Put the description before the noun

Hanzi Tools · Learning guide · Updated 6 November 2026

Chinese noun modifiers usually precede the noun. A longer describing phrase is commonly connected with 的.

Compare the examples

没有手机的朋友

a friend who does not have a mobile phone

学校旁边的咖啡店

the café beside the school

Try it yourself

Which means “the book I bought yesterday”?

1. 我昨天买的书
2. 书我买的昨天

Practise in context

Write a sentence about something that happened to you, using this pattern. Keep the first version short so you can check the word order. Then change one part, such as the time, person or object, and compare what the new sentence means.

Use the grammar exercises for another comparison. You can paste your example into the Chinese reader to check words and pinyin. An automatic reading is a reference; it cannot settle every question of meaning or naturalness.