的 (de) - Possessive particle & attributive marker

的Tone 5

de ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 白

橙丁

的 · de

Possessive particle;

attributive marker;

used to indicate possession, description, or modification between nouns and pronouns.

Possessive particleattributive markerused to indicate possession, description, or modification between

Usage highlights

MyYourHis/HerOurTheirWhose

Synonyms

  • 之— Classical Chinese possessive particle
  • 属— Belonging to (more formal)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • This is my book (我的书).
  • She is a beautiful girl (漂亮的女孩).
  • The teacher's desk (老师的桌子).
  • A red car (红色的汽车).

Collocations

  • My(我的)
  • Your(你的)
  • His/Her(他/她的)
  • Our(我们的)
  • Their(他们的)
  • Whose(谁的)

Idioms

  • No fixed abode(无的放矢)
  • Shoot at random(有的放矢)
  • Aimless(无的放矢)
  • To the point(一语中的)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the most frequently used characters in modern Chinese.
  • Essential grammatical particle indicating possession and modification.
  • Originally meant 'bright, clear' in classical Chinese before evolving into grammatical function.

FAQ