Adjectives and attributives

If the adjective has more than one syllable, the particle de is generally used between the adjective and the noun it qualiyes:

!" piàoliang de ycfu beautiful clothes

!" niánqCng de geniang young girls

!"#$ yc gè cuòwù de juédìng a wrong decision

!" ruKnmiAnmiAn de dìtkn soft carpet

The same general principle applies when a monosyllabic adjective is preceded by an adverb of degree:

!" hLn xCn de ycfu very new clothes

!"# yc gè shífBn zhòng de a very heavy parcel baogun

!"#$ yc sun jí dà de fángzi an extremely big house

5.2.3 Disyllabic adjectives and de

However, a limited number of common two-syllable adjectives are used without de. Idiomatic phrases such as hln dud [many] and bù shko [quite a few] may be included with them:

! cKisè diànshì colour television

! gBnbLn yuánzé fundamental principles

hLn duD rén a lot of people

bù shKo shì quite a few matters

attributives

5.3 Nominal attributives

Nouns may also act as nominal attributives. Whether monosyllabic or polysyllabic, they do not generally require the particle de. In some cases the resulting expressions have become established terms in the language, as in the yrst three examples below:

shE jià > shejià bookshelf

diànyMng > diànymngyuàn cinema yuàn (lit. Ylm house)

shíjiAn biko > shíjianbiko timetable

yOfK she grammar book

! diànhuà hàomk telephone number

! shí bàng fákukn ten pound yne

! liKng yCnglM lù two miles distance

5.3.1 Nominal attributives and de

The particle de may be used between a nominal attributive and the noun it qualiyes, but in these cases it indicates either possession or close association:

! bàba de lmngdài father]s tie

!"# xuéxiào de yùndòngchkng the school]s sportsyeld

Prepositional phrases (e.g. kào chuáng [against the bed], see Chapter 19) and postpositional phrases (e.g. zhudzi xià [under the table], see Chapter 11), when used as attributives, always require de:

(1) Prepositional phrases:

!" kào qiáng de zhudzi the desk/table against the wall

!" yán lù de shangdiàn the shops along the road

(2) Postpositional phrases:

!"# wEzi li de jiajù furniture in the room

!" qiáng shàng de biaoyo slogans on the wall

5.5 Verbal phrases or clauses as attributives

Attributives in Chinese become more complex when they contain verbs. Below are some examples of verbal phrase or clause attributives. They always require the use of the particle de:

(1) Verbal phrases:

! mài bàozhM de a shop that sells newspapers shangdiàn

!" xCn lái de mìshe the secretary who has just come

!" yNu qián de jiatíng families which have money

!" yào xM de ycfu clothes which need washing

(2) Verbal clauses:

!" nM yào fù de qián the money you will have to pay

! nM jiào de cài the dish(es) you have ordered

!" tAmen qù ZhDngguó the day they went to China () de nèi (yc) tian

!" gémìng kAishM the place where the revolution

attributives

5.6

Where attributives of various types (adjectival, nominal or verbal) occur in one sentence, they must follow one of the following sequences:

(1) An adjectival attributive will always precede a nominal attributive:

hBi pí xié black leather shoes

!"# huCsè de róng dàyc [a] grey felt coat

(2) An adjectival attributive with de always comes before an adjectival attributive without de:

!"# gAnjìng de xiKo fángjian [a] clean, small room

!"# hLn gAo de bái fángzi [a] very high white house

(3) A verbal attributive invariably precedes all other attributives:

!" huì huà huàr de xCn [a] new coursemate tóngxué who can draw/paint

! dài yKnjìng de [the] woman teacher nW lkoshc who wears glasses

5.7 Demonstrative and numeral phrases with other attributives

Demonstrative and numeral phrases precede all attributives:

!"# zhè liKng tiáo hóng qúnzi these two red skirts

!" nà/nèi xiB kàn ZhDngwén those people who read ! zázhì de rén Chinese magazines

!" nà/nèi zhC nM xMhuan de that little tabby cat ! xiKo huA mao (which) you like

A possessive pronoun will precede all qualifying phrases (e.g. demonstrative/numeral phrase and attributives):

!"#$ wNde sAn gè hKo péngyou my three good friends

!"# nMde nèi jiàn xCn mKi that newly-bought ! de pí jiakè leather jacket of yours

5.9 Ér between adjectives

When two similar adjectives qualify the same noun, they are usually joined together by the conjunction ér [as well as]:

!" (yc gè) niánqcng ér (a) young, !" piàoliang de geniang beautiful girl

!" (yc jian) ganjìng ér (a) clean and !" zhlngqí de fángjian tidy room

5.10 Omission of the noun following an attributive

If the context makes it clear, the noun following the attributive can be omitted, though in these cases de must always be retained:

Wn xmhuan (lit. I like that mw new p) !5 nèi gè xCn de. I like that new one.