Patient-Initial Clauses in Chinese
受事主语
A discourse-known patient can appear first, followed by a comment describing what happened to it. The comment often contains a result or aspect marker, and it may include an explicit agent, as in 作业我做完了. This information structure differs from simply reversing arbitrary subject, verb, and object order.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Patient Topic + (Agent +) Verb + Result/Aspect
Read the structure
A discourse-known patient can appear first, followed by a comment describing what happened to it. The comment often contains a result or aspect marker, and it may include an explicit agent, as in 作业我做完了. This information structure differs from simply reversing arbitrary subject, verb, and object order. Keep the model Patient Topic + (Agent +) Verb + Result/Aspect visible while you compare each sentence.
饭都吃光了。
All the food has been eaten.
Choose the right context
Front a definite patient that is already the discourse topic. Follow the patient with a complete comment containing the action and result. Include an agent inside the comment when the actor matters.
作业我已经做完了。
As for the homework, I have already finished it.
Respect the boundary
Do not place aspect marking inside the fronted patient noun phrase. Do not put the result complement before its verb. Do not front an indefinite bare patient when no topic interpretation is available.
这本过书她看两遍。
(As for this book, she has read it twice.)
Repair the pattern
Aspect marker splits the patient noun phrase: 这本书 is an intact patient topic; experiential 过 follows the verb 看. Result complement precedes its verb: In the comment, result complement 完 must follow action verb 做; patient fronting does not reverse the resultative compound.
这本书她看过两遍。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
饭都吃光了。
All the food has been eaten.
饭
Patient Topic
This part occupies the Patient Topic position in the model pattern.
都
(Agent
This part occupies the (Agent position in the model pattern.
吃光
) Verb
This part occupies the ) Verb position in the model pattern.
了
Result/Aspect
This part occupies the Result/Aspect position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
饭都吃光了。
All the food has been eaten.
作业我已经做完了。
As for the homework, I have already finished it.
这本书她看过两遍。
As for this book, she has read it twice.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Front a definite patient that is already the discourse topic.
- Follow the patient with a complete comment containing the action and result.
- Include an agent inside the comment when the actor matters.
Do not use it when
- Do not place aspect marking inside the fronted patient noun phrase.
- Do not put the result complement before its verb.
- Do not front an indefinite bare patient when no topic interpretation is available.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
这本过书她看两遍。
这本书她看过两遍。
Aspect marker splits the patient noun phrase
这本书 is an intact patient topic; experiential 过 follows the verb 看.
作业我已经完做了。
作业我已经做完了。
Result complement precedes its verb
In the comment, result complement 完 must follow action verb 做; patient fronting does not reverse the resultative compound.
这本过书她看两遍。
这本书 is an intact patient topic; experiential 过 follows the verb 看.
作业我已经完做了。
In the comment, result complement 完 must follow action verb 做; patient fronting does not reverse the resultative compound.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 受事主语.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 受事主语. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Patient-Initial Clauses Questions
Is every patient-initial clause passive?
No. Many are topic-comment clauses without a passive marker.
Can the agent be omitted?
Yes when the result matters and the actor is unknown or irrelevant.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, Level 4 item 【四35】 (PDF pp. 215-216)
Provides official Level 4 directory placement and examples only; it does not establish the learner-facing usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 57, Topic and focus
Supports a discourse topic followed by a syntactically complete comment; GF item 【四35】 supplies the patient-topic configurations and examples.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
主谓谓语句Topic-Comment Predicate Sentences
Compare 受事主语 to directly occupy the subject position and 主谓谓语句 to set the topic first and then comment, to avoid taking all the affected objects at the beginning of the sentence as topics.
Compare
把+施事+动词+了Causative Loss 把 Construction
Distinguish between 受事主语 highlighting the affected object and 把施事动词了 and placing 施事 after 把. The perspectives of the two sentence patterns are different.
Compare
兼语句Pivotal Sentences
Compare 受事主语, which directly corresponds to the affected object of the verb, and the concurrent clause, which simultaneously takes on the object of the former and the subject of the latter, and the number of argument identities is different.
RECOMMENDED NEXT
Easy to confuse
Compare 受事主语 to directly occupy the subject position and 主谓谓语句 to set the topic first and then comment, to avoid taking all the affected objects at the beginning of the sentence as topics.