About
The character 的, formed from the semantic radical 白 meaning 'white' and the phonetic element 勺, initially carried the meaning of brightness or clarity in classical Chinese. Its semantic range later expanded to include the concept of a target or goal, evident in terms like 目的. This evolution paved the way for its grammatical role, as it was appropriated in vernacular speech to function as a possessive particle and an attributive marker, eventually replacing older grammatical particles such as 之 and 底 in everyday language.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这是我的书。
蓝色的天空很美。
我最喜欢的人是妈妈。
这是昨天买的新的自行车。
他说的故事是很有意思的。
桌子上放的是我朋友的红色杯子。
那个穿着白色衬衫的先生是我昨天遇到的人。
在图书馆认真看书的学生们是这座学校最好的风景。