following examples:
SVO structure: S + V + O | Topic-Comment structure: O + S + V |
|---|---|
我喜欢热茶。 (Wǒ xǐhuan rè chá.) I like hot tea. | 热茶我喜欢。 (Rè chá wǒ xǐhuan.) (lit.) Hot tea I like. |
我们看过那本书。 (Wǒmen kànguo nà běn shū.) We have read that book. | 那本书我们看过。 (Nà běn shū wǒmen kànguo.) (lit.) That book we read. |
他已经吃晚饭了。 (Tā yǐjīng chī wǎnfàn le.) He has already had dinner. | 晚饭他已经吃了。 (Wǎnfàn tā yǐjīng chī le.) (lit.) Dinner he already eat. |
你现在得做作业了。 (Nǐ xiànzài děi zuò zuòyè le.) You have to do homework now. | 作业你现在得做了。 (Zuòyè nǐ xiànzài děi zuò le.) (lit.) Homework you have to do now. |
A T-C structure is another natural way to arrange information in a sentence. When the topic is the object from the SVO structure, it is placed in the beginning of a T-C sentence, and there is an emphasis on the topic.
When to use topic-comment structure in Mandarin Chinese?
As we discussed above, you use the T-C structure when you want to emphasize the topic of the sentence. In a T-C sentence, the topic can be the object of the SVO structure. However, the topic does not always have to be the object. The fact is: it doesn't matter what grammatical role the “topic” plays in a sentence, but it can be the “topic/theme” we want to focus on before we add more information about it.
This structure also allows native speakers to express their ideas with fewer words and a simpler structure. For example, the English sentence “As for tropical fruits, I like mango the most” will be 我最喜欢的热带水果是芒果 (wǒ zuì xǐhuan de rèdài shuǐguǒ shì mángguǒ) in a standard SVO sentence. In a T-C structure, it will be: 热带水果，我最喜欢芒果。 (rèdài shuǐguǒ, wǒ zuì xǐhuan mángguǒ, Tropical fruits, I like mango the most).
The basic T-C structure is like this:
Topic | Comment on the Topic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
中国的大学 (Zhōngguó de dàxué) | 我最想上清华。 (wǒ zuì xiǎng shàng qīnghuá.) | As for universities in China, I want to go to Qinghua the most. (lit: China’s universities I most want to go to Qinghua.) |
这件事 (Zhè jiàn shì) | 我们以后再说吧！ (wǒmen yǐhòu zài shuō ba!) | About this matter, let’s talk about it later. (lit: This matter we talk about later) |
春节 (Chūnjié) | 中国人喜欢穿红色。 (zhōngguó rén xǐhuan chuān hóngsè.) | When it is the Spring Festival, Chinese people like to wear something red. (lit: Spring festival Chinese people like to wear red.) |
舞 (Wǔ) | 我跳得不错。 (wǒ tiàode bú cuò.) | As for dancing, I dance well. (lit: Dance I dance well) |
你明天就去美国 (Nǐ míngtiān jiù qù měiguó) | 我觉得太突然了。 (wǒ juéde tài túrán le.) | You are leaving for America tomorrow, which I felt so sudden. (lit: You tomorrow go to America, I feel too sudden) |
Keep in mind that a T-C structure is commonly used among native Chinese speakers. If you want to sound more like a native Chinese speaker, we encourage you to use the topic-comment structure as often as you can. For sure, the T-C structure requires some practice to get familiar with, so in this post we list some situations/sentence patterns where you can get started to practice this popular structure in Mandarin.
How to use a T-C structure to express “(there be / to have) a lot of…” in Mandarin Chinese?
When you need to express the meaning of “there be / to have a lot / many…” or the negative form “there be / to have not many…” in Mandarin Chinese, you can use it as a T-C structure, saying it like this: “something/topic very many” or “something/topic not very many.” Let’s look at the examples below: the part in red is the topic, and the part that follows in blue is the comment about the topic.
他的时间很多。
(Tā de shíjiān hěn duō.)
He has lots of time.
(lit.) His time very a lot.
食物不多了。
(Shíwù bù duō le.)
There is not a lot of food left.
(lit.) Food not many.
钱他有很多。
(Qián tā yǒu hěn duō.)
He has lots of money.
(lit.) Money he has a lot.
这种杂志图书馆没有很多。
(Zhè zhǒng zázhì tūshū guǎn méiyǒu hěn duō.)
There aren't many of these kinds of magazines in the library.
(lit.) These kinds of magazines, library not have a lot.
How to use T-C structure in a VRCC structure in Mandarin Chinese?
When a sentence in Mandarin Chinese is a verb-resultative complement compound, also known as VRCC for short, go ahead and move the object of the VRCC sentence to the beginning of the sentence for it to function as a T-C structure. For example:
A regular VRCC sentence → A T-C sentence:
你吃完晚饭了吗？
(Nǐ chī wán wǎnfàn le ma?)
Have you finished eating dinner?
⇩
晚饭你吃完了吗？
(Wǎnfàn nǐ chī wán le ma?)
Dinner, have you finished eating?
Look at the following examples with the topic (the object) highlighted in red and the comment in blue.
