Introduction
的 (de) is the possessive link: owner + 的 + thing. 我的书 (wǒ de shū) — my book. It is the single most common character in written Chinese, and at this level the interesting part is knowing the handful of cases where you are supposed to leave it out.
Overview
Structure: Noun 1 + 的 (de) + Noun 2
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Pronoun + 的 + N | 我的书 (wǒ de shū) | my book |
| N + 的 + N | 老师的名字 (lǎoshī de míngzi) | the teacher's name |
| Pronoun + 的（standing alone） | 这是我的。(Zhè shì wǒ de.) | This one's mine. |
| Family / close relations — no 的 | 我妈妈 (wǒ māma) | my mum |
| Adj + 的 + N | 很大的房间 (hěn dà de fángjiān) | a big room |
When 的 (de) is dropped:
- Family and close people: 我妈妈 (wǒ māma), 我朋友 (wǒ péngyǒu), 他姐姐 (tā jiějie). Adding 的 is not wrong, but it sounds distancing.
- Your own institutions: 我们学校 (wǒmen xuéxiào) — our school, 我们公司 (wǒmen gōngsī) — our company.
- Everywhere else, keep it: 我的手机 (wǒ de shǒujī), 我的老师 (wǒ de lǎoshī).
- 的 is always neutral tone (de), never dì or dí in this use.
Examples
这是我的书。
Zhè shì wǒ de shū.
This is my book.
那是老师的电脑。
Nà shì lǎoshī de diànnǎo.
That's the teacher's computer.
我妈妈是医生。
Wǒ māma shì yīshēng.
My mum is a doctor.
这个手机是谁的？
Zhège shǒujī shì shéi de?
Whose phone is this?
这是我们学校的图书馆。
Zhè shì wǒmen xuéxiào de túshūguǎn.
This is our school's library.
不是我的，是他的。
Bú shì wǒ de, shì tā de.
It's not mine, it's his.
Examples in questions
The question word 谁 (shéi) simply takes the owner slot: 谁的书？(Shéi de shū?) — Whose book?
Usage Notes
- 的 can end the phrase when the thing is obvious: 这是我的。(Zhè shì wǒ de.) — This is mine. The noun is understood.
- To ask "whose", use 谁的 (shéi de): 这是谁的手机？(Zhè shì shéi de shǒujī?)
- 的 also links an adjective to a noun when the adjective is more than one syllable or carries 很: 很贵的衣服 (hěn guì de yīfu) — expensive clothes. A single bare adjective usually attaches directly: 好人 (hǎo rén) — a good person.
- Do not stack 的 twice in one phrase if you can avoid it. 我的朋友的书 (wǒ de péngyǒu de shū) is understandable but clumsy; 我朋友的书 (wǒ péngyǒu de shū) is what people say.
- Three different characters share the sound de — 的, 得 (de), 地 (de). At HSK 1 you only need 的 (de).