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得

de

Old HSK 2 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character

得 (de) means "(structural particle after verb)". It is an HSK 3.0 level 2 word, and was HSK 2 in the old six-level list.

What 得 means

1. structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc

How 得 is used in grammar

得 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Degree Complements: 动词+得+形容词 (runs fast, plays happily) (HSK 2)
• Structural Particle 得: State Complement (HSK 2)
• Extended Comparison Patterns: A比B V得Adj (HSK 3)
• Potential Complements: V+得/不+V/Adj (HSK 3)
• Degree complement: V得+predicate (HSK 4)
• 得 (děi): obligation must (HSK 4)
• Potential complements: V得/不C (HSK 4)
• Degree & State Complements: 不得了、坏了、得+phrase (HSK 5)
• Potential Complements: V+得/不得 (HSK 5)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 2, particles (结构助词); level 3, verbs (能愿动词).

Other readings

得 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• déto obtain; to get; to gain
• dèused in {得瑟|dè se}
• děito have to; must; ought to

Example sentences

• 要得
  Yàodé
  It is feasible.
• 要得。
  It is feasible.
• 跑得飞快
  Pǎo de fēikuài
  Run very fast.
• 问得好。
  Good question!
• 做得好！
  Well done!
• 想得好!
  Good thinking!

Words starting with 得

• 得到dé dàoto get; to obtain; to receive
• 得意dé yìproud of oneself; pleased with oneself; complacent
• 得罪dé zuìto commit an offense; to violate the law; excuse me! (formal)
• 得力dé lìable; capable; competent
• 得天独厚dé tiān dú hòublessed by heaven (idiom); enjoying exceptional advantages; favored by nature
• 得不偿失dé bù cháng shīthe gains do not make up for the losses (idiom)
• 得了dé leall right!; that's enough!
• 得知dé zhīto find out; to learn of
• 得以dé yǐable to; so that sb can; enabling
• 得出dé chūto obtain (a result); to arrive at (a conclusion)
• 得分dé fēnto score a point (in a competition, test etc); score; rating; grade
• 得体dé tǐappropriate to the occasion; fitting
• 得名dé míngto get one's name; named (after sth)
• 得失dé shīgains and losses; success and failure; merits and demerits
• 得主dé zhǔrecipient (of an award); winner (in a competition)
• 得手dé shǒuto go smoothly; to come off; to succeed
• 得奖dé jiǎngto win a prize
• 得益dé yìto derive benefit
• 得当dé dàngappropriate; suitable
• 得法dé fǎ(doing sth) in the right way; suitable; properly
• 得意洋洋dé yì yáng yángjoyfully satisfied; to be immensely proud of oneself; proudly
• 得逞dé chěngto prevail; to have one's way; to get away with it
• 得病dé bìngto fall ill; to contract a disease
• 得救dé jiùto be saved

Words containing 得

• 觉得jué deto think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc)
• 记得jì deto remember
• 获得huò déto obtain; to receive; to get
• 值得zhí deworth the money; to merit; to deserve; to be worth (doing sth)
• 不得不bù dé bùhave no choice or option but to; cannot but; have to
• 来得及lái de jíto have enough time; can do it in time; can still make it
• 显得xiǎn deto seem; to look; to appear
• 不得bù démust not; may not; not to be allowed
• 舍不得shě bu deto hate to do sth; to hate to part with; to begrudge
• 不得了bù dé liǎodesperately serious; disastrous; extremely
• 怪不得guài bu deno wonder!; so that's why!
• 不见得bù jiàn denot necessarily; not likely
• 取得qǔ déto acquire; to get; to obtain
• 难得nán déseldom; rare; hard to come by
• 心得xīn déwhat one has learned (through experience, reading etc); knowledge; insight
• 恨不得hèn bu dewishing one could do sth; to hate to be unable; itching to do sth
• 免得miǎn deso as not to; so as to avoid
• 不得已bù dé yǐto act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to
• 巴不得bā bu de(colloquial) to be eager for; to long for; to look forward to
• 一举两得yī jǔ liǎng dé(lit.) one action, two gains (idiom); (fig.) two birds with one stone
• 不由得bù yóu decan't help; cannot but
• 使得shǐ deusable; serviceable; feasible; workable; doable; to make; to cause; to bring about
• 懂得dǒng deto understand; to know; to comprehend
• 赢得yíng déto win; to gain

Characters that look like 得

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 移yíto move; to shift; to change
• 棉miángeneric term for cotton or kapok; cotton; padded or quilted with cotton
• 筛shāi(bound form) a sieve; to sieve; to sift; to filter; to eliminate through selection
• 捍hànto ward off (a blow); to withstand; to defend
• 蒋Jiǎngsurname Jiang; Chiang Kai-shek 蒋介石
• 痔zhìpiles; hemorrhoid

Sounds the same

Read de, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 的of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)…
• 地-ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding…
• 底(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)

Where 得 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Conjunctions and Discourse Adverbs (HSK 2), HSK 2 Characters · Set 2 (HSK 2), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 2 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read de correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.