{"id":1634,"date":"2014-03-05T07:37:59","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T07:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=1634"},"modified":"2023-09-11T00:27:44","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T00:27:44","slug":"how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Grammar Fundamentals: Master the Attributive Particle \u7684"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Language is like a puzzle, where words come together to create meaning and share ideas. In the world of the Chinese language, there&#8217;s a small but powerful puzzle piece called the \u7684(de) particle. It\u2019s responsible for linking together different words and phrases to build more complex and complete ideas. That&#8217;s the indispensable role of \u7684(de). In this article, we&#8217;ll uncover the secrets of this special particle and see how it&#8217;s used in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Basic Structure: Building Phrases with the Particle \u7684<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The structural particle \u7684(de) shows that the word or phrase before it works as an adjective, defining or modifying the noun or noun phrase after it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u6211\u7684\u4e66&nbsp;(w\u01d2 de sh\u016b) my book<\/li><li>\u5f88\u5fd9\u7684\u5927\u592b (h\u011bn m\u00e1ng de d\u00e0ifu) a very busy doctor<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In these cases, the nouns \u4e66(sh\u016b) and \u5927\u592b(d\u00e0ifu) are modified by the pronoun \u6211(w\u01d2) and the adjective \u5f88\u5fd9(h\u011bn m\u00e1ng) respectively. The particle \u7684(de) highlights the connection between the modifier and the modified word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Adding Context in Chinese: Using \u7684 with verbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When a verb, verb phrase, or clause modifies a noun, a specific pattern is used. Here&#8217;s how it works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom-featured-snippet\"><strong>Verb \/ Verb phrase \/ Clause + \u7684 + Noun<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>a. \u5b66\u6c49\u8bed \u7684 \u5b66\u751f (Xu\u00e9h\u00e0ny\u01d4 de xu\u00e9sh\u0113ng) the students learning Chinese.<\/li><li>b. \u59d0\u59d0\u7ed9\u6211 \u7684 \u8bcd\u5178 (Jiejie g\u011bi w\u01d2 de c\u00eddi\u01cen) the dictionary given to me by my older sister.<\/li><li>c. \u6559\u6211\u6c49\u8bed \u7684 \u8001\u5e08 (Ji\u00e0o w\u01d2 h\u00e0ny\u01d4 de l\u01ceosh\u012b)&nbsp; the teacher who teaches me Chinese.<\/li><li>d. \u6211\u4e70 \u7684 \u624b\u673a (W\u01d2 m\u01cei de sh\u01d2uj\u012b) the cell phone (which) I bought.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key points to remember:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Notice the difference in word order between Chinese phrases and their English counterparts. In Chinese, the modifier ALWAYS COMES BEFORE the modified noun, while in English, it&#8217;s the opposite.<\/li><li>In English, when a verb or verb phrase modifies a noun, there&#8217;s no structural connector to indicate the relationship, as seen in examples a and b.<\/li><li>In English, when a clause modifies a noun, a structural connector is often used, such as WHICH, WHO, WHOM, WHEN, or WHAT. However, regardless of the connector, when translated into Chinese, it&#8217;s represented by the particle \u7684(de), as shown in examples c and d.<\/li><li>In Chinese, when the noun being modified is clear from the context, it can be left out.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom_example_style\">\u4eca\u5929\u6211\u4e70\u4e86\u5f88\u591a\u4e1c\u897f\uff0c\u6709\u5403\u7684(\u4e1c\u897f)\uff0c\u4e5f\u6709\u7528\u7684(\u4e1c\u897f). ( J\u012bnti\u0101n w\u01d2 m\u01ceile h\u011bndu\u014d d\u014dngxi, y\u01d2u ch\u012b de (d\u014dngxi), y\u011by\u01d2u y\u00f2ng de (d\u014dngxi).)<br>Today I bought a lot of stuff. There is stuff to eat; there is stuff to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Concise Chinese: When to omit \u7684<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, the particle \u7684(de) acts as a link between the modifier and the modified noun or noun phrase. However, there are situations where using \u7684(de) is optional:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Monosyllabic adjectives don\u2019t require \u7684(de).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u767d(\u7684)\u886c\u8863 (b\u00e1i ch\u00e8ny\u012b) white shirt<\/li><li>\u597d(\u7684)\u8f66 (h\u0103o ch\u0113) good cars<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Nouns classifying other nouns don&#8217;t need \u7684(de).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>a). Place names as attributives:<\/strong> Names of countries, regions, cities, etc., can be used as-is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u7f8e\u56fd\u8f66 (M\u011bigu\u00f3 ch\u0113) American car<\/li><li>\u5fb7\u56fd\u4eba (D\u00e9gu\u00f3 r\u00e9n) German person<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>b). Languages as attributives: <\/strong>Language names also remain unchanged when used as modifiers. Like with place names, \u7684(de) isn&#8217;t necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u6cd5\u6587\u8001\u5e08 (F\u0103w\u00e9n l\u0103osh\u012b) French teacher<\/li><li>\u6c49\u8bed\u4e66 (H\u00e0ny\u016d sh\u016b) Chinese book<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Personal pronouns followed by nouns showing close relationships or belonging don&#8217;t need \u7684(de).