§35. Modifier + ⱘ de (ii): clauses as modifiers of nouns

English phrases such as “the bicycle that I bought . . .” or “my friend who lives in Boston . . .” contain a subordinate clause (see italics) that modifies the noun antecedent to the relative pronoun (that and who in these cases). In contrast to English, a Mandarin subordinate clause that serves as a modifier stands before the noun it modifies, linked by ⱘ de. The modified noun phrase uses the structure: Modifier + ⱘ de + N.