The particle 的: possession and description
【一20】【一27】结构助词“的” / 定语
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
的 (de) links a modifier to the noun after it, much like English “’s”: 我的书 (my book), 老师的名字 (the teacher's name). In Chinese, modifiers always come before the noun.
With close relatives and groups you belong to, 的 is usually dropped: 我妈妈 (my mom), 我们学校 (our school), 你家 (your family).
的 also follows longer adjectives: 干净的房间 (a clean room). Short ones often skip it: 新书包 (a new schoolbag), 中文书 (a Chinese book).
Finally, 的 can stand in for the noun: 这本书是我的 (“this book is mine”).
Examples
这是我的手机。
Zhè shì wǒ de shǒujī.This is my phone.
你的衣服很好看。
Nǐ de yīfu hěn hǎokàn.Your clothes look nice.
我妈妈是老师。
Wǒ māma shì lǎoshī.My mom is a teacher.
我喜欢干净的房间。
Wǒ xǐhuan gānjìng de fángjiān.I like clean rooms.
这是谁的书？是我的。
Zhè shì shéi de shū? Shì wǒ de.Whose book is this? It's mine.
Common mistakes
✗ 书的我 → ✓ 我的书 (owner first).
✗ “the book of Marc” = 书的马克 → ✓ 马克的书.