TongTong
Sign in

地 (de) — (particle) structural particle for forming adverbials; -ly

Definition

地 (de, neutral tone) turns an adjective into an adverb meaning '-ly' (e.g. 高兴地笑 = laugh happily). Don't confuse with the noun 地 (dì) meaning 'ground/land' — same spelling, different tone and job.

particle
structural particle for forming adverbials-ly
Measure word · 片
Easily confused

Examples

  • 地。
    Tā gāo xìng de xiào le.
    He laughed happily.
  • 。
    Tiān qì màn màn de rè le.
    The weather is slowly getting hot.
  • 地。
    Lǎo shī rèn zhēn de tīng xué shēng shuō huà.
    The teacher listened carefully to the students.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 31000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 2 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.