是⋯⋯的
shì …… de
The "shi… de" patterns: an overview
是…的 has three jobs: highlighting how something happened, stating a purpose, and identifying a category.
是 + Detail + (Verb) + 的
How it works
The first use asks or answers about the details of a past event: 你是怎么来的?
The second gives a purpose: 我是来上海旅游的 — I came to Shanghai to travel.
The third classifies: 你是哪个学校的? — which school are you from? Here 的 stands in for a noun that's obvious from context.
In all three, 是 marks the start of what's being highlighted and 的 closes it off.
Examples
nǐ shì nǎ gè xué xiào de?
你是哪个学校的？
Which school are you from?
zhè shì wǒ mā ma zuò de
这是我妈妈做的。
My mum made this.
tā shì zuò fēi jī lái de
他是坐飞机来的。
He came by plane.