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plThe structural particle de 得 is a word with a grammatical function only. De 得 does not have an actual meaning; it is not translated. It is a complement marker that stands between a verb or an adjective and the following complement. The complements after de 得 are usually adjectives, verbs, or phrases, expressing the performance or the consequence of the verb. “De 得 + complement” should be placed after the modified verb or adjective.
Structure
Basic form
The position of “de 得 + complement” is after the modified verb or adjective.
Negation
To negate a sentence with “de 得 + complement”, simply put bù 不 in front of the complement.
Questions
There are three ways to form a question with the structural particle de 得: using the question word zěnme yàng 怎么样/怎麼樣 after de 得, using the affirmative-negative form after de 得, or adding the question particle ma 吗/嗎 at the end of the sentence.
With a degree adverb
If not specified, the degree adverb hěn 很 ‘very’ needs to be added before the adjective that serves as the complement. However, the meaning of hěn 很 ‘very’ is weakened. Other degree adverbs can be used as well, for example, fēicháng 非常 ‘very, quite’ and zhēn 真 ‘really’.
With an object
If the action verb takes an object, the verb is repeated after the object and followed by de 得 + complement (V+O+V+de 得+complement). In some contexts, the first verb can be omitted (O+V+ de 得+complement).
This rule also applies to separable verbs – verbs composed of a verb and an object, such as shuō huà 说话/說話 ‘to speak’, chī fàn 吃饭/吃飯 ‘to eat’, chàng gē 唱歌 ‘to sing’.
Functions
De 得 itself is just a function word which connects certain types of complements to a predicate. It frequently occurs in following situations.
1. De 得 with complement expressing the performance of an action expressed by a verb
The complement following de 得 can be used to illustrate or evaluate the action denoted by the verb. In other words, the complement with de 得 describes the general, current, or past performance of an action. Therefore, de 得 + adjectival complement generally modifies verbs that describe actions.
2. De 得 with complements expressing the consequence of an action expressed by a verb
The complement following de 得 also indicates the consequential state caused by an action (verb) or a certain situation (adjective). We can see the complement as some “result” when the subject or object is influenced by the verb or adjective. The complement can be an adjective/adjectival phrase, a verb/verbal phrase, a clause, or an idiom. While in the first situation, the complement refers to “how is the activity processed”, here the complement refers to “how is the subject” affected by the verb.
Note: A complement generally cannot be added to a verb that is combined with an aspect particle le 了, zhe 着/著, and guo 过/過.