Key Chinese grammar structure: modifier + de + noun (的)
This grammar structure is one of the most basic and important features of Chinese grammar:
modifier + 的 + noun
This comes up all the time in all sorts of sentences in Chinese. It follows the general rule that what precedes modifies what follows - first the modifier, then 的 (de) to link them, and then the noun.
Noun + 的 + noun
This may be the most basic grammar structure with 的. By placing 的 between two nouns, you can indicate possession. That is, the second noun belongs to the first. Some examples:
你的衣服
小李的朋友
他们的钱
You can think of 的 as being similar to ’s (apostrophe s) in English. It marks possession in the same way and appears between the two nouns. More example of 的 behaving like ’s:
小王的房子
赵先生的自行车
老张的猫
And now some full example sentences with 的 showing possession between two nouns:
This noun + 的 + noun structure is one of the most basic grammar structures in Chinese. It should be one of the first structures that learners get familiar with.
Adjective + 的 + noun
As well as marking actual possession between two nouns, 的 is also used to modify things more generally. What it actually does is attach attributes to things.
One way 的 can attach attributes to things is by appearing between an adjective and a noun. This simply links the adjective to the noun to describe it. Some examples:
红色的衣服
好吃的菜
漂亮的花
You could think of this as literally saying e.g. “red’s clothes” or “clothes that belong to red”. This is the standard way of linking adjectives to nouns in Chinese grammar.
Some full example sentences for this adjective + 的 + noun grammar structure:
By now you can see that 的 is a very versatile linking word in Chinese. It appears all over the place, and is generally considered the most commonly used Chinese character.
clause + 的 + noun
Finally, we’ll have a look at a slightly more complicated 的 grammar structure. Because 的 can be used to attach pretty much anything to anything else, you can use it to link entire phrases to things. The phrase then becomes a description or quality.
This sounds complicated but it will probably become clearer with some examples:
我买的茶
他喜欢的那个女孩
你最喜欢的颜色
In those examples, rather than a noun or an adjective, we have a phrase (e.g. 我买 - “I buy”). The phrase is linked to a noun using 的, and becomes a description or attribute of the noun.
Some more examples of this modifying clause / phrase with 的:
他弄丢的东西
我不认识的一个人
我们第一次见到彼此的地方
昨天跟我一块儿吃饭的那个人
Notice how you can attach quite complicated things to a noun using 的. That whole complex phrase just becomes an attribute of the noun. Have a look at some full example sentences for this structure:
See also
Other articles about 的
- The 是…的 (shì…de) construction vs 了 (le) in Chinese grammar A2
- The 是…的 (shì…de) construction in Chinese grammar B1
- When should you put 的 (de) after adjectives in Chinese grammar? A2