Difference between revisions of "Structural particle "de""

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*做 <em>得</em> 不 好<span class="pinyin">Zuò <em>de</em> bù hǎo</span><span class="trans">Do poorly</span>
 
*做 <em>得</em> 不 好<span class="pinyin">Zuò <em>de</em> bù hǎo</span><span class="trans">Do poorly</span>
 
*说 <em>得</em> 快<span class="pinyin">Shuō <em>de</em> kuài</span><span class="trans">Speak fast</span>
 
*说 <em>得</em> 快<span class="pinyin">Shuō <em>de</em> kuài</span><span class="trans">Speak fast</span>
*听 <em>得</em> 不 清楚<span class="pinyin">Tīng <em>de</em> bù qīngchǔ</span><span class="trans">Not hear clearly</span>
+
*听 <em>得</em> 不 清楚<span class="pinyin">Tīng <em>de</em> bù qīngchu</span><span class="trans">Not hear clearly</span>
 
*笑 <em>得</em> 很 开心<span class="pinyin">Xiào <em>de</em> hěn kāixīn</span><span class="trans">Laugh happily</span>
 
*笑 <em>得</em> 很 开心<span class="pinyin">Xiào <em>de</em> hěn kāixīn</span><span class="trans">Laugh happily</span>
 
*学 <em>得</em> 很 认真<span class="pinyin">Xué <em>de</em> hěn rènzhēn</span><span class="trans">Study seriously</span>
 
*学 <em>得</em> 很 认真<span class="pinyin">Xué <em>de</em> hěn rènzhēn</span><span class="trans">Study seriously</span>

Revision as of 10:04, 12 August 2015

Chinese-grammar-wiki-de-1.jpg

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

There is also a modal particle 的 (de).

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 房子 Xiǎo Lǐ de fángziXiaoli's 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 自行车 Hóngsè de zìxíngchēred 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

  • 学校de xuéxiàoMy school
  • 手机de shǒujīMy cell phone
  • 咖啡de kāfēiYour coffee
  • 我们 老师Wǒmen de lǎoshīOur teacher
  • 女朋友de nǚpéngyouHis girlfriend
  • 漂亮 衣服Piàoliang de yīfuBeautiful clothes
  • 长 长 Cháng-cháng deA long road
  • 蓝 色 Lán sè de tiānA blue day
  • 甜 甜 苹果 Tián tián de píngguǒA sweet apple
  • 红色 裙子de hóngsè de qúnziMy red skirt

This de 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 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 (chì) 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

  • Zǒu de kuàiWalk fast
  • Zǒu de mànWalk slowly
  • (Implies an action)Zuò de hǎoDo well
  • 不 好Zuò de bù hǎoDo poorly
  • Shuō de kuàiSpeak fast
  • 不 清楚Tīng de bù qīngchuNot hear clearly
  • 很 开心Xiào de hěn kāixīnLaugh happily
  • 很 认真Xué de hěn rènzhēnStudy seriously
  • 不 好Chī de bù hǎoEat poorly

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 Gāoxìng de chàngHappily sing
  • 认真 Rènzhēn de xuéSeriously study
  • 开心 Kāixīn de xiàoHappily laugh
  • 慢 慢 Màn màn de shuōSlowly talk
  • 伤心 Shāngxīn deSadly cry
  • 安静 Ānjìng de tīngPeacefully listen

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 裙 子,安 静 走 在 路 上,走 很 慢。Tā chuān zhe hóngsè de qúnzi, ānjìng de zǒu zài lùshàng, zǒu de hěn màn.She wears a red dress, quietly walking on the street, walking slowly.
  • 女 朋 友 一 直 在 开 心 唱 歌,但 是 她 唱 很 难 听。de nǚ péngyou yīzhí zài kāixīn de chànggē, dànshì tā chàng de hěn nántīng.His girlfriend keeps singing happily, but she sings terribly.
  • 我 们 老 师 讲 很 清 楚,所 以 她 不 需 要 慢 慢 讲。Wǒmen de lǎoshī jiǎng de hěn qīngchǔ, suǒyǐ tā bù xūyào màn màn de jiǎng.Our teacher speaks very clearly, so she doesn't need to speak slowly.
  • 你 画 很 好,蓝 蓝 天,长 长 路,可 爱 孩 子 们 开 心 笑。Nǐ huà de hěn hǎo, lán lán de tiān, zhǎng zhǎng de lù, kě'ài de háizimen kāixīn de xiào.You drew this very well: a blue sky, a long road, and cute children laughing happily.
  • 我 要 认 真 对 我 儿 子 说:你 做 很 好,妈 妈 爱 你。Wǒ yào rènzhēn de duì wǒ de érzi shuō: Nǐ zuò de hěn hǎo, māmā ài nǐ.I must earnestly tell my son: you did very well, and mommy loves you.

Sources and further reading

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