In Chinese, possession is marked with the particle 的 (de), placed after
the "owner" noun or noun phrase. This particle works in a similar way to
apostrophe-"s" in English, but is used much more broadly in Chinese.
This article highlights one of its simplest and most common usages.
Structure
---------
Noun 1 + 的 + Noun 2
This means "**Noun 1's Noun 2**" (where Noun 2 belongs to Noun 1).
The structure is super simple. It will take a bit of time before you
realize how truly universal this pattern is. It doesn't matter whether
the "Noun 1" is a person, place, or thing, or even if it's a pronoun
(like "he," "she," or "it"). The structure stays consistent.
Examples
--------
- 我 的 老师 wǒ de
lǎoshīmy teacher
- 你 的 手机 nǐ de shǒujī
your cell phone
- 我们 的 钱 wǒmen de
qiánour money
- 他们 的 东西 tāmen de
dōngxitheir stuff
- 爸爸 的 车 bàba de chē
dad's car
- 你们 的 菜 nǐmen de
càiyour food
- 北京 的 空气 Běijīng de
kōngqì Beijing's air
- 公司 的 老板gōngsī de
lǎobǎnthe company's boss
- 上海 的 天气 Shànghǎi de
tiānqì Shanghai's weather
- 老师 的 朋友 lǎoshī de
péngyouteacher's friend
See also
--------
- [Expressing close
possession](Expressing_close_possession "wikilink")
- [Modifying nouns with adjective +
"de"](Modifying_nouns_with_adjective_+_"de" "wikilink")
- [Modifying nouns with phrase +
"de"](Modifying_nouns_with_phrase_+_"de" "wikilink")
Sources and further reading
---------------------------
- [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
(3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (p.
45)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385)
- [New Practical Chinese Reader
1 (新实用汉语课本1)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1) "wikilink") (p.
87)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401)
- [New Practical Chinese Reader 1
(新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1)(2nd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
101-2)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235)
- [New Practical Chinese Reader
2 (新实用汉语课本2)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(新实用汉语课本2) "wikilink") (pp.
64-5)
[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297)
[Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")