This construction indicates that the noun after the particle 的 de belongs to the noun that comes before 的 de , as in 小王 的书 Xiǎo Wáng de shū Xiao Wang ’s book . As you may have noticed, this use of 的 de is similar to the use of the possessive apostrophe in English.
However, the possessive 的 de can be omitted in the following situations.
If you use more than one noun to classify the main noun, 的 de is often placed before the main noun (unlike the possessive apostrophe in English) instead of being placed after each noun, as in
我 姐姐 朋 友 的 老师 是 我 哥哥 同 学 的 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 .
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(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
我的他的谁的
mine hiswhose
老师的书图书馆的词典
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’
现在的中国的
‘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)这本书大 ‘This book is large’
whilst (b)这本书是大的 ‘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 我去买一本法文的 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)
今天来的学生 Students who came today
吸烟的孩子 Children who smoke
他看的书 books that he read
我认识的字 characters that I know
她介绍的朋友 A friend that she introduced
她请的客人 Guests that she invited
(3b) Such relative clauses can be embedded in a sentence
我学我不认识的汉字 I am learning characters that I do not know
我买老师介绍的书 I buy the book that the teacher recommended
这是他给我的词典 This is the dictionary that he gave me
我看的书都很好 The books that I read were all very good
我们请的客人都喝茶 The guests that we invited all drink tea
(3c) ‘(verb) de ren’......的人 ‘The people who......’ equivalent to English -er/-ers
Readers看书的人
tea drinker喝茶的人
smokers吸烟的人
(3d) DE can attach co-verb clauses/phrases to nouns to particularize them (co-verbs being給gei在zaiand others)
给老师的苹果 Apple for the teacher
给妈妈的电话 Phone call for mother
在我学院的图书馆 the library in my college
在我宿舍的学生 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八点的车
The pictures in the newspaper报上的书
The students studying abroad at present现在的留学生
(4) DE is used to tie together binomial modifier to the nouns modified
A polite student客气的学生
A pretty picture好看的画
A very good book很好的书
N.B. but not withhen duo‘many’ which does not use ade
Many friends很多朋友 many students 很多学生
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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我妈妈 His brother他哥哥
(2) when a noun is used to modify another noun
Student hostel学生宿舍 Bank manager银行经理
(3) Especially when the first noun is the name of a country, a language or a place of origin
A Chinese中国人
Chinese language teacher汉语老师
Foreign languages Institute外语学院
An English book英国书
A Chinese map中国地图
(4) DE is also omitted when the modifier and modified fuse together into one concept
大国 is a ‘large country/superpower’ whilst大的国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
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