<p>Here is how I understand the sentence.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>而且和昨天一样，秦以恒不开心也只是他自己感觉出来的。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The phrase 而且和昨天一样 is the main topic.  We expect the rest of the sentence to tell us what &quot;was like yesterday.&quot;</p>
<p>秦以恒不开心 is part of the overall comment but it is also a potentially independent clause preceding a sub-comment introduced by 也只是 and thus must itself be a sub-topic and an unmarked nominalization.  One way to represent this in English is to nominalize this phrase and make it a subject of 也只是.  We could translate it as &quot;..., the fact that Qin Yiheng was unhappy....&quot;</p>
<p>Since the topic/subject of 也只是 is a complex nominalization, we expect the complement of 也只是 to be a noun or nominalization.  In other words, this is probably a simple A-is-B sentence, and 他自己感觉出来的 is expected to be a nominalization marked by the final 的.  We could translate this as &quot;a thing/something/what he himself perceived.&quot;</p>
<p>Whether or not you define this as a shi...de construction depends on how you define this structure and the grammar books and linguists seem to differ on whether a &quot;subject&quot; like 他自己 can be what is highlighted.</p>
<p>I would translate the whole sentence as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>However, just like yesterday, the fact that Qin Yiheng was unhappy was
something that only he himself perceived.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-12T16:29:02.043Z
2024-12-12T16:29:02.043Z
Vegawatcher
<p>是：此，这 [this;that]</p>
<p>恒不开心: usual unhappiness<br />
他自己: he self<br />
他自己感觉: he self feel<br />
他自己感觉出来: he self feel out</p>
<p>Given 他 = 秦以 we can write:</p>
<p>他不开心只是他自己感觉出来的</p>
<p>Thus we describe 他(秦以)不开心, his (秦以's) unhappiness with: 只是他自己感觉出来, only he self feel detect</p>
<p>而且和昨天一样，<br />
Moreover, (the) same as yesterday,<br />
秦以恒不开心也只是他自己感觉出来的。<br />
秦以usual unhappiness was also only felt by himself.</p>
<p>Of course, no one can really feel your pain, but others may have empathy.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Is the 是 的 construction being used here?<br />
1. If not, why are the adverbs before the subject?<br />
2. If it's not the 是 的 construction,<br />
3. what does the 的 mean here?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Chinese likes to wrap things at both ends. That's why people have noted what you call a &quot;是 。。。的“ construction. So yes, you can see 是 and 的 here.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>To which adverbs are you referring?</p>
</li>
<li><p>Not really relevant.</p>
</li>
<li><p>的 wraps the descriptive phrase up, informing us that the description of 不开心 is over.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T20:41:00.593Z
So the 是 is not part of 只是? Btw, I'm pretty sure 他 refers to a different person since a translation I found is "and just like yesterday, Qin Yiheng's unhappiness was only something he assumed." And can you use 是 when the part before 是 isn't a noun?
ZICX
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-12T02:04:21.580Z
Quote:- "So the 是 is not part of 只是?" No, the 只 here is not part of "只是" It is part of "也只" which means "only", and thus 也只是 means "也只, only, 是, is"  Here is an example where 也只 is separated from 是 in a sentence.  https://x.com/zhonghuifufu/status/1825504786969657694
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-13T06:27:33.210Z
To know for certain whether or not 他 refers to 秦以 we need some of the preceding text. Is another possible target for 他 mentioned just before this text? I would not think so, but that is a remote possibility. Authors of fiction write strange things! 也 goes with 和昨天一样,  只  = only, 是 =  that. You can say 是 = is, but is is a Latin word for that in the Nominative Case: is masculine, ea, feminine, id neuter. Also, is does not begin with b. In fact, none of the inflections of be begin with b!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T20:32:45.187Z
2024-11-11T20:32:45.187Z
Pedroski
<blockquote>
<p>Is the 是 的 construction being used here?</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Yes. It is.</strong></p>
<p>是…的 (shì…de) is a very common and important structure in Mandarin Chinese grammar. There are two key things to note about the 是…的 construction:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>It's used to emphasize a detail in a sentence.</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>是…的 sentences are usually about past events.</strong></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The general pattern is:</p>
<ul>
<li>[subject] <strong>是</strong> [thing related to the subject to be emphasized] [(verb)] <strong>的</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p>In your case:</p>
<p>...., [秦以恒不开心]也只<strong>是</strong>[他自己感觉出来]<strong>的</strong>。</p>
<p>Note, <strong>也只是 = merely is; only is.</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T20:34:32.823Z
Isn't 秦以恒不开心 the object, just that it's topicalised? Doesn't it contradict the general pattern since the subject "他自己" is in the 是 的 structure?
ZICX
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T21:51:33.713Z
**秦以恒**不开心也只是**秦以恒自己**感觉出来]的。= **他**不开心也只是**他自己**感觉出来]的。This subphase can be translated as "His unhappiness is merely a feeling out of his own imagination."  Now, we shouldn't have trouble identifying the "subject."
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T22:06:36.100Z
But 不开心 doesn't mean unhappiness, it means to feel unhappy. It's a verb, not a noun. And 是 can only be used to connect nouns and some types of adjectives. 他不开心 = he feels unhappy, 他感觉他不开心 = he feels that he's unhappy.
ZICX
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T22:43:12.740Z
The subphase can be made a full sentence as "秦以恒的不开心 **是** 他自己的感觉造成的." (S + v + O).
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-11T20:03:41.490Z
2024-11-11T20:03:41.490Z
r13
<p>I was reading a novel, and I found this sentence.</p>
<p>而且和昨天一样，秦以恒不开心也只是他自己感觉出来的。</p>
<p>The translation for this sentence is &quot;and just like yesterday, Qin Yiheng's unhappiness was only something he assumed.&quot;</p>
<p>I have several questions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is the 是 的 construction being used here?</p>
</li>
<li><p>If not, why are the adverbs before the subject?</p>
</li>
<li><p>If it's not the 是 的 construction, what does the 的 mean here?</p>
</li>
</ol>

<translation><grammar>
Need help understanding a sentence from a novel
# Need help understanding a sentence from a novel

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-11-11)

I was reading a novel, and I found this sentence.