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u4f60(\u7684)\u670b\u53cb (n\u012d p\u00e9ngyou) your friends<\/li><li>\u6211(\u7684)\u5bb6 (W\u01d2ji\u0101) my home<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hint: <\/strong>When using multiple nouns to describe the main noun, it&#8217;s common to place \u7684(de) before the main noun rather than after each noun. For instance, instead of saying \u6211\u59d0\u59d0\u670b\u53cb\u7684\u8001\u5e08\u662f\u6211\u54e5\u54e5\u540c\u5b66\u7684\u7231\u4eba (W\u01d2 jiejie p\u00e9ngy\u01d2u de l\u01ceosh\u012b sh\u00ec w\u01d2 g\u0113g\u0113 t\u00f3ngxu\u00e9 de \u00e0ir\u00e9n), you can place \u7684(de) before the main noun like this: \u6211\u54e5\u54e5\u540c\u5b66\u7684\u7231\u4eba (W\u01d2 g\u0113g\u0113 t\u00f3ngxu\u00e9 de \u00e0ir\u00e9n), which means &#8220;my brother&#8217;s classmate&#8217;s wife.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Quiz Time! Put Your Skills to the Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s practice by adding \u7684(de) where necessary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\uff081\uff09\u4ed6\u4eec\u90fd\u662f\u5f88\u597d\u4eba\u3002They are all very good people.<br>\uff082\uff09\u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u6c49\u8bed\u8bcd\u5178\u3002This is my Chinese dictionary.<br>\uff083\uff09\u5979\u7a7f\u7740\u4e00\u6761\u7ea2\u88d9\u5b50\u3002She is wearing a red dress.<br>\uff084\uff09\u8fd9\u662f\u4e00\u5f20\u65e7\u4e16\u754c\u5730\u56fe\u3002This is an old world map.<br>\uff085\uff09\u4ed6\u662f\u5317\u4eac\u5927\u5b66\u5b66\u751f\u3002He is a student at Peking University.<br>\uff086\uff09\u6211\u54e5\u54e5\u5973\u670b\u53cb\u662f\u6211\u540c\u5b66\u59d0\u59d0\u3002My brother&#8217;s girlfriend is my classmate&#8217;s sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u7684(de) particle stands as an essential building block of complex ideas in Chinese communication. Its ability to simply and directly unite modifiers and modified words, while imparting subtlety and clarity, is a testament to the logical syntactic foundation of the language. By understanding and mastering the role of \u7684(de), we not only grasp the mechanics of syntax but also gain insight into the intricate artistry that underlies effective communication. Furthermore, in Chinese, there are two more &#8220;de&#8221; particles: \u5f97 and \u5730 that can sometimes puzzle new learners. You can find a helpful comparison of these three words <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/chinese-language-courses\/chinese-grammar-courses\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(1) \u4ed6\u4eec\u90fd\u662f\u5f88\u597d\u7684\u4eba\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(2) \u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u7684\u6c49\u8bed\u8bcd\u5178\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(3) \u5979\u7a7f\u7740\u4e00\u6761\u7ea2\u8272\u7684\u88d9\u5b50\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(4) \u8fd9\u662f\u4e00\u5f20\u65e7\u7684\u4e16\u754c\u5730\u56fe\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(5) \u4ed6\u662f\u5317\u4eac\u5927\u5b66\u7684\u5b66\u751f\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(6) \u6211\u54e5\u54e5\u7684\u5973\u670b\u53cb\u662f\u6211\u540c\u5b66\u7684\u59d0\u59d0\u3002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Language is like a puzzle, where words come together to create meaning and share ideas. In the world of the Chinese language, there&#8217;s a small but powerful puzzle piece called the \u7684(de) particle. It\u2019s responsible for linking together different words and phrases to build more complex and complete ideas. That&#8217;s the indispensable role of \u7684(de).&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":4242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,176],"tags":[7,93,89],"post_series":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.2.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chinese Grammar Fundamentals: Master the Attributive Particle \u7684<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The structural particle &quot;\u7684(de)&quot; indicates that the word or phrase preceding it functions as an attributive that defines.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chinese Grammar Fundamentals: Master the Attributive Particle \u7684\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The structural particle &quot;\u7684(de)&quot; indicates that the word or phrase preceding it functions as an attributive that defines.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-05T07:37:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-11T00:27:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/de.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"580\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"259\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rita Zhang\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@digmandarin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@digmandarin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rita Zhang\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html\",\"name\":\"Chinese Grammar Fundamentals: Master the Attributive Particle \u7684\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-05T07:37:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-11T00:27:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/05d78cfb3c89cc407106ab6590c195be\"},\"description\":\"The structural particle \\\"\u7684(de)\\\" indicates that the word or phrase preceding it functions as an attributive that defines.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/how-to-use-the-structural-particle-de.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chinese Grammar Fundamentals: Master the Attributive Particle \u7684\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/05d78cfb3c89cc407106ab6590c195be\",\"name\":\"Rita Zhang\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/rita.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/rita.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Rita Zhang\"},\"description\":\"Rita is a professional Mandarin teacher, has been teaching more than 8 years. 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