Topic-Comment Structure

One of the most fundamental differences between Chinese and English is that Chinese is a "topic-prominent" language. The first element in a sentence often sets up the topic — what we're talking about — and everything after is the comment — what we say about it. The topic does not have to be the grammatical subject.

For example: 这本书我已经看完了 — "This book, I've already finished reading it." In English, this sounds like a fragment with "this book" dangling at the front. In Chinese, it is a perfectly normal topic-comment sentence: the topic is 这本书 (this book) and the comment is 我已经看完了 (I've finished reading it).

The topic can be almost anything — an object, a time, a place, a concept: 明天的考试你准备好了吗？ — "Tomorrow's exam — have you prepared?" 北京我去过两次 — "Beijing, I've been there twice." 中国菜你喜欢哪种？ — "Chinese food — which kind do you like?"

Understanding topic-comment structure helps explain many Chinese sentences that feel "wrong" when translated literally into English. If a Chinese sentence starts with something unexpected, chances are it is the topic. Once you recognize this pattern, you'll find Chinese word order much more logical than it first appears.