而且和昨天一样，秦以恒不开心也只是他自己感觉出来的。

The translation for this sentence is "and just like yesterday, Qin Yiheng's unhappiness was only something he assumed."

I have several questions.

1. Is the 是 的 construction being used here?
2. If not, why are the adverbs before the subject?
3. If it's not the 是 的 construction, what does the 的 mean here?

**Tags:** translation, grammar


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-12-12. Score: 0

Here is how I understand the sentence.

> 而且和昨天一样，秦以恒不开心也只是他自己感觉出来的。

The phrase 而且和昨天一样 is the main topic. We expect the rest of the sentence to tell us what "was like yesterday."

秦以恒不开心 is part of the overall comment but it is also a potentially independent clause preceding a sub-comment introduced by 也只是 and thus must itself be a sub-topic and an unmarked nominalization. One way to represent this in English is to nominalize this phrase and make it a subject of 也只是. We could translate it as "..., the fact that Qin Yiheng was unhappy...."

Since the topic/subject of 也只是 is a complex nominalization, we expect the complement of 也只是 to be a noun or nominalization. In other words, this is probably a simple A-is-B sentence, and 他自己感觉出来的 is expected to be a nominalization marked by the final 的. We could translate this as "a thing/something/what he himself perceived."

Whether or not you define this as a shi...de construction depends on how you define this structure and the grammar books and linguists seem to differ on whether a "subject" like 他自己 can be what is highlighted.

I would translate the whole sentence as:

> However, just like yesterday, the fact that Qin Yiheng was unhappy was
> something that only he himself perceived.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-11-11. Score: 0

是：此，这 [this;that]

恒不开心: usual unhappiness  
他自己: he self  
他自己感觉: he self feel  
他自己感觉出来: he self feel out

Given 他 = 秦以 we can write:

他不开心只是他自己感觉出来的

Thus we describe 他(秦以)不开心, his (秦以's) unhappiness with: 只是他自己感觉出来, only he self feel detect

而且和昨天一样，  
Moreover, (the) same as yesterday,  
秦以恒不开心也只是他自己感觉出来的。  
秦以usual unhappiness was also only felt by himself.

Of course, no one can really feel your pain, but others may have empathy.

> Is the 是 的 construction being used here?  
> 1. If not, why are the adverbs before the subject?  
> 2. If it's not the 是 的 construction,  
> 3. what does the 的 mean here?

Chinese likes to wrap things at both ends. That's why people have noted what you call a "是 。。。的“ construction. So yes, you can see 是 and 的 here.

1. To which adverbs are you referring?
2. Not really relevant.
3. 的 wraps the descriptive phrase up, informing us that the description of 不开心 is over.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So the 是 is not part of 只是? Btw, I'm pretty sure 他 refers to a different person since a translation I found is "and just like yesterday, Qin Yiheng's unhappiness was only something he assumed." And can you use 是 when the part before 是 isn't a noun?  
> **username_3**: Quote:- "So the 是 is not part of 只是?" No, the 只 here is not part of "只是" It is part of "也只" which means "only", and thus 也只是 means "也只, only, 是, is"  Here is an example where 也只 is separated from 是 in a sentence.  https://x.com/zhonghuifufu/status/1825504786969657694  
> **username_2**: To know for certain whether or not 他 refers to 秦以 we need some of the preceding text. Is another possible target for 他 mentioned just before this text? I would not think so, but that is a remote possibility. Authors of fiction write strange things! 也 goes with 和昨天一样,  只  = only, 是 =  that. You can say 是 = is, but is is a Latin word for that in the Nominative Case: is masculine, ea, feminine, id neuter. Also, is does not begin with b. In fact, none of the inflections of be begin with b!  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2024-11-11. Score: 0

> Is the 是 的 construction being used here?

**Yes. It is.**

是…的 (shì…de) is a very common and important structure in Mandarin Chinese grammar. There are two key things to note about the 是…的 construction:

* **It's used to emphasize a detail in a sentence.**
* **是…的 sentences are usually about past events.**

The general pattern is:

* [subject] **是** [thing related to the subject to be emphasized] [(verb)] **的**.

In your case:

...., [秦以恒不开心]也只**是**[他自己感觉出来]**的**。

Note, **也只是 = merely is; only is.**

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Isn't 秦以恒不开心 the object, just that it's topicalised? Doesn't it contradict the general pattern since the subject "他自己" is in the 是 的 structure?  
> **username_4**: **秦以恒**不开心也只是**秦以恒自己**感觉出来]的。= **他**不开心也只是**他自己**感觉出来]的。This subphase can be translated as "His unhappiness is merely a feeling out of his own imagination."  Now, we shouldn't have trouble identifying the "subject."  
> **username_0**: But 不开心 doesn't mean unhappiness, it means to feel unhappy. It's a verb, not a noun. And 是 can only be used to connect nouns and some types of adjectives. 他不开心 = he feels unhappy, 他感觉他不开心 = he feels that he's unhappy.  
> **username_4**: The subphase can be made a full sentence as "秦以恒的不开心 **是** 他自己的感觉造成的." (S + v + O).  

---

