How To Use The Structural Particle “地” In Chinese Grammar

The structural particle 地 (de), which contains the components 土 (tǔ) and 也 (yě), acts like the suffix “-ly” in English. To put it in simple terms,  地 changes adjectives into adverbs to describe how an action is done, indicating its manner, mood, or method.

This particle is often confused with the characters 的 and 得, which share the same pronunciation (de) but serve very different grammatical functions. You can watch a video explaining the key differences between 的, 地, and 得, as well as other HSK-related grammar tutorials.

Basic Structure: How to use 地 to describe an action

Adjective/ Adverb + 地 + Adjective / Verb

To form a simple phrase using 地, place it between an adjective or adverb and the described action.

For example:

孩子们快乐地唱歌。（Háizimen kuàilè de chànggē.）
The children sing happily.

她高兴地笑了。(Tā gāoxìng de xiào le.)
She smiled happily.

他聪明地回答了问题。(Tā cōngmíng de huídá le wèntí.)
He answered the question intelligently.

她快速地跑到终点。(Tā kuàisù de pǎo dào zhōngdiǎn.)
She ran quickly to the finish line.

他小心地拿起了玻璃杯。(Tā xiǎoxīn de ná qǐ le bōlí bēi.)
He carefully picked up the glass.

These examples show how adjectives or adverbs modify verbs or other adjectives, emphasizing the way an action is performed or a state is felt.

Modal Verbs and Negation: Using 地 in more complex sentences

Modal verb + Adverb + 地 + Verb
Negation + Adverb + 地 + Verb

When modal verbs, such as 可以 (kěyǐ, can) or 应该(yīnggāi, should), and negation particles, including 不(bù) and 没(méi), enter the picture, things get a little more complex, but the overall sentence structure remains quite simple. You can just add these extra verbs and particles directly before the adverb.

For example:

老师应该认真地讲课。（Lǎoshī yīnggāi rènzhēn de jiǎngkè.）
The teacher should give lectures conscientiously.

你可以轻松地完成这个任务。(Nǐ kěyǐ qīngsōngde wánchéng zhè ge rènwu.)
You can easily complete this task.

他们要快乐地工作。(Tāmen yào kuàilède gōngzuò.)
They want to work happily.

他不高兴地告诉我这件事。（Tā bù gāoxìng de gàosù wǒ zhè jiàn shì。）
He told me about this matter in an unhappy tone.

我没有认真地看那本书。(Wǒ méiyǒu rènzhēn de kàn nà běn shū.)
I didn’t read that book carefully.

他不小心地打破了杯子。(Tā bù xiǎoxīnde dǎpò le bēizi.)
He carelessly broke the cup.

These examples show how adding a modal verb or negation particle affects the way the action is described, especially when it comes to describing the manner of the action with adverbs like 认真 (rènzhēn, carefully), 快乐 (kuàilè, happily), or 小心 (xiǎoxīn, carefully).

Adverb Phrases: Using 地 with fixed phrases

Phrase + 地 + Verb

Short phrases can also be added before 地 to describe how actions are carried out.

For example:

他一字一句地跟我说。（Tā yízìyíjù de gēn wŏ shuō.）
He told me, word by word.

我们无所畏惧地和对手竞争。（Wǒmen wúsuǒwèijù de hé duìshǒu jìngzhēng.）
We compete fearlessly with our opponents.

孩子们无忧无虑地玩耍着。(Háizǐmen wúyōuwúlǜ de wánshuǎzhe. ) 
The children played without a care in the world.

妈妈总是无休无止地担心着孩子。(Māma zǒngshì wúxiūwúzhǐ de dānxīnzhe háizǐ.) 
The mother was endlessly worried about her children.

Seeing Double: Using 地 with duplicated adjectives

In Mandarin Chinese, adjectives are sometimes duplicated to emphasize the degree of an attribute or state.

Monosyllabic adjectives

Monosyllabic adjectives can simply be duplicated.

For example:

每天妈妈都早早(儿)地起床。（Měitiān māma dōu zǎozao (er) de qǐchuáng.）
Mom gets up very early every morning.

The adjective 早 (zǎo, early) becomes 早早(儿)(zǎozao(er), very early).

Pronunciation note: When followed by 儿 (er, used in the Beijing accent), the second adjective should be pronounced in a light tone with stress on the duplicated word. If 儿 is not used, the second adjective should be pronounced the same as the first one. For example, 每天妈妈都早早地起床 (Měitiān māma dōu zǎozǎo de qǐchuáng.)

More examples:

你们快快地吃完饭，然后打扫卫生。(Nǐmen kuàikuài de chī wán fàn, ránhòu dǎsǎo wèishēng.) 
You guys finish your meal quickly and clean up.

她匆匆地来看了一眼，又走了。(Tā cōngcong de lái kànle yīyǎn, yòu zǒule.) 
She came over briefly and left again.

