结构助词 地 和状语
地 and the adverbial

第五级你就会说“他跑得很快”，也会说“慢慢地走”“高兴地说”。这两个字读音一样，位置不一样：一个跟在动词后边，一个站在动词前边。今天先看动词前边的那个——“地”。站在动词前边、说明动作怎么进行的成分叫状语，“地”就是状语的记号。

From level 5 you have been saying 他跑得很快, and also 慢慢地走 and 高兴地说. The two particles sound identical — both are a light de — but they sit in different places: one follows the verb, the other stands in front of it. This lesson takes the one in front, 地. Anything standing before the verb to say how the action is carried out is a 状语, an adverbial, and 地 is its badge.

这里的“地”读轻声，不读 dì——“土地”“地方”的“地”才读 dì。状语加中心语，叫状中结构：“慢慢地”是状语，“走”是中心语。汉语的状语永远在动词前边，一个字也不能挪到动词后边去。

This 地 is a neutral-tone de. It is not dì — that reading belongs to the noun 地 in 土地 and 地方. Adverbial plus head is called a 状中 structure: 慢慢地 is the adverbial, 走 is the head. A Chinese adverbial always precedes its verb, and not one syllable of it may move behind.

“方式”说动作怎么做，“情状”说做的时候人是什么样子。要注意：不是每个状语都带“地”。副词做状语不带（他已经走了），介宾短语做状语也不带（他在家看书、我跟朋友一起去）。

方式 is how the act is performed; 情状 is what the doer is like while performing it. Note carefully: not every adverbial takes 地. Adverbs never do (他已经走了), and prepositional phrases never do either (他在家看书, 我跟朋友一起去).

一个字的形容词跟动词贴得很紧，差不多长成了一个词：快走、多吃、慢走、早点儿睡。两个字以上就松了，得用“地”把它接到动词上去。有几个副词加不加都可以：渐渐地下雨了／渐渐下雨了，两个说法都有人用。

A one-syllable adjective clings to its verb so tightly that the two nearly fuse into one word: 快走, 多吃, 慢走, 早点儿睡. From two syllables the join loosens and 地 is needed to fasten the modifier on. A few adverbs go either way: 渐渐地下雨了 and 渐渐下雨了 are both current.

位置决定写哪个字：名词前边写“的”，动词前边写“地”，动词后边写“得”。下一课讲“得”，第七课把三个放在一起比较。

Position decides the character: 的 before a noun, 地 before a verb, 得 after a verb. Look at the pinyin line above and you see the whole difficulty — all three are simply de. The next lesson takes 得, and lesson 7 sets the three side by side.