Structural particle "de"

The structural particle "de" has three written forms in modern Chinese, each with its own uses:

• The structural particle 的 (most often used for modifying nouns)
• The structural particle 得 (most often used with complements)
• The structural particle 地 (most often used for adverbial phrases)

There is also a modal particle 的.

的

It's used to mark possession or modification. One way to think about 的 (de) is that it works like 's in English (apostrophe s). Think of this one as the "possessive de" or "noun-modifying de."

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).

• 小李 的 房子 Xiaoli'e house

This analogy works very well for possession, as it shows how English and Chinese handle possession in a similar way. Just remember that Chinese uses this "possession" far more widely than English. Modifying, describing qualities, and assigning attributes are all handled in the same way as possession, by using 的 (de).

Another way to use 的 (de) is as an attributive. 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:

• 红色 的 自行车 red bicycle

Here 的 (de) is used to modify "bicycle" with the color "red." It attributes the color "red" to the "bicycle".

Structure

Although certainly not complete for all uses, this simple structure should help as a general guideline:

的 + Noun

Examples

• 我 的 学校My school
• 我 的 手机My cellphone
• 你 的 咖啡Your coffee
• 我们 的 老师Our teacher
• 他 的 女朋友His girlfriend
• 漂亮 的 衣服Beautiful clothes
• 长 长 的 路A long road
• 蓝 色 的 天A blue day
• 甜 甜 的 苹果A sweet apple
• 我 的 红色 的 裙子My red skirt

得

This de is probably the trickiest to crack for English speakers as it has no obvious equivalent in English. 得 is used to construct various kinds of complements and is usually associated with verbs. You can think of it as the "complement de."

For you nerdier learners, 得 (de) is known as 双人得 (shuāngrén de), as the radical 彳 is often known as 双人 (shuāngrén) - "double person."

Structure

Although certainly not complete for all uses, this simple structure should help:

Verb + 得

Examples

• 走 得 快Walk fast
• 走 得 慢Walk slowly
• 做 得 好(Implies an action)Do well
• 做 得 不 好Do poorly
• 说 得 快Speak fast
• 听 得 不 清楚Not hear clearly
• 笑 得 很 开心Laugh happily
• 学 得 很 认真Study seriously
• 吃 得 不 好Eat poorly

地

地 (de) is used to turn adjectives into adverbs, and can be thought of as equivalent to the suffix -ly in English. You could call it the "adverb de" or "adverbial de," since it precedes verbs like adverbs do.

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) radical and 也 (yě).

Structure

Although not complete for all uses, this simple structure should help:

Adj + 地 + Verb

Note that it's the "adjective + 地 (de)" structure that makes the adjective into an "adverb phrase" (called an adverbial). If it's a straight-up adverb you're using (instead of an adjective), then you don't need 地 (de) at all.

Examples

• 高兴 地 唱 Happily sing
• 认真 地 学 Seriously study
• 开心 地 笑 Happily laugh
• 慢 慢 地 说 Slowly talk
• 伤心 地 哭 Sadly cry
• 安静 地 听 Peacefully listen

Examples using all 3 "de"s

These examples are 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 these useful.

• 她 穿 着 红 色 的 裙 子，安 静 地 走 在 路 上，走 得 很 慢。She wears a red dress, quietly walking on the street, walking slowly.
• 他 的 女 朋 友 一 直 在 开 心 地 唱 歌，但 是 她 唱 得 很 难 听。His girlfriend keeps singing happily, but she sings terribly.
• 我 们 的 老 师 讲 得 很 清 楚，所 以 她 不 需 要 慢 慢 地 讲。Our teacher speaks very clearly, so she doesn't need to speak slowly.
• 你 画 得 很 好，蓝 蓝 的 天，长 长 的 路，可 爱 的 孩 子 们 开 心 地 笑。You drew this very well: a blue sky, a long road, and cute children laughing happily.
• 我 要 认 真 地 对 我 的 儿 子 说：你 做 得 很 好，妈 妈 爱 你。I must earnestly tell my son: you did very well, and mommy loves you.

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 133-135) →buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 72) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 291-3) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 193 - 195) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 50-1, 99-101) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 189)→buy

Websites

• Blog post (Chinese): “的”与“地”“得”
• Online document (Chinese): “的”“地”“得”的用法区别 explains and shares a song about the three de's
• Sinosplice: The Three De Song
• East Asia Student: 的 地 得 grammar summary (DE particles)
• ChinesePod blog: The Three Musketeers (的, 得, and 地) on ChinesePod.com