(de) — (possessive/attribute particle) used after a modifier to indicate possession or attribute; (nominalizer) used after an adjective or verb to form a noun phrase; (sentence-final particle) used at the end of a declarative sentence to add emphasis or affirmation

Definition

The everyday possessive and linking particle — '的' connects a modifier to a noun (我的书) or turns a phrase into a noun (红的). 之 is the same function in literary Chinese; ignore it for now.

particle
(possessive/attribute particle) used after a modifier to indicate possession or attribute(nominalizer) used after an adjective or verb to form a noun phrase(sentence-final particle) used at the end of a declarative sentence to add emphasis or affirmation

Examples

  • Zhè shì wǒ de shū.
    This is my book.
  • Wǒ xǐ huan xiǎo de.
    I like the small one.
  • Tā huì lái de.
    He will come.

Grammar

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