Modifying nouns with adjective and "de"

One best ways to use the common character 的(de) is to have it spice up your nouns with adjectives.

Structure with the noun

A very common way to modify nouns is to attach an adjective to them using 的 (de).

Adjective + 的 + Noun

This structure comes up extremely frequently and is an easy way to attribute features to nouns. Note that if the adjective has two characters (e.g. 漂亮 or 高兴), the 的 is generally required.

Examples

• 红色 的 气球a red ball
• 漂亮 的 衣服 beautiful clothes
• 好看 的 书a great book
• 好喝 的 啤酒great-tasting beer

Structure Without the noun

In some cases, it is possible to drop the noun altogether, and just use the adjective + 的. For this to work, there already has to be context, so that the listener can understand what it is referring to. This construction can mean "one," as in "the blue one", or as something like "mine" or "Sarah's" if the noun that precedes it possesses the noun that is being dropped.

Examples

• A: 你要哪个气球？B:我要那个红色 的 。TRANSLATION
• A: 你 喜欢 什么 女孩子？B:漂亮的。 TRANSLATION
• A: 你 想 吃 什么 饼干？B:甜的。TRANSLATION
• A: 你喜欢喝哪个国家的啤酒？B:德国 的。 TRANSLATION

See also

• Modifying nouns with phrase + de
• Expressing possession

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 70-1) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 37) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 191, 233) →buy

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