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  1. 

  2. <p>The structural particle &quot;de&quot; has three written forms in modern Chinese, each with its own uses:</p>
    3. 

  3. <ul>
    4. 

  4. <li>的 (de), most often used for modifying <a href="noun" title="wikilink">nouns</a></li>
    5. 

  5. <li>得 (de), most often used with <a href="complement" title="wikilink">complements</a></li>
    6. 

  6. <li>地 (de), most often used with <a href="adverbial_phrase" title="wikilink">adverbial phrases</a></li>
    7. 

  7. </ul>
    8. 

  8. <p>There is also a <a href="Using_&quot;de&quot;_(modal_particle)" title="wikilink">modal particle 的</a> (de), not covered in this grammar point.</p>
    9. 

  9. <h2 id="的-de-before-nouns">的 (de) Before Nouns</h2>
    10. 

  10. <p>Before nouns, 的 (de) is used to mark <strong>possession</strong> or <strong>modification</strong>. One way to think about 的 (de) is that it works like apostrophe-&quot;s&quot; in English. Think of this one as the &quot;possessive <em>de</em>&quot; or &quot;noun-modifying <em>de</em>.&quot;</p>
    11. 

  11. <div class="liju">
    12. 

  12. <ul>
    13. 

  13. <li>小李 <em>的</em> 房子 <span class="pinyin">Xiǎo Lǐ <em>de</em> fángzi</span><span class="trans">Xiao Li's house</span></li>
    14. 

  14. </ul>
    15. 

  15. </div>
    16. 

  16. <p>This comparison works very well for possession, as it shows how English and Chinese handle possession in a similar way. Just remember that Chinese uses this &quot;possession&quot; far more widely than English. Modifying, describing qualities, and assigning attributes are all handled in the same way as possession, by using 的 (de).</p>
    17. 

  17. <p>Another way to use 的 (de) is as an <a href="attributive" class="uri" title="wikilink">attributive</a>. It's just a way of connecting adjectives or other words with a noun. It gives us more information about the noun, and the 的 (de) makes it clear that the extra information is connected to the noun. Here's an example:</p>
    18. 

  18. <div class="liju">
    19. 

  19. <ul>
    20. 

  20. <li>红色 <em>的</em> 自行车 <span class="pinyin">hóngsè <em>de</em> zìxíngchē</span><span class="trans">red bicycle</span></li>
    21. 

  21. </ul>
    22. 

  22. </div>
    23. 

  23. <p>Here 的 (de) is used to modify &quot;bicycle&quot; with the color &quot;red.&quot; It attributes the color &quot;red&quot; to the &quot;bicycle.&quot;</p>
    24. 

  24. <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
    25. 

  25. <p>Although certainly not complete for all uses, this simple structure should help as a general guideline:</p>
    26. 

  26. <div class="jiegou">
    27. 

  27. <p>的 + Noun</p>
    28. 

  28. </div>
    29. 

  29. <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
    30. 

  30. <div class="liju">
    31. 

  31. <ul>
    32. 

  32. <li>我 <em>的</em> 手机<span class="pinyin">wǒ <em>de</em> shǒujī</span><span class="trans">my cell phone</span></li>
    33. 

  33. <li>我们 <em>的</em> 老师<span class="pinyin">wǒmen <em>de</em> lǎoshī</span><span class="trans">our teacher</span></li>
    34. 

  34. <li>漂亮 <em>的</em> 衣服<span class="pinyin">piàoliang <em>de</em> yīfu</span><span class="trans">beautiful clothes</span></li>
    35. 

  35. <li>热闹 <em>的</em> 酒吧<span class="pinyin"> rènao <em>de</em> jiǔbā</span><span class="trans">a boisterous bar</span></li>
    36. 

  36. <li>我 女朋友 <em>的</em> 公司 <span class="pinyin"> wǒ nǚpéngyou <em>de</em> gōngsī</span><span class="trans">my girlfriend's company</span></li>
    37. 

  37. </ul>
    38. 

  38. </div>
    39. 

