The possessive indicator de (5)

This construction indicates that the noun after the particle de belongs to the noun that comes before de , as in 小王 Xiǎo Wáng de shū Xiao Wang ’s book . As you may have noticed, this use of de is similar to the use of the possessive apostrophe in English.

However, the possessive de can be omitted in the following situations.

  1. When a pronoun is followed by a relationship noun such as 爸爸 bàba father, 妈妈 māma mother, 哥哥 gēge older brother, 姐姐 jiĕjie older sister, 弟弟 dìdi younger brother, 妹妹 mèimei younger sister or 朋友 péngyou friend, 老师 lăoshī teacher...., de is not needed. For instance, 他妹妹 tā mèimei his younger sister .
  2. When a pronoun is followed by a place noun to which the pronoun is closely related, such as jiā home , 国家 guójiā country , 学校 xuéxiào school or bān class... de is not needed. For example 我家 wŏ jiā my home , 他学校 tā xuéxiào his school .

If you use more than one noun to classify the main noun, de is often placed before the main noun (unlike the possessive apostrophe in English) instead of being placed after each noun, as in

姐姐 老师 哥哥 爱人

Wǒ jiějie péngyou de lăoshī shì wǒ gēge tóngxué de àiren

My sister 's friend 's teacher is my brother 's class-mate 's wife .

Please click here for hand-out

(1) To use after pronouns and nouns (tantamount to possession)

我的名字大夫的车谁的书

My name the doctor‘s car whose book

我的他的

mine hiswhose

图书馆词典

the teacher‘s bookthe library’s dictionary

(2a) Attributive + DE makes a noun phrase, with the noun been understood, (Practical Chinese Ip.200) as:-

小的小的(宿舍)小的(车)

‘small ones’ meaning ‘small hostels’ or ‘small cars’

好的好的(宿舍)好的(学生)

‘good ones’ meaning ‘good hostels’ or ‘good students’

在的

‘present day ones’ ‘Chinese ones’

(2b) Attributives + DE can particularize a noun in order to put more emphasis on the attribute (Pr. Ch. Ip.200) (tantamount to ‘something that is--’)

(a) ‘This book is large’

whilst (b)是大的 ‘This book is a large one’.

(c)大宿舍 ‘a large hostel’

whilst (d)大的宿舍 ‘a hostel that is large’

(e)大的宿舍好,小的宿舍不好‘Hostels that are large are good, hostels that are small are not’

or (f)大的宿舍好,小的不好‘Large hostels are good, small ones are not’.

(g)我有一本英文的词典 ‘I have a dictionary that is in English, and I am going 我去一本法文的 to buy one that is in French’

(3) Verbal phrases or clauses + DE modifies the noun that follows it (tantamount to relative clauses) (Practical Chinese Ip.363)

今天 Students who came today

的孩子 Children who smoke

他看的 books that he read

认识的字 characters that I know

她介的朋友 A friend that she introduced

的客人 Guests that she invited

(3b) Such relative clauses can be embedded in a sentence

我不认识 I am learning characters that I do not know

I buy the book that the teacher recommended

是他我的词典 This is the dictionary that he gave me

我看的都很好 The books that I read were all very good

们请的客人都喝茶 The guests that we invited all drink tea

(3c) ‘(verb) de ren’......的人 ‘The people who......’ equivalent to English -er/-ers

Readers的人

tea drinker喝茶的人

smokers的人

(3d) DE can attach co-verb clauses/phrases to nouns to particularize them (co-verbs beinggeizaiand others)

Apple for the teacher

给妈妈电话 Phone call for mother

在我院的图书馆 the library in my college

在我宿舍的 students in my hostel

(3e) DE is used to attach all kinds of modifier phrases to a noun to particularize it

The 8 o‘clock bus

The pictures in the newspaper上的

The students studying abroad at present在的留

(4) DE is used to tie together binomial modifier to the nouns modified

A polite student

A pretty picture好看的

A very good book很好的

N.B. but not withhen duo‘many’ which does not use ade

Many friends很多朋友 many students 很多

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N.B. When DE isomitted:

(1)deis sometimes omitted when personal pronouns modify words denoting people in close relationship

My mother妈妈 His brother他哥哥

(2) when a noun is used to modify another noun

Student hostel生宿舍 Bank manager

(3) Especially when the first noun is the name of a country, a language or a place of origin

A Chinese

Chinese language teacher汉语

Foreign languages Institute语学

An English book国书

A Chinese map

(4) DE is also omitted when the modifier and modified fuse together into one concept

is a ‘large country/superpower’ whilst大的is simply ‘a country that is large.

