nOun PhrASeS
9.6
Noun modifiers involving specifiers and numbers often occur first in a sequence of modifiers,
though they may also occur closer to the head noun for emphasis or contrast.
[那个][戴眼镜的][很高的]人
[那個][戴眼鏡的][很高的]人
[nàge] [dài yǎnjìng de] [hěn gāo de] rén
[that] [wear glasses] [very tall] person
that very tall person who wears glasses
[很高的][戴眼镜的][那个]人
[很高的][戴眼鏡的][那個]人
[hěn gāo de] [dài yǎnjìng de] [nàge] rén
that very tall person who wears glasses
9.5 Omission of the head noun
When the head noun is predictable from the context, it may be omitted. The presence of 的 de
or a classifier at the end of a phrase identifies the phrase as a noun phrase modifier. When the
head noun is omitted, 的 de cannot be omitted.
这是谁做的菜？ 这是马老师做的(__)。
這是誰做的菜？ 這是馬老師做的(__)。
Zhè shì shéi zuò de cài? Zhè shì Mǎ lǎoshī zuò de (__).
This is food cooked by whom? This is (food) cooked by Professor Ma.
你喜欢什么样的菜？ 我特别喜欢红烧的(__)。
你喜歡甚麼樣的菜？ 我特別喜歡紅燒的(__)。
Nǐ xǐhuan shénme yàng de cài? Wǒ tèbié xǐhuan hóngshāo de (__).
What kind of dishes do you like? I especially like red cooked (ones).
你要买哪本书？ 我要那本(书)。
你要買哪本書？ 我要那本(書)。
Nǐ yào mǎi nǎ běn shū? Wǒ yào nà běn (shū).
Which book do you want to buy? I want that (one).
多少钱？ 三块(钱)。
多少錢？ 三塊(錢)。
Duōshǎo qián? Sān kuài (qián).
How much money? Three dollars.
9.6 Modification with 之 zhC
之 zhī is the marker of noun modification in literary Chinese, and it is used for this purpose
in certain literary expressions in modern Chinese, including the following. These instances of
之 zhī are not interchangeable with 的 de.
Percentages and fractions
三分之一
sān fēn zhī yī
one-third^13
百分之十
bǎi fēn zhī shí
10%
C6.6.1, 6.6.2
