Introduction
Three characters, one sound. 的 (de) hangs a describer on a noun, 得 (de) hangs a comment on a verb after the action, and 地 (de) turns an adjective into the manner of the verb that comes next: 慢慢地走 (mànmàn de zǒu) — walk slowly.
Overview
Structure: Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Adj. + 地 + V | 他慢慢地走。(Tā mànmàn de zǒu.) | He walks slowly. |
| Two syllables + 地 | 他认真地听。(Tā rènzhēn de tīng.) | He listens carefully. |
| AABB + 地 | 他们高高兴兴地回家了。(Tāmen gāogāoxìngxìng de huí jiā le.) | They went home happy. |
| 很 + Adj. + 地 | 他很快地跑过来。(Tā hěn kuài de pǎo guòlai.) | He ran over quickly. |
| Compare with 得 | 他走得很慢。(Tā zǒu de hěn màn.) | He walks slowly. |
地 (de) before the verb, 得 (de) after it:
- ✓ 他慢慢地走。(Tā mànmàn de zǒu.) ✓ 他走得很慢。(Tā zǒu de hěn màn.) ❌ 他慢慢得走。(Tā mànmàn de zǒu.)
- 地 (de) sets up how the action will be done; 得 (de) judges it afterwards.
- All three are pronounced de and all three are neutral tone — only the character tells them apart.
- A bare one-syllable adjective usually goes without 地 (de): ✓ 快走！(Kuài zǒu!) ❌ 快地走！(Kuài de zǒu!)
Examples
他慢慢地走进教室。
Tā mànmàn de zǒu jìn jiàoshì.
He walked slowly into the classroom.
学生们认真地听老师说话。
Xuéshengmen rènzhēn de tīng lǎoshī shuōhuà.
The students listened to the teacher attentively.
他们高高兴兴地回家了。
Tāmen gāogāoxìngxìng de huí jiā le.
They went home happy.
她很快地写完了作业。
Tā hěn kuài de xiě wán le zuòyè.
She finished her homework quickly.
请你大声地说。
Qǐng nǐ dàshēng de shuō.
Please speak up.
他很客气地问我一个问题。
Tā hěn kèqi de wèn wǒ yí ge wèntí.
He asked me a question very politely.
Usage Notes
- 地 (de) needs something with weight in front of it: two syllables (认真 rènzhēn), a doubled adjective (慢慢 mànmàn), or 很 (hěn) plus one syllable (很快 hěn kuài).
- With a doubled adjective, 地 (de) is often dropped in short sentences: 你慢慢吃。(Nǐ mànmàn chī.)
- The three de's line up like this: 我的书 (wǒ de shū) — a noun; 认真地听 (rènzhēn de tīng) — before a verb; 听得很认真 (tīng de hěn rènzhēn) — after a verb.
- 地 (de) is also read dì meaning "ground", as in 地图 (dìtú) and 地铁 (dìtiě). In this grammar it is always de.
- Only the manner of the action goes here. Time and place words do not take 地 (de): ❌ 明天地去 (míngtiān de qù).