Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate
A subject-predicate predicate sentence names a topic first and then adds a full clause that comments on it. In 他身体很好 the topic is 他 and the comment is 身体很好, and the object can also be moved up to start the sentence.
In English
Chinese often names the topic first and then adds a complete clause that comments on it. This is a subject-predicate predicate sentence. The first noun is the big subject and the whole part is the whole thing, and the second noun is the small subject that is a part or a feature of it, as in 他身体很好 (his body is good, so he is healthy).
Another pattern moves the object to the front as the topic, as in 这本书我看过了. No marker word is needed between the two parts. Only the word order shows the topic and the comment.
中文常把要谈的话题放在句首，后面用一个完整的"小主语+小谓语"来评论它。
部分-整体：大主语(整体) + 小主语(部分) + 小谓语
他身体很好。(He is healthy — lit. 'his body is good'.)
宾语前置：把宾语提到句首做话题，主语和动词跟在后面。
这本书我看过了。(This book, I've read it.)
两部分之间不用任何标记词，只靠位置表示话题-评论关系。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 他身体很好。 | Tā shēn tǐ hěn hǎo. | He is healthy (lit. his body is good). | Whole-part topic-comment: 他 = whole, 身体 = part/small subject. |
| 这本书我看过了。 | Zhè běn shū wǒ kàn guò le. | I've read this book (before). | Object 这本书 fronted as topic; 我 becomes the small subject. |
| 那件衣服颜色很好看，可是太贵了。 | Nà jiàn yī fu yán sè hěn hǎo kàn, kě shì tài guì le. | That piece of clothing's color is nice, but it's too expensive. | Whole-part pattern (衣服/颜色) plus an added comment clause. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate
What does 主谓谓语句 (Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate) mean in Chinese?
A subject-predicate predicate sentence names a topic first and then adds a full clause that comments on it. In 他身体很好 the topic is 他 and the comment is 身体很好, and the object can also be moved up to start the sentence. It is an HSK 3 grammar point.
How do you use 主谓谓语句 (Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate) in a sentence?
他身体很好。 — Tā shēn tǐ hěn hǎo. — He is healthy (lit. his body is good). Whole-part topic-comment: 他 = whole, 身体 = part/small subject.
What do you need to know before 主谓谓语句 (Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate)?
The 是-Sentence (HSK 1). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 主谓谓语句 (Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate) lead to?
Topic-comment sentence structure (HSK 4), Verbal Phrases as Subject, Object & Modifier (HSK 3). Each of them names 主谓谓语句 (Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate) among its own prerequisites.
What is a topic-comment sentence in Chinese?
It is a sentence where you name what you are talking about first, then say something about it in a full clause. 我妈妈身体很好 gives the topic 我妈妈 and then comments on her body. English would say "my mother is in good health".
Can I put the object at the start of the sentence?
Yes. Moving the object up front as the topic is natural when it is already known: 这个字我不认识 means "this character I do not know". The usual 我不认识这个字 is also correct, but the first stresses the topic.
Topic-Comment & Subject-Predicate Predicate is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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