Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns link clauses and add details about people, things, or places. Mandarin expresses these relations with particles and structures rather than standalone relative pronouns.
Key Particles
The particle de 的 attaches descriptive clauses to nouns, effectively turning actions or qualities into modifiers. This is the backbone of relative clauses in Mandarin.
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谁 (shéi / shuí)
shéi 谁 can introduce a relative clause when referring to a person, usually in questions or when the identity is unknown. In declarative clauses, use descriptive structures with de 的 instead.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🧑🎨画画的人是谁？ | Huà huà de rén shì shéi? | Who is the person painting? |
| 🎨这是我朋友，他是谁？ | Zhè shì wǒ péngyǒu, tā shì shéi? | This is my friend, who is he? |
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什么 (shénme)
shénme 什么 can function like a relative pronoun in questions about things, but for defining clauses Mandarin prefers placing the clause before the noun and attaching de 的.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🥡你买的是什么？ | Nǐ mǎi de shì shénme? | What did you buy? |
| 🍵哪里有好喝的是什么茶？ | Nǎlǐ yǒu hǎo hē de shì shénme chá? | Where is the delicious tea? |
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哪里 / 哪儿 (nǎlǐ / nǎr)
- nǎlǐ 哪里 and nǎr 哪儿 ask about places and can introduce relative clauses in questions. For descriptive clauses, embed the locative phrase in a modifying clause that ends with de* 的.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠你画的房子在哪里？ | Nǐ huà de fángzi zài nǎlǐ? | Where is the house you painted? |
| 🗺️画里有个公园，公园在哪儿？ | Huà lǐ yǒu gè gōngyuán, gōngyuán zài nǎr? | There’s a park in the painting, where is the park? |
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𝐋𝐢̆𝐰𝐞̆𝐧̆ 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬
Mandarin uses descriptive (defining) clauses placed before nouns and linked by de 的 to specify which person or thing is meant. These clauses can include verbs, adjectives, or other particles that provide necessary detail.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🖼️我喜欢那个画花的艺术家。 | Wǒ xǐhuan nàgè huà huā de yìshùjiā. | I like the artist who paints flowers. |
| 🎨画得漂亮的人是老师。 | Huà de piàoliang de rén shì lǎoshī. | The person who paints beautifully is the teacher. |
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O𝐟𝐟𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬
Non-defining (offset) relative information is often expressed with separate sentences, pauses, or added phrases rather than embedded clauses. Mandarin relies on context and intonation to set these apart.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🧑🏫老师，画得很细的，是我的朋友。 | Lǎoshī, huà dé hěn xì de, shì wǒ de péngyǒu. | The teacher, who paints very finely, is my friend. |
| 🖼️那幅画，颜色很鲜艳，是邻居画的。 | Nà fú huà, yánsè hěn xiānyàn, shì línjū huà de. | That painting, with very bright colors, was done by a neighbor. |
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Summary
Relative pronouns as found in English do not have one-to-one equivalents in Mandarin; instead, use descriptive clauses plus de 的 to link modifiers to nouns. Questions can use shéi 谁, shénme 什么, and place words like nǎlǐ 哪里 to introduce relative information.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025