新人 is a ‘newcomer’ or even ‘bride’ whilst新的人is ‘people that are new’

If you have any questions about this explanation, please click here.

How do you say the following? Place the mouse on the following phrases to view the answers.

1. His teacher 2. Teacher’s books 3. My friend’s younger sister 4. The teachers of my school 5. My father’s school 6. Xiao Wang’s mother 7. My country

Assignments


Translate the sentences into Chinese.(4, stative verb)
  1. I am very busy.
  2. You are very busy too.
  3. His brothers are all very busy.
  4. His younger brother is not busy.
  5. They are not all busy.
  6. I am very well. Are you well?
  7. I'm very well too.
  8. We are all very well.

Translate the following sentences into Chinese (2, ma)

  1. Are you busy?
  2. Is your older brother well?
  3. Are you all very well?
  4. Are you my friend?

Translate the following sentences into Chinese (2,ne)

  1. I am very well, and you?
  2. My mother is very busy and yours?
  3. Where is my friend?
  4. Where is my mother?

Translate the following sentences into Chinese (2, short answers)

  1. Are you busy?
  2. Yes.
  3. Is this your friend?
  4. No.
  5. Are you well?
  6. Yes.

Translate the following sentences into English and put into graphic analysis form (diagrammatic). (8, shi)

  1. 你妈妈是大夫吗?
  2. 王老师,你吸烟吗?
  3. 丁云是外语学院的学生。
  4. 学生不都学汉语。

Translate the following sentences into Chinese

  1. This is my mother.
  2. Wang Da is my friend.
  3. My mother is a doctor. Is your mother a doctor too?
  4. My mother isn't a doctor, she is a teacher
  5. Does your mother smoke?
  6. She doesn't smoke.

Translate the following sentences into Chinese (8, verb-object)

  1. Do you smoke?
  2. I don't smoke.
  3. Many Chinese people smoke.
  4. Please have some tea?
  5. What kind of tea tea do you have, Chinese or English?
  6. Chinese. Is it OK?
  7. I go to sleep at 12 everyday.
  8. I don't sleep. I don't eat.
  9. Everyone eats and sleeps.

What would say in the following situations? Please write the sentences down on a piece of paper (8, greeting)

  1. When you see your teachers in the morning.
  2. When people give you presents.
  3. When friends visit your home.
  4. When you meet a friend in the evening.
  5. When you see a friend in the afternoon.
  6. When you see a friend at lunchtime.
  7. When you see your colleagues and teachers before leaving the institute.

Translate the following sentences into Chinese (9, svo)

  1. I drink Chinese tea.
  2. British people drink coffee and English tea.
  3. I study Chinese.
  4. I know Mr Ding.
  5. His surname is Wang.
  6. Mr Ding smokes Chinese cigarettes.
  7. We all drink French wine. French wine is nice to drink.

Translate the following sentences into Chinese (9, surnames)

  1. What is your name?
  2. My name is Gubo, and you?
  3. My surname is Ding, I am called Ding Yun. What is your girlfriend's name.
  4. She is called Palanka.
  5. What is your Chinese teacher's surname?
  6. His surname is Wang, he is called Wang Boyun.

Translate the sentences into Chinese(9-12 de)

1.

  • A. Are you busy?
  • B. Not very. I am looking at a map.
  • A. What map?
  • B. A map of Chinese.
  • A. Is it yours?
  • B. No, it's my older brother's
  • A. Where is my teacher's map?
  • B. Is this your teacher's map?

2.

  • A. Whose car is this?
  • B. It is Mr Wang's.
  • A. Who is Mr Wang?
  • B. Mr Wang is my Chinese teacher.
  • A. Is Mr Wang Chinese?
  • B. No, he is not Chinese. He is a foreigner.

3

  • A. Are you a student?
  • B. Yes, I am a student of the Foreign Language Institute.
  • A. What do you study?
  • B. I study Chinese.
  • A. Is that so? We welcome English friends.

4

  • This is my book.
  • That is his.
  • That map is Wang Ming's.
  • Is this book in English?
  • Big cars are good, small ones are also good.
  • He lives in a large dormitory, she lives in a small one.
  • This dictionary is not Ding Yun's, it is the Frenchman's.
  • This is the staff dormitory.
  • This is the English students' dormitory.
  • Have you got a piece of paper? Yes, I have a small one.
  • I don't have any Chinese books.