Almost everyday and everywhere, we heard someone praising a wife by saying: “她很体贴先生。” or "她是一个体贴先生的太太。" If it is wrong, why people kept on using it?
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1I wonder who said it's wrong. I don't think it's wrong.– joehuaCommented Oct 4, 2020 at 3:18
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4 Answers
体贴 can be a verb or an adjective. So which one is it in 体贴先生? It feels to be a verb so it's a verb + noun phrase. But no, the missing subject makes the phrase incomplete in meaning. Why is it not interpreted as an adjective? A 的 is missing in the middle.
Yes, 的 is not necessary in some cases, e.g. 漂亮小姐 is fine because 漂亮 can't be a verb. How the word is used mostly affects how people interpret, and unusual ones will be strange to native people.
In both of your example sentences 体贴 is used as a verb.
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体贴先生 is a noun, as in "他是一個体贴先生". It is adjective, if add 的 to the sentence as in "他是一個体贴的先生". 体贴 is a verb, such as in “她很体贴她的先生".– r13Commented Mar 30, 2021 at 0:14
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@r13 Yes 体贴先生 can be a compound noun but people just won't feel that way. "他是一個体贴先生" doesn't sound native either.– lilydjwgCommented Mar 30, 2021 at 15:57
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This the native speaking: "他是一個体贴的先生", 体贴的 is adjective, which describes the noun "先生". "他是一個体贴先生", 体贴先生 is compound noun here. Both can be used when introduce a friend's husband to another friend. The former is more formal/complete than the latter, but both are fine, and used frequently.– r13Commented Mar 30, 2021 at 16:24
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I don't really think it is wrong.
她很体贴先生。
Its translation should be: She cares about her husband very much.
她是一个体贴先生的太太。
Its translation should be: She is a wife who cares about her husband.
"体贴" is a verb, and it means "细心忖度别人的心情和处境，给予关切、照顾". For example, "体贴入微" "他很会体贴人". (quoted from "Modern Chinese Dictionary"). Sometimes it can be used as a adjective, like the examples in @Tang Ho 's answer.
体贴的 is an adjective for 'considerate'. There is nothing wrong with '体贴(的)先生' with 的 omitted
BTW, 体贴 is also a verb for "show consideration for". Using a verb or noun in an adjective role is a common practice in any language
For example, The Host of 品城記 has a nickname 吃雞小王子 (Chicken eating little prince)-- 吃雞(eat chicken) is a verb; the former tennis champion Steffi Graf was nicknamed "Miss Forehand" (正手小姐) by John McEnroe -- 正手 is a noun
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体贴的 is not an adjective in Chinese grammar. It's a 的 phrase that's often used to interpret adjective in English. 体贴先生, if not a name, sounds stilted. 体贴的先生 is fine.– danCommented Oct 3, 2020 at 3:13
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You are arguing 的 in 体贴的先生 should not be omitted, but people do omit 的 often in day-to-day conversation.– Tang Ho ♦Commented Oct 3, 2020 at 3:21
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not always, sometimes you can, sometimes not. There's no rule about it. E. g. 坚强的人， 坚强人 is bit off. 顽强的中国人民，not 顽强中国人民.– danCommented Oct 3, 2020 at 3:30
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Is 体贴 limited to intimate relationship? For instance, can I say "老师对学生很体贴"? Commented Mar 2, 2021 at 14:33
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1@starckman Yes, you can. That sentence is pretty normal. But if you say 上司对员工很体贴, it might suggest that the 上司 is expressing love to the 员工.– lilydjwgCommented Mar 29, 2021 at 15:41
体贴先生 standalone doesn't look right because it suggests that 体贴 is an adjective.
In the sentences “她很体贴先生。” or "她是一个体贴先生的太太。", 体贴 is used as a verb.
So, 体贴 can't be used as an adjective but a verb.
P. S. 体贴 looks like an adjective in 她很体贴. But体贴先生 itself looks more like a verbal phrase without a subject, which suggests an incomplete sentence.
