结构助词 的
The structural particle 的

第九级你学过“的”是定语的标记：我的书、干净的房间、我昨天买的书。可是你还有另一种说法：有人问“哪一件是你的”，你回答“干净的”，后边根本没有“衣服”，对方照样明白。“开车的是我哥哥”“卖书的在那边”也是这样。这一课给“的”定个正式的名字——结构助词，再看它怎么把一串词变成一个名词。

Level 9 gave you 的 as the flag on an attributive: 我的书, 干净的房间, 我昨天买的书. But you have a second habit as well: asked 哪一件是你的, you answer 干净的 with no 衣服 after it, and you are understood perfectly. 开车的是我哥哥 and 卖书的在那边 work the same way. This lesson gives 的 its proper name — 结构助词 — and then watches it turn a string of words into a noun.

三个字都念 de，都读轻声，都不能单说，工作却完全不一样：“的”后边是名词，“地”后边是动词，“得”前边是动词。本课只讲“的”，后两个是下面两课。“的”组成的“定语加中心语”叫定中结构，是汉语最常见的名词短语。

All three are pronounced de, all three are neutral in tone, none can be said alone — and their jobs have nothing in common: a noun follows 的, a verb follows 地, a verb precedes 得. This lesson takes only 的; the other two get a lesson each. The attributive-plus-head unit that 的 builds is called a 定中结构, and it is the commonest noun phrase in Chinese.

这正是“的”厉害的地方。英语要用 of、who、which、that 好几个词分工，汉语一个“的”全包了。位置永远固定：修饰的部分在前，“的”在中间，中心语在最后，再长也不变。

That is where the power of 的 lies. English needs of, who, which and that to divide the work; Chinese hands all of it to one syllable. The layout never changes: the modifying part first, 的 in the middle, the head noun last, however long the modifier grows.

“这两件衣服，我要干净的。”“干净的”就是“干净的衣服”。“这本书是我的。”“我的”就是“我的书”。这个过程叫名词化：本来是形容词、动词或者小句，加上“的”以后能做主语，也能做宾语，用起来跟名词一模一样。

这两件衣服，我要干净的 — 干净的 simply is 干净的衣服. 这本书是我的 — 我的 is 我的书. The process is called 名词化, nominalisation: an adjective, a verb or a whole clause takes 的 and can then serve as subject or as object, exactly like a noun.

“卖书的”是卖书的人，“开车的”是开车的人。这种说法很口语，也带一点随便，正式场合还是说“售货员、司机、老师”。“教汉语的”跟“汉语老师”意思一样，语气差得远。注意“教”在这里读第一声，“看门”的“看”读第一声。

卖书的 is the person who sells books, 开车的 the person who drives. The pattern is colloquial and a little casual; in formal situations you would say 售货员, 司机, 老师 instead. 教汉语的 and 汉语老师 mean the same thing but sound worlds apart. Note the readings: 教 here is jiāo, and the 看 of 看门 is kān.