<p>In Chinese, the word <strong>是</strong> (or <strong>正是</strong>) is often used at the beginning of a sentence <strong>to emphasize the noun that follows</strong>. For example,</p>
<p>(1a) 一个烟头引起了森林火灾。= A cigarette end caused the forest fire.</p>
<p>(1b) <strong>是</strong>一个烟头引起了森林火灾。= <strong>It is</strong> a cigarette end <strong>that</strong> caused the forest fire.</p>
<p>(2a) 多年前发生的那件事情再次使她伤心。= The matter that happened many years ago makes her broken-hearted again.</p>
<p>(2b) <strong>正是</strong>多年前发生的那件事情再次使她伤心。= <strong>It is</strong> the matter, which happened many years ago, <strong>that</strong> makes her broken-hearted again.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-21T02:08:24.143Z
2023-04-21T02:18:46.723Z
2023-04-21T02:18:46.723Z
PdotWang
<blockquote>
<p>..., in the phrase beginning with 是 can be anything right?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If I understood your question correctly, &quot;是&quot; emphatically points to his/her newly made friend, CZ2046.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>是</strong>CZ2046打破了五年多的漫長沉寂,... - <strong>It is/was</strong> CZ2046 broken up the over 5 years long dreariness.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-20T12:55:17.703Z
2023-04-20T13:01:54.527Z
2023-04-20T13:01:54.527Z
r13
<p>原来A市真的有一家盲人电影院，<br />
Originally, there really was a cinema for the blind in A city,<br />
而且就在这个区，<br />
moreover, it was located in a district only<br />
离他们小区大概四站路的距离。<br />
about four stops away from their part of town.<br />
只是冀小北以前从来没关心过，<br />
It's just that Ji Xiaobei never bothered to go there before,<br />
他对外面的世界早就没兴趣了，<br />
he had no interest in the outside world,<br />
直到遇见了cz2046。<br />
until he came across cz2046.</p>
<p>如果水面平滑如镜，<br />
If the water surface is smooth like a mirror,<br />
一点波澜也没有，<br />
no trace of waves,<br />
那一定是一潭死水，<br />
that is a stagnant pool,<br />
是cz2046打破了五年多的漫长沉寂，<br />
but cz2046 broke five long years of stillness，<br />
让冀小北心底里的暗流重新涌动起来。<br />
and anew the hidden emotions bubbled up from the bottom of Ji Xiaobei's heart.</p>
<p>如果水面平滑如镜，一点波澜也没有，那一定是一潭死水，是cz2046打破了五年多的漫长沉寂，让冀小北心底里的暗流重新涌动起来。</p>
<p>The writer likens Ji Xiaobei's heart to a stagnant pool:<br />
如果水面平滑如镜，一点波澜也没有，那一定是一潭死水，</p>
<p>Maybe 一潭死水 is the &quot;topic&quot; you seek?</p>
<p>but now there is movement in the stagnant pool of Ji Xiaobei's heart:<br />
是cz2046打破了五年多的漫长沉寂，让冀小北心底里的暗流重新涌动起来。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-20T23:35:29.527Z
2023-04-20T23:35:29.527Z
Pedroski
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mlFFt.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mlFFt.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zHxYR.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The second sentence in the picture is what I am asking about</a></p>
<p>In the second sentence,the omitted topic , in the phrase beginning with 是 can be anything right? Can it refed back to a previous incident (i.e. 那件事) because that would make most sense given the context I have.</p>

<topic-comment>
Omitting the Topic With 是
# Omitting the Topic With 是

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-04-20)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/mlFFt.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/mlFFt.png)

[The second sentence in the picture is what I am asking about](https://i.sstatic.net/zHxYR.jpg)

In the second sentence,the omitted topic , in the phrase beginning with 是 can be anything right? Can it refed back to a previous incident (i.e. 那件事) because that would make most sense given the context I have.

**Tags:** topic-comment

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-04-21. Score: 2

In Chinese, the word **是** (or **正是**) is often used at the beginning of a sentence **to emphasize the noun that follows**. For example,

(1a) 一个烟头引起了森林火灾。= A cigarette end caused the forest fire.

(1b) **是**一个烟头引起了森林火灾。= **It is** a cigarette end **that** caused the forest fire.

(2a) 多年前发生的那件事情再次使她伤心。= The matter that happened many years ago makes her broken-hearted again.

(2b) **正是**多年前发生的那件事情再次使她伤心。= **It is** the matter, which happened many years ago, **that** makes her broken-hearted again.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2023-04-20. Score: 1

> ..., in the phrase beginning with 是 can be anything right?

If I understood your question correctly, "是" emphatically points to his/her newly made friend, CZ2046.

* **是**CZ2046打破了五年多的漫長沉寂,... - **It is/was** CZ2046 broken up the over 5 years long dreariness.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-04-20. Score: 0

原来A市真的有一家盲人电影院，  
Originally, there really was a cinema for the blind in A city,  
而且就在这个区，  
moreover, it was located in a district only  
离他们小区大概四站路的距离。  
about four stops away from their part of town.  
只是冀小北以前从来没关心过，  
It's just that Ji Xiaobei never bothered to go there before,  
他对外面的世界早就没兴趣了，  
he had no interest in the outside world,  
直到遇见了cz2046。  
until he came across cz2046.

如果水面平滑如镜，  
If the water surface is smooth like a mirror,  
一点波澜也没有，  
no trace of waves,  
那一定是一潭死水，  
that is a stagnant pool,  
是cz2046打破了五年多的漫长沉寂，  
but cz2046 broke five long years of stillness，  
让冀小北心底里的暗流重新涌动起来。  
and anew the hidden emotions bubbled up from the bottom of Ji Xiaobei's heart.

如果水面平滑如镜，一点波澜也没有，那一定是一潭死水，是cz2046打破了五年多的漫长沉寂，让冀小北心底里的暗流重新涌动起来。

The writer likens Ji Xiaobei's heart to a stagnant pool:  
如果水面平滑如镜，一点波澜也没有，那一定是一潭死水，

Maybe 一潭死水 is the "topic" you seek?

but now there is movement in the stagnant pool of Ji Xiaobei's heart:  
是cz2046打破了五年多的漫长沉寂，让冀小北心底里的暗流重新涌动起来。


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