HSK 3

动词或动词性短语、主谓短语作定语

dòng cí huò dòng cí xìng duǎn yǔ 、 zhǔ wèi duǎn yǔ zuò dìng yǔ

Verb/verb phrase or subject-predicate phrase as an attributive

Explanation

This grammar point shows that we can use a verb, a verb phrase, or a subject-predicate phrase (subject + predicate, e.g. "Xiao Bai tells") to serve as an attributive (a component that modifies a noun) placed before the noun.

Structure

(Verb / Verb phrase / Subject-predicate phrase) + 的 (de) + Noun. The word 的 (de) is a particle (a function word added to express a grammatical meaning, with no meaning of its own) used to link the modifying part to the noun. Translated into Vietnamese it usually becomes "... that is ..., that..., that ... tells".

When to use

when you want to specify what kind of noun it is, what it is doing, or who made it. For example 跳舞的女孩儿 (tiàowǔ de nǚháir - the girl who is dancing), 小白讲的故事 (Xiǎobái jiǎng de gùshi - the story that Xiao Bai tells).

Common mistakes

forgetting the 的 between the modifying phrase and the noun; or placing the modifying phrase AFTER the noun following Vietnamese word order. In Chinese, the modifying part + 的 always comes BEFORE the noun.

Examples

你看见那个跳舞的女孩儿了吗?
kànjiàngetiàodeháirlema

Did you see that girl who is dancing?

观看演出的观众请从右边的门进去。
guānkànyǎnchūdeguānzhòngqǐngcóngyòubiāndeménjìn

Audience members watching the performance please enter through the door on the right.

小白讲的故事很有意思。
xiǎobáijiǎngdeshihěnyǒusi

The story that Xiao Bai told is very interesting.

Practice

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Learn “动词或动词性短语、主谓短语作定语” effectively

The grammar point “动词或动词性短语、主谓短语作定语” (Verb/verb phrase or subject-predicate phrase as an attributive) is one of the key structures at HSK 3. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.

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