<p>There is the "<a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Topic-comment_sentences" rel="nofollow noreferrer">topic-comment structure</a>" in Chinese:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In a topic-comment sentence, the usual word order is rearranged a bit, in order to emphasize a certain part of a sentence. The part that is to be emphasized becomes the topic and moves to the beginning of the sentence, with the comment on the topic coming after the topic has been stated.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So here the topic is "这个鱼", which is the object of the verb. And the subject (who cooked the fish) is just omitted from the sentence.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T04:33:59.787Z
Just like "Stone walls do not a prison make"
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T05:15:30.127Z
thanks @fefe, but why doesn’t it have a comma after ”这个鱼” ？
Ryan Le
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T05:21:26.600Z
@RyanLe The comma is not required. In fact, usually there is no comma, especially when the topic is short.
fefe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T05:39:46.227Z
Thanks @fefe, I got it.
Ryan Le
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T08:17:13.723Z
This example is more like unmarked (or notional) passive than topic-comment. A topic-comment structure would usually have a complete clause as the predicate (in this case, a subject for the verb 做). With the unmarked passive, the sentence just relies on the fact that it's obvious that the fish was cooked (as opposed to doing the cooking).
Ben Jackson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T02:17:54.670Z
2020-02-11T02:17:54.670Z
fefe
<p>This is because there is "得” after the “做”. After "得” you can see “真好吃”，which means taste good, is an adjective.  This makes it become an adverbial modifier. "跑得快”（run fast）“跳得高”（jump high）is the same as this.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T05:34:31.007Z
I looked around but I could't find any document on swapping verb and object when there is "得” in it.
Ryan Le
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T05:41:08.460Z
such as 他跑得快跳得远。这个画画得真好看。 他看得很开心。
BING
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-14T04:36:45.757Z
you are right, please have a look at my edited question above.
Ryan Le
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-11T02:10:07.387Z
2020-02-12T07:58:19.647Z
2020-02-12T07:58:19.647Z
BING
<p>I'm reading the book "301 Conversational Chinese Sentences".</p>

<p>At Lesson 20, this sentence appears: "这个鱼做得真好吃". </p>

<p>鱼 should be the object, and 做 should be the verb, right? "Fish" cannot do the cooking itself.</p>

<p>Could you tell me why the verb 做 comes after 鱼?</p>

<p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>

<p>I found an article on this:
<a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Degree_complement" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Degree_complement</a>
Degree Complements with Objects</p>

<p>Exactly what I am looking for.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-12T09:43:08.533Z
You are Vietnamese, right? This kind of sentence also occurs in Vietnamese: "Cá này nấu rất ngon".
范阮煌
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-14T04:38:06.790Z
You are right, but what I am looking for is a grammatical explanation.
Ryan Le
<grammar>
Why does 鱼 come before 做 in this sentence?
# Why does 鱼 come before 做 in this sentence?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-11)

I'm reading the book "301 Conversational Chinese Sentences".

At Lesson 20, this sentence appears: "这个鱼做得真好吃".

鱼 should be the object, and 做 should be the verb, right? "Fish" cannot do the cooking itself.

Could you tell me why the verb 做 comes after 鱼?

**Edit:**

I found an article on this:
<https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Degree_complement>
Degree Complements with Objects

Exactly what I am looking for.

**Tags:** grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You are Vietnamese, right? This kind of sentence also occurs in Vietnamese: "Cá này nấu rất ngon".  
> **username_0**: You are right, but what I am looking for is a grammatical explanation.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-02-11. Score: 4

There is the "[topic-comment structure](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Topic-comment_sentences)" in Chinese:

> In a topic-comment sentence, the usual word order is rearranged a bit, in order to emphasize a certain part of a sentence. The part that is to be emphasized becomes the topic and moves to the beginning of the sentence, with the comment on the topic coming after the topic has been stated.

So here the topic is "这个鱼", which is the object of the verb. And the subject (who cooked the fish) is just omitted from the sentence.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Just like "Stone walls do not a prison make"  
> **username_0**: thanks @username_2, but why doesn’t it have a comma after ”这个鱼” ？  
> **username_2**: @username_0 The comma is not required. In fact, usually there is no comma, especially when the topic is short.  
> **username_0**: Thanks @username_2, I got it.  
> **username_4**: This example is more like unmarked (or notional) passive than topic-comment. A topic-comment structure would usually have a complete clause as the predicate (in this case, a subject for the verb 做). With the unmarked passive, the sentence just relies on the fact that it's obvious that the fish was cooked (as opposed to doing the cooking).  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-02-11. Score: 1

This is because there is "得” after the “做”. After "得” you can see “真好吃”，which means taste good, is an adjective. This makes it become an adverbial modifier. "跑得快”（run fast）“跳得高”（jump high）is the same as this.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I looked around but I could't find any document on swapping verb and object when there is "得” in it.  
> **username_5**: such as 他跑得快跳得远。这个画画得真好看。 他看得很开心。  
> **username_0**: you are right, please have a look at my edited question above.  

---

