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I am trying to translate the text of the new practical Chinese reader 2 chap 17, and I got stuck on the following two phrases "你要的衣服还没买。" and "你要的旗袍呢？" The context are two people buying clothes in a shop. I have heard that the 的 particle can also be used for "adjective clauses", is this the case here?

I appreciate all the help.

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    "你要旗袍呢？" sounds odd. Are you sure it is not "你要(的)旗袍呢？", "你要旗袍呢(!)" , or "你要旗袍(嗎)?"
    – Tang Ho ♦
    Sep 7, 2021 at 11:29
  • Yes, my apologies there is indeed a 的 that is missing. I updated the question.
    – Philippe1123
    Sep 7, 2021 at 15:14

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  • 你要衣服 (noun + