的 de of
of; 's; the one that
How to remember 的: 白 white + 勺 ladle = of. The cook in the white apron swings her ladle and shouts "This is the best soup of the whole year!"
Component breakdown
的 = 白 white + 勺 ladle
- 白 white
- 勺 ladle
- 勹 wrap
- 丶 a drop
The cook in the white apron swings her ladle and shouts "This is the best soup of the whole year!"
How it is used
- The all-purpose linker: after a modifier it means -'s / the one that - 我的书 (wǒ de shū) my book, 红的 (hóng de) the red one, 好吃的 (hǎochī de) tasty stuff.
- Distinct from the other two de: 得 (verb complement) and 地 (adverbial, before a verb). The 是…的 frame stresses when, where, or how something happened.
Words with 的
Example sentences
- 它是我的猫。 Tā shì wǒ de māo.It's my cat.
- 我是他的朋友。 Wǒ shì tā de péngyou.I'm a friend of his.
- 她是我的女儿。 Tā shì wǒ de nǚ'ér.She's my daughter.
- 他是我的儿子。 Tā shì wǒ de érzi.He's my son.