功课你复习完了吗？
(Gōngkè nǐ fùxí wán le ma?)
Have you finished reviewing your lesson?
(lit.) Lesson you finished reviewing?
澡你洗好了吗？
(Zǎo nǐ xǐ hǎo le ma?)
Are you done showering?
(lit.) Bath you washed done?
房间我们终于扫干净了。
(Fāngjiān wǒmen zhōngyú sǎo gānjìng le.)
We finally swept the room clean.
(lit.) Room we finally sweep clean.
这部电影他看过了。
(Zhè bù diǎnyǐng tā kànguo le.)
He has watched this movie.
(lit.) This movie he has watched.
How to use T-C structure in affirmative-negative or 吗 (ma, “yes/no”) questions in Mandarin Chinese?
An affirmative-negative question is a variation of a 吗 (ma, yes/no) question question in Mandarin Chinese; we move the topic/theme that we want to emphasize to the beginning of the affirmative-negative or 吗 (ma, yes/no) question. Look at the T-C structure sentences with the topic (the object) highlighted in red and the comment in blue.
Affirmative-negative sentence | Topic-Comment structure |
|---|---|
你们去不去溜冰？ (Nǐmen qù bú qù liúbīng?) Would you like to go skating? | 溜冰, 你们去不去？ (Liúbīng nǐmen qù bú qù?) (lit.) Skating, would you like to go? |
明天你有没有中文课？ (Míngtiān nǐ yǒuméiyǒu zhōngwén kè?) Will you have a Chinese class tomorrow? | 中文课明天你有没有？ (Zhōngwén kè míngtiān nǐ yǒuméiyǒu?) (lit.) A Chinese class will you have tomorrow? |
吗 (ma) question | Topic-Comment structure |
|---|---|
他找到新工作了吗？ (Tā zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò le ma?) Has he found a new job yet? | 新工作, 他找到了吗？ (Xīn gōngzuò tā zhǎodào le ma?) (lit.) New job, has he found yet? |
你们决定好看什么电影了吗？ (Nǐmen juédìng hǎo kàn shénme diànyǐng le ma?) Have you decided what movie to watch? | 电影，你们决定好看什么了吗？ (Diànyǐng nǐmen juédìng hǎo kàn shénme le ma?) (lit.) Movie, you decided to watch what? |
How to use T-C structure in certain sentence structures in Mandarin Chinese?
There are some sentence structures in Mandarin Chinese that are originally used as a topic-comment structure. These patterns include: greetings/wishes, “how about…” structures, and “how much (money)…” structures, etc. We bet you definitely know one of them — or you may even know all of these patterns already. Here we go!
(Again, the topic is highlighted in red and the comment in blue.)
Greeting and wishes
早上好！
(Zǎoshang hǎo!)
Good morning!
(lit.) Morning, good!
生日快乐！
(Shēngrì kuàilè!)
Happy birthday!
(lit.) Birthday, happy
旅途愉快！
(Lǚtú yúkuài!)
Have a pleasant trip!
(lit.) Trip, pleasant
…怎么样？ (zěnme yàng, How is/about…)
天气怎么样？
(Tiānqì zěnme yàng?)
How is the weather?
(lit.) Weather how is?
这道菜的味道怎么样？
(Zhè dào cài de wèidào zěnme yàng?)
What does this dish taste like?
(lit.) This dish’s taste how is?
…多少钱？ (duōshao qián, How much money…?)
两杯咖啡多少钱？
(Liǎng bēi kāfēi duōshao qián?)
How much do two cups of coffee cost?
(lit.) Two cups of coffee how much money?
To sum up
A topic-comment structure is a very natural and popular form in spoken Mandarin Chinese. It allows the speaker to express their emphasis with fewer words. Although it may not make sense to translate it directly into English, it comes very naturally to native speakers. We simply put the topic/theme that one wants to talk about in the beginning of the sentence, and a comment about this topic follows. You can start using the T-C structure in the following sentence patterns:
To express “(there be/have) a lot of…":
我的时间还有很多。
(Wǒde shíjiān hái yǒu hěn duō.)
I still have lots of time.
Use it in a VRCC structure:
这个字你读错了。
(Zhè ge zì nǐ dú cuò le.)
You read this character wrong.
Use it in affirmative-negative or 吗 (ma, yes/no) questions:
比萨饼你想不想吃？
(Bǐsàbǐng nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng chī?)
Do you want to have pizza?
大卡车你会开吗？
(Dà kǎchē nǐ huì kāi ma?)
Can you drive a big truck?
Use it in greetings and wishes:
圣诞快乐！
(Shèngdàn kuàilè!)
Merry Christmas!
Use it with …怎么样？ (zěnme yàng) and …多少钱？ (duōshao qián):
这里的风景怎么样？
(Zhèli de fēngjǐng zěnme yang?)
How is the view here?
这辆单车多少钱？
(Zhè liàng dānchē duōshao qián?)
How much is this bike?
We highly encourage you to get started using topic-comment sentences in daily conversational Chinese. Let’s start with these exercises to test your knowledge of topic-comment structures in Mandarin Chinese!
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