…的
…de
In Chinese, the English phrase 'of' is expressed using the particle …的 (…de). Wiktionary also lists …之 (…zhī).
Meaning: possessive genitive: belonging to (prep)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| …的 | …de |
| …之 | …zhī |
Which one should you use?
The form …的 is the standard way to express possession, while …之 is an alternative form.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, the possessor always comes before the particle …的, which is the reverse of the English 'A of B' structure. Additionally, the particle …的 can often be omitted when describing a close relationship, such as family members or institutional affiliations.
How do you pronounce it?
…de
Did you know?
- The character 的 originally meant 'target' or 'bullseye' in ancient Chinese. Over centuries, its meaning shifted from a physical target to a grammatical marker of possession.
- Chinese can use 的 to create a noun out of almost any phrase, a process called nominalization. For example, instead of saying 'the red car', one can say 'the red one' by simply adding 的 after the adjective.
- The character 的 is the most frequently used word in the entire Chinese language. It appears more often than nouns, verbs or pronouns in both written and spoken text.
Examples in context
- 我的书My book
- 那本杂志的封面The cover of that magazine
- 中国的文化Chinese culture
- 我爸爸车子My dad's car
- 这是我的书This is my book
- 这是他的猫This is his cat
- 这是我们公司的总经理This is the general manager of our company
Sources
- Wiktionary, “of” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
