的

de, dī, dí, dì

勺 + 白

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

de (particle) of; possessive particle; attribute marker

dí (adverb) really; truly

dì (noun) aim; target

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 白 represents the meaning and 勺 represents the sound. The character is based on the original meaning "bright".

About

Originally meaning 'bright', 的 is a phono-semantic compound: 白 (white) suggests brightness, and 勺 (spoon/ladle) indicates the sound. This early sense survives in words like 的确 (indeed), while the character also acquired the nominal meaning 'target' or 'bullseye'. Over time, it evolved into a ubiquitous grammatical particle for possession and adjectival modification, largely replacing classical 之. The structure remains identical in traditional and simplified scripts, with the left side conveying meaning and the right side providing the pronunciation.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是我的书。

Zhè shì wǒ de shū.

This is my book.

蓝色的天空很美。

Lán sè de tiān kōng hěn měi.

The blue sky is very beautiful.

我最喜欢的人是妈妈。

Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de rén shì māma.

The person I like the most is Mom.

这是昨天买的新的自行车。

Zhè shì zuótiān mǎi de xīn de zìxíngchē.

This is the new bicycle bought yesterday.

他说的故事是很有意思的。

Tā shuō de gùshi shì hěn yǒu yìsi de.

The story he told is very interesting.

桌子上放的是我朋友的红色杯子。

Zhuōzi shàng fàng de shì wǒ péngyou de hóng sè bēizi.

What is placed on the table is my friend's red cup.

那个穿着白色衬衫的先生是我昨天遇到的人。

Nàge chuānzhe báisè chènshān de xiānsheng shì wǒ zuótiān yù dào de rén.

That gentleman wearing the white shirt is the person I met yesterday.

在图书馆认真看书的学生们是这座学校最好的风景。

Zài túshūguǎn rènzhēn kàn shū de xuéshēngmen shì zhè zuò xuéxiào zuì hǎo de fēngjǐng.

The students who are reading seriously in the library are the best scenery of this school.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 勺

Component: 白

的