我们浅浅地聊了一会儿就睡觉了。(Wǒmen qiǎnqiǎnde liáole yīhuǐr jiù shuìjiàole.) 
We chatted briefly and then went to sleep.

Disyllabic adjectives

A disyllabic adjective can also be duplicated for emphasis by following the pattern AB → AABB.

For example, 高兴(gāoxìng) becomes 高高兴兴(gāogao xìngxing):

她高高兴兴地去学校。（Tā gāogāoxìngxìng de qù xuéxiào.）
She very happily goes to school. /She goes to school in a very happy mood.

Pronunciation note: The second syllable is usually pronounced in the neutral tone.

More examples：

你安安心心地工作，其他事情不用管。(Nǐ ānānxīnxīn de gōngzuò, qítā shìqíng bùyòng guǎn.) 
Just focus on your work and don’t worry about other things.

你只要完完整整地告诉我事情经过就行了，不用害怕。(Nǐ zhǐyào wánwánzhěngzhěng de gàosù wǒ shìqíng jīngguò jiùxíngle, bùyòng hàipà.) 
Just tell me the whole story, don’t be afraid.

我们都想简简单单地处理这件事。(Wǒmen dōu xiǎng jiǎnjiǎndāndān de chǔlǐ zhè jiàn shì.) 
We all want to deal with this matter simply.

Alternate Structures: Using 地 in 把 and 被

……地 + 把 + …… + Verb + ……
Agent + 被 + …… + ……地 + Verb

When used in sentences with 把 (bǎ) and 被 (bèi), 地 and its attached adverb should be placed immediately after the person or thing that is performing the action. This means the adverb phrase will usually come before 把 (bǎ) but after 被 (bèi).  

For example：

爸爸紧紧地把孩子抱着。（Bàba jǐnjǐn de bǎ háizi bàozhe.）
Dad held the kid tightly.

孩子被爸爸紧紧地抱着。（Háizi bèi bàba jǐnjǐn de bàozhe.）
The kid is held tightly by his dad.

他认真地把作业做完了。(Tā rènzhēn de bǎ zuòyè zuò wán le.)
He diligently completed his homework.

作业被他认真地做完了。(Zuòyè bèi tā rènzhēn de zuò wán le.)
The homework was diligently completed by him.

她小心地把我的包放在桌子上。(Tā xiǎoxīn dì bǎ wǒ de bāo fàng zài zhuōzǐ shàng.)
She carefully placed my bag on the table.

我的包被她小心地放在桌子上。(Wǒde bāo bèi tā xiǎoxīnde fàng zài zhuōzi shàng.)
My bag was carefully placed on the table by her.

The 把 (bǎ) structure is used to express an action where the subject (agent) acts on an object in a specific manner, often with emphasis on how the action is carried out. 

The 被 (bèi) structure is typically used to describe a passive action, where the agent is affected by an action carried out in a particular manner. It emphasizes the action being done to the agent, often focusing on how the action is performed.

地 Construction vs 得 Construction

As mentioned earlier, these two characters are often mixed up due to their shared pronunciation. The main difference between the 地 construction and the 得 construction is that adverbs in the 地 construction describe the manner, mood, or method of actions, while adjectives in the 得 construction describe the degree or result of actions and sometimes refer to the objects of sentences.

For example:

A. 他很快地喝完了水。（Tā hěn kuài de hē wánle shuǐ.）
He drank the water very quickly.

B. 他水喝得很快。（Tā shuǐ hē de hěn kuài.）
He drank the water quickly.

The first sentence focuses more on the manner of drinking (quickly), while the second one emphasizes the speed of drinking, often highlighting the result.

Here’s another example:

C. 她轻轻地唱歌。（Tā qīngqing de chànggē.）
She sings softly

D. 她歌唱得很轻。（Tā gē chàng de hěn qīng.）
She sings lightly.

In sentence C, the emphasis is on the manner of singing, which is soft. However, in sentence D, the emphasis is on the result of the singing, which is light.

Conclusion

The 地 construction is a crucial element of the Chinese language. By understanding the function and usage of the 地 particle, you can add more depth and variety to your language skills. Practicing this sentence structure can help you express yourself with a wider vocabulary and convey your intended meaning with precision. Whether expressing mood, method, or degree, the 地 particle is an excellent addition to your Chinese grammar toolbox.

Exercises

Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

1. He walked into the classroom quietly.
2. The little girl sings very loudly.
3. He always finishes eating very fast.
4. You should have a good rest.
5. The teacher has hung that picture on the wall carefully. (use 把 sentence)
6. She put all her books into the schoolbag, one by one.

Reference answers:

1. 他悄悄地走进教室。
2. 这个小女孩很大声地唱歌。
3. 他总是很快地吃完饭。
4. 你应该好好地休息。
5. 老师把这幅画小心地挂在墙上。
6. 她把她所有的书一本一本地放进书包里。