B1
的, 得 and 地 — three de, one sound
How to tell 的, 得 and 地 apart in Chinese — the noun one, the description one and the manner one — and why 他跑地很快 is the mistake native speakers make too.
Three characters, one toneless sound, and no way to hear which is meant. Native speakers mix them up in writing constantly. The rule is not about meaning — it is about what stands on either side.
的 — before a noun
Everything in front of it describes the noun that follows. Possession, an adjective, a whole clause.
我的書
wǒ de shū
my book
很漂亮的房子
hěn piàoliang de fángzi
a very pretty house
That is the 的 you already know.
得 — after a verb
What follows describes how the action went. The verb comes first, then 得, then the description.
他跑得很快。
Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.
He runs fast.
你說得對。
Nǐ shuō de duì.
You’re right.
Also already covered, and worth rereading alongside this page rather than before it.
地 — before a verb
The new one. What comes before it describes the manner of the action that follows, the way an English adverb does.
他慢慢地走。
Tā mànmān de zǒu.
He walks slowly.
她高興地笑了。
Tā gāoxìng de xiào le.
She smiled happily.
請認真地想一想。
Qǐng rènzhēn de xiǎng yi xiǎng.
Please give it some proper thought.
得 and 地 are the pair that get confused
Both involve a verb and a description. The difference is the order, and the order carries a real difference in meaning: 地 says how you set out to do it, 得 says how it turned out.
他慢慢地走。
Tā mànmān de zǒu.
He walks slowly.
他走得很慢。
Tā zǒu de hěn màn.
He walks slowly.
Both are correct and neither is a translation of the other. The first describes the walking as it happens; the second judges it afterwards. Where English has one sentence, Chinese has an intention and a verdict.
他跑地很快。
他跑得很快。
The description comes after the verb here, so it wants 得. This is the single most common written mistake in Chinese, made by native speakers as often as by learners — which is some comfort, and no help at all.
The test
Ask what is on each side:
- noun after it → 的
- verb before it → 得
- verb after it → 地
That covers nearly everything you will write. 地 is also a word in its own right, dì, meaning ground or land — 地方, 地圖 — which is a different character in use rather than a fourth case to learn.