Ordering Multiple 的-Phrases | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

Once you can build a single attributive 的-phrase, the natural next question is: what happens when several modifiers pile up in front of one noun — a possessor, a quantity, and a description all at once? Chinese answers with a stable, predictable order, and — the part that trips everyone up — only certain layers carry 的. The showcase phrase is 我的那两本很有意思的书, "those two very interesting books of mine." It has four modifiers and exactly two 的. Learn which slots take 的 and which never do, and even long stacked noun phrases become mechanical.

The fixed order of slots

Stacked modifiers line up in this sequence, from farthest-from-the-noun to nearest:

Slot	Function	Example	Takes 的?
1	Possessive / relative clause	我的, 妈妈做的	yes
2	Demonstrative + number + measure	那两本, 这三个	no
3	Descriptive / qualitative adjective	很有意思的, 红色的	yes
4	Head noun	书	—

So 我的 (slot 1) + 那两本 (slot 2) + 很有意思的 (slot 3) + 书 (slot 4) assembles into 我的那两本很有意思的书. Ownership and quantity lead; the qualitative description sits nearest the noun. Note the two crucial no-的 facts: the demonstrative (这/那) and the number + measure (两本) never take 的.

我的那两本很有意思的书借给他了。

wǒ de nà liǎng běn hěn yǒuyìsi de shū jiè gěi tā le

I lent him those two very interesting books of mine. (informal) — 我的 + 那两本 + 很有意思的 + 书, exactly two 的.

这件红色的毛衣是新买的。

zhè jiàn hóngsè de máoyī shì xīn mǎi de

This red sweater is newly bought. (informal) — 这件 (no 的) + 红色的 (的) + 毛衣.

他的那个很有名的公司去年上市了。

tā de nàge hěn yǒumíng de gōngsī qùnián shàngshì le

That famous company of his went public last year. (neutral) — 他的 + 那个 + 很有名的 + 公司.

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Only two layers ever take 的: the possessive / relative-clause layer (slot 1) and the descriptive-adjective layer (slot 3). The demonstrative-number-measure layer in between (slot 2: 那两本) is a 的-free zone.

A relative clause in slot 1

Slot 1 is not limited to a possessive pronoun — a whole relative clause can occupy it. That clause still comes first, before the demonstrative and number, and the qualitative adjective still hugs the noun.

妈妈做的那些好吃的菜都被我们吃光了。

māma zuò de nàxiē hǎochī de cài dōu bèi wǒmen chī guāng le

All those delicious dishes mom made got eaten up by us. (informal) — 妈妈做的 (clause) + 那些 + 好吃的 + 菜.

我买的那件蓝色的外套很暖和。

wǒ mǎi de nà jiàn lánsè de wàitào hěn nuǎnhuo

That blue coat I bought is very warm. (informal) — 我买的 (clause) + 那件 + 蓝色的 + 外套.

Read either phrase slot by slot and the logic is clear: who owns/made it → which and how many → what it's like → the thing itself. There is a rough semantic logic to the sequence: the outer layers pin down which referent you mean (whose, which ones, how many — the identifying information), while the layer nearest the noun describes what kind it is (the qualitative content). English actually shares the front half of this instinct — we say those two interesting books, determiner then number then adjective — but English has no room for a possessive and a relative clause both stacked in front, so it exports them to the back (those two interesting books of mine that I bought). Chinese keeps everything in front, which is why the phrase can grow long before the noun finally arrives.

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Assemble the stack from the noun outward: start with 书, add the description (很有意思的书), add quantity (那两本很有意思的书), add the owner (我的那两本很有意思的书). Building outward from the noun keeps the slots in the right order and shows you exactly where each 的 goes.

Dropping 的 in the stack

The same drop rules still apply inside a stack. A possessive pronoun sitting directly before a demonstrative often drops its 的 in casual speech (我那两本书 alongside 我的那两本书), and a bare single-syllable adjective in slot 3 needs no 的 (好朋友, not 好的朋友).

我那三个好朋友都来了。

wǒ nà sān ge hǎo péngyou dōu lái le

All three of my good friends came. (informal) — 我 drops 的 before 那, and 好 (monosyllable) takes none.

这是我在北京买的那件外套。

zhè shì wǒ zài Běijīng mǎi de nà jiàn wàitào

This is that coat I bought in Beijing. (neutral) — relative clause 我在北京买的 + 那件 + 外套.

Common Mistakes

1. Putting 的 on the demonstrative. 这/那 never takes 的.

❌ 那的两本书

Incorrect — the demonstrative takes no 的: 那两本书.

✅ 那两本书

nà liǎng běn shū

those two books — 那 + 两本 + 书, no 的.

2. Putting 的 after the measure word. The number + measure block (两本) links directly to the noun.

❌ 两本的书

Incorrect — no 的 between the measure word and the noun: 两本书.

✅ 两本书

liǎng běn shū

two books — 两本书, no 的.

3. Dropping the descriptive layer's 的. The qualitative adjective in slot 3 keeps its 的.

❌ 我的那两本很有意思书

Incorrect — 很有意思 is a modified adjective and needs 的: 很有意思的书.

✅ 我的那两本很有意思的书

wǒ de nà liǎng běn hěn yǒuyìsi de shū

those two very interesting books of mine — the descriptive 很有意思的 keeps 的.

4. Mis-ordering the slots. Ownership and quantity lead; the description hugs the noun, never the other way round.

❌ 很有意思的我的两本书

Wrong order — the possessive leads and the description sits nearest the noun: 我的那两本很有意思的书.

✅ 我的那两本很有意思的书

wǒ de nà liǎng běn hěn yǒuyìsi de shū

those two very interesting books of mine — correct slot order.

Key Takeaways

Stacked modifiers follow a fixed order: possessive / relative clause → demonstrative + number + measure → descriptive adjective → noun.
Only two slots take 的: the possessive / clause layer and the descriptive-adjective layer. 我的那两本很有意思的书 has exactly two.
The demonstrative (这/那) and the number + measure (两本) never take 的.
A relative clause can fill the leading slot: 妈妈做的那些好吃的菜.
Normal drop rules still apply inside the stack — 我那两本书, 好朋友 — and remember 两, never 二, before a measure word.

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