  39. <p>For you nerdier learners, 的 (de) is known to the Chinese as 白勺的 (bái-sháo de) as it's composed of the characters 白 (bái) and 勺 (sháo).</p>
    40. 

  40. <h2 id="得-de-after-verbs">得 (de) After Verbs</h2>
    41. 

  41. <p>This <em>de</em> is probably the trickiest to crack for English speakers as it has no obvious equivalent in English. 得 (de) is used to construct various kinds of <a href="complement" title="wikilink">complements</a> and is usually associated with verbs. You can think of it as the &quot;complement <em>de</em>.&quot;</p>
    42. 

  42. <h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>
    43. 

  43. <p>Although certainly not complete for all uses, this simple structure should help:</p>
    44. 

  44. <div class="jiegou">
    45. 

  45. <p>Verb + 得</p>
    46. 

  46. </div>
    47. 

  47. <h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
    48. 

  48. <div class="liju">
    49. 

  49. <ul>
    50. 

  50. <li>做 <em>得</em> 很 好 <span class="pinyin">zuò <em>de</em> hěn hǎo</span><span class="trans">do very well</span></li>
    51. 

  51. <li>说 <em>得</em> 太 快 <span class="pinyin">shuō <em>de</em> tài kuài</span><span class="trans">speak too fast</span></li>
    52. 

  52. <li>玩 <em>得</em> 很 开心 <span class="pinyin">wán <em>de</em> hěn kāixīn</span><span class="trans">play very happily</span></li>
    53. 

  53. <li>开 <em>得</em> 很 快 <span class="pinyin">kāi <em>de</em> hěn kuài </span><span class="trans">drive very fast</span></li>
    54. 

  54. <li>住 <em>得</em> 很 舒服 <span class="pinyin">zhù <em>de</em> hěn shūfu </span><span class="trans">live very comfortably</span></li>
    55. 

  55. </ul>
    56. 

  56. </div>
    57. 

  57. <p>For you nerdier learners, 得 (de) is known as 双人得 (shuāngrén de), as the character component 彳 is often referred to as 双人 (shuāngrén), or the &quot;double person&quot; component.</p>
    58. 

  58. <h3 id="not-an-adverb">Not an Adverb?</h3>
    59. 

  59. <p>You might be wondering how the examples using 得 (de) above are different from adverbs. That's actually a really good question, but it's one that you should defer until later in your studies. <a href="Complement" title="wikilink">Complements</a> are a bit tricky, and you'll be learning a lot more about them at the <a href="B1" title="wikilink">intermediate level</a>, so be patient!</p>
    60. 

  60. <h2 id="地-de-before-verbs">地 (de) Before Verbs</h2>
    61. 

  61. <p>地 (de) is used to turn <a href="adjective" title="wikilink">adjectives</a> into <a href="adverb" title="wikilink">adverbs</a>, and can be thought of as equivalent to the <a href="suffix" class="uri" title="wikilink">suffix</a> <em>-ly</em> in English. You could call it the &quot;adverb <em>de</em>&quot; or &quot;adverbial <em>de</em>,&quot; since it precedes <a href="verb" title="wikilink">verbs</a> like adverbs do.</p>
    62. 

  62. <h3 id="structure-2">Structure</h3>
    63. 

  63. <p>Although not complete for all uses, this simple structure should help:</p>
    64. 

  64. <div class="jiegou">
    65. 

  65. <p>Adj. + 地 + Verb</p>
    66. 

  66. </div>
    67. 

  67. <p>Note that it's the &quot;adjective + 地 (de)&quot; structure that makes the adjective into an &quot;adverb phrase&quot; (called an <a href="adverbial" class="uri" title="wikilink">adverbial</a>). If it's a straight-up adverb you're using (instead of an adjective), then you don't need 地 (de) at all.</p>
    68. 

  68. <p>This pattern is also the least common of the three; you'll be using 的 (de) and 得 (de) a lot more in everyday communication than this one.</p>
    69. 

  69. <h3 id="examples-2">Examples</h3>
    70. 

  70. <div class="liju">
    71. 

  71. <ul>
    72. 

  72. <li>生气 <em>地</em> 说 <span class="pinyin">shēngqì <em>de</em> shuō</span><span class="trans">angrily say</span></li>
    73. 

  73. <li>开心 <em>地</em> 笑 <span class="pinyin">kāixīn <em>de</em> xiào</span><span class="trans">happily laugh</span></li>
    74. 

  74. <li>慢慢 <em>地</em> 走 <span class="pinyin">mànmàn <em>de</em> zǒu </span><span class="trans">slowly walk</span></li>
    75. 

  75. <li>伤心 <em>地</em> 哭 <span class="pinyin">shāngxīn <em>de</em> kū</span><span class="trans">sadly cry</span></li>
    76. 

  76. <li>认真 <em>地</em> 听 <span class="pinyin">rènzhēn <em>de</em> tīng</span><span class="trans">carefully listen</span></li>
    77. 

  77. </ul>
    78. 

  78. </div>
    79. 

  79. <p>Again, you don't have to know this, but this 地 (de) is known in Chinese as 土也地 (tǔ-yě de), as it's composed of the 土 (tǔ) component on the left with a 也 (yě) on the right.</p>
    80. 

  80. <h2 id="using-all-three-des">Using All Three &quot;de&quot;s</h2>
    81. 

  81. <p>This example is naturally going to be a little more difficult than the ones above, since we're cramming all three usages into one sentence, but you may find this useful.</p>
    82. 

  82. <div class="liju">
    83. 

  83. <ul>
    84. 

  84. <li>今天 <em>的</em> 作业 你 做 <em>得</em> 不好，因为 你 没 认真 <em>地</em> 听课。<span class="pinyin">Jīntiān <em>de</em> zuòyè nǐ zuò <em>de</em> bù hǎo, yīnwèi nǐ méi rènzhēn <em>de</em> tīngkè.</span><span class="trans">You didn't do today's homework well because you didn't listen attentively in class.</span></li>
    85. 

  85. </ul>
    86. 

  86. </div>
    87. 

  87. <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
    88. 

  88. <h3 id="books">Books</h3>
    89. 

  89. <ul>
    90. 

  90. <li><a href="A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(外国人实用汉语语法)" title="wikilink">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)</a> (pp. 133-135) <a href="http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B001J0ADWA&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA">→buy</a></li>
    91. 

  91. <li><a href="Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar" title="wikilink">Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar</a> (p. 72) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1933330899">→buy</a></li>
    92. 

  92. <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)" title="wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)</a> (pp. 291-3) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276709">→buy</a></li>
    93. 

  93. <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1" title="wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1</a> (pp. 193 - 195) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276792">→buy</a></li>
    94. 

  94. <li><a href="New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_3_(新实用汉语课本3)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)</a> (pp. 50-1, 99-101) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/756191251X/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=756191251X">→buy</a></li>
    95. 

  95. <li><a href="40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(基础汉语40课上册）" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）</a> (p. 189)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li>
    96. 

  96. </ul>
    97. 

  97. <h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
    98. 

  98. <ul>
    99. 

  99. <li>Blog post (Chinese): <a href="http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5375d4df0100azfv.html">“的”与“地”“得”</a></li>
    100. 

  100. <li>Online document (Chinese): <a href="http://wenku.baidu.com/view/3ce1a977a417866fb84a8eca.html">“的”“地”“得”的用法区别</a> explains and shares a song about the three de's</li>
    101. 

  101. <li>Sinosplice: <a href="http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2011/08/16/the-three-de-song">The Three De Song</a></li>
    102. 

  102. <li>ChinesePod blog: <a href="http://blog.chinesepod.com/2011/05/18/the-three-musketeers-%E7%9A%84-%E5%BE%97-and-%E5%9C%B0/">The Three Musketeers (的, 得, and 地)</a> on ChinesePod.com</li>
    103. 

  103. </ul>
    104. 

  104. 

  105. 

  106. 

  107. 

  108. <p></p>
    109. 

  109. <p><a href="Category:Particles" class="uri" title="wikilink">Category:Particles</a></p>
    110.