The particle 的 with attributives
An attributive is an adjective that is directly adjacent to the noun or pronoun that it modifies. Most of the time it cannot be constructed without the 的 particle.
The particle 的 when modifying nouns with an "attributive"
We should state 的 
between the attributive and the noun.
The attributive may be expressed by a compound adjective or by a combination of an adverb and an adjective.
between the attributive and the noun.
The attributive may be expressed by a compound adjective or by a combination of an adverb and an adjective.Scheme
attributive
what kind of?
的
noun
Examples
可爱的小孩儿
cute child
kě'ài de xiǎo háir
美丽的风景
beautiful landscape
měilì de fēngjǐng
Exception: after the words 多 and 少 , we do not state the particle 的.
很多人 .
and 少 , we do not state the particle 的.
很多人 .When there is a one-syllable adjective, we state the particle 的 only when making a comparison or if it is necessary to emphasize the adjective.
Examples
你带小的箱子吧，我带大的
You take the small box, I’ll take the big one
nǐ dài xiǎo de xiāngzi ba, wǒ dài dà de
我喜欢吃辣的菜
I like spicy food
wǒ xǐhuan chī là de cài
In Chinese, the attributive may be expressed not only by adjectives but also by:
1) demonstrative pronouns.
For example:
这样
那样
这里
那样
这里 Examples
这里的菜太贵了
Food is too expensive here
zhèlǐ de cài tài guì le
2) numerals and measure words that characterize an object.
Examples
我们要上七点的车
We have to get on the bus that leaves at 7
wǒmen yào shàng qī diǎn de chē
百分之百的高支棉
100% cotton
bǎifēnzhī bǎi de gāo zhī mián
The particle 的 when modifying nouns with a “phrase attributive”
We can use the particle 的 to attach whole phrases to nouns. In English, this is often achieved with “who” or “that”. For example, “the man who went to Beijing” or “the book that I bought yesterday”.
The structure of the sentence is the same as with the adjective attributive, however the phrase attributive itself is much longer.
Scheme
attributive
what kind of?
的
noun
Pay attention
The word order within the phrase attributive is the same as in a simple sentence.
For convenience, we will highlight the attributive in the examples below:
Examples
这是他送的礼物
This is the gift he gave
zhè shì tā sòng de lǐwù
这是他给我送的礼物
This is the gift he gave me
zhè shì tā gěi wǒ sòng de lǐwù
这是他昨天给我送的礼物
This is the gift he gave me yesterday
zhè shì tā zuótiān gěi wǒ sòng de lǐwù
Such sentences can be much longer and more complicated, so you need to get used to having the main noun at the end after the particle 的.
Pay attention
To make it easier to translate these sentences from Chinese, find the particle 的 first. There is always a main noun after the 的 particle. You should start to translate it with the noun and only then translate what comes before 的.
The noun after 的 can be omitted
If there is an attributive with 的 in the sentence, we can omit the noun which is stated after the particle 的.
We do it when we know from the context what kind of object is being talked about.
Pay attention
We should use the particle 的 even if the adjective consists of only one character.
Here are a couple of examples:
Examples
你要哪个苹果 —— 红的还是绿的?
Which apple do you want, the red one or the green one?
nǐ yào nǎ ge píngguǒ — hóngde háishi lǜde
Here 红的 is the short form for 红苹果 and 绿的 is the short form for 绿苹果. The word apple 苹果 has already been stated, so there is no need to repeat it again.
Examples
喜欢喝酒的一般是什么人？
What kind of people generally like to drink?
xǐhuan hē jiǔ de yìbān shì shénme rén
Here 喜欢喝酒的 is the short form for 喜欢喝酒的人. The word 人 is stated at the end, so it can be omitted in the first part of the sentence to avoid repetition and cluttering.
If there is no context and the noun is omitted after the attributive with 的, we should understand it as “anything that possesses the characteristic of the attributive”.
Examples
我喜欢吃辣的
I like to eat spicy (any kind of spicy food)
wǒ xǐhuan chī là de