Correct Answer: 的(de), 地(de), 的(de), 得(de)
In the Chinese language, “的(de),” “地(de),” and “得(de)” are all commonly used structural particles. In terms of pronunciation, the three words are all pronounced similarly as de. When it comes to usage, however, they are quite different from one another.
1. “的(de)”
“的(de)” is generally used before nouns to indicate possession or modification.
When used to mark possession, “的(de)” is usually used with nouns or pronouns like the English method of using “’s” or “of,” such as “我的房子(wǒde fángzi) my house,” “马丽的书包(Mǎ Lì de shūbāo) Ma Li’s bag,” and “公司的老板(gōngsī de lǎobǎn) the boss of the company.”
The general structure is: Noun/Pronoun + 的(de) + Noun
Cindy: Liú Xīn, zhè shì nǐde qiánbāo ma?
Cindy：刘 心，这 是 你的 钱包 吗？
Cindy: Is this your wallet, Liu Xin?
Liú Xīn: Búshì, zhè shì Tom de qiánbāo.
刘 心： 不是，这 是 Tom 的 钱包。
Liu Xin: No, it’s Tom’s wallet.
Wǒmen gōngsī de chǎnpǐn hěn shòu huānyíng.
我们 公司 的 产品 很 受 欢迎。
The products of our company are very popular.
Furthermore, when used after an attribute, “的 (de)” is simply a way of connecting adjectives or other words with a noun. It gives us more information about the noun; the “的 (de)” makes it clear that the extra information is connected to the noun. Examples of it used in this way include “蓝色的天空(lánsè de tiānkōng) blue sky,” “甜蜜的微笑(tiánmì de wēixiào) a sweet smile,” “强壮的身体(qiángzhuàng de shēntǐ) a strong body,” etc.
The general structure is: Noun/Adjective + 的(de) + Noun
Wáng Lì : Wǒ de wénjiàn zài nǎlǐ?
王 丽：我 的 文件 在 哪里？
Wang Li: Where are my documents?
Jack: Zài nàgè yuánxíng de zhuōzi shàng.
Jack：在 那个 圆形 的 桌子 上。
Jack: They are on the round table.
Judy yǒu yìshuāng piàoliang de yǎnjing.
Judy 有 一双 漂亮 的 眼睛。
Judy has a beautiful pair of eyes.
2. “得(de)”
“得(de)” is used to connect a verb to its complement in order to show the manner or degree of the action, such as “跑得快(pǎo de kuài) run fast,” “看得懂(kàn de dǒng) understand,” “来得早(lái de zǎo) come early,” etc.
The general structure is: Verb + 得(de) + Complement
Lǎ bǎn: Wáng Míng, nǐ jīntiān lái de tài wǎn le!
老 板： 王 明， 你 今天 来 得 太 晚 了！
Boss: Wang Ming, you are so late today!
Wáng Míng: Duìbùqǐ, lǎobǎn, jīntiān zǎoshàng lùshàng dǔchē.
王 明 ： 对不起，老板， 今天 早上 路上 堵车。
Wang Ming: I’m sorry, Sir. There was a traffic jam on my way this morning.
3. “地(de)”
“地(de)” can be thought of as the equivalent to the suffix -ly in English. It is added after adjectives to make them into adverbs. They are used together to describe the verb that follows “地(de),” as in “高兴地唱(gāoxìng de chàng) to sing happily,” “认真地学习(rènzhēn de xuéxí) to study hard,” “慢慢地走(mànmān de zǒu) to walk slowly,” and so on.
The general structure is: Adjective + 地(de) + Verb
Bruce zhèngzài kāixīn de xiào.
Bruce 正在 开心 地 笑。
Bruce is laughing happily.
Nàgè xiǎotōu fēikuài de táozǒu le.
那个 小偷 飞快 地 逃走 了。
The thief quickly fled away.
In our test, we should use “的(de)” before the noun “乐曲(yuèqǔ) music.” Use “地(de)” before the verb “跳(tiào) dance” and use “的(de)” before the noun “舞蹈(wǔdǎo).” Finally, “得(de)” should be added after the verb “跳(tiào) dance.”
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