Abstract: It is revealed that a topic finds its way in a Chinese text by means of an NP, a pronoun or a zero-form and works as a subject, on the one hand. On the other hand, a topic is embodied in a corresponding English counterpart in the form of either an NP or a pronoun and functions as a subject. The present paper indicates that a topic chain is established by means of metonymy when a topic accesses itself to a series of subjects. It is concluded by claiming that the topic chain plays a crucial role in developing a naturally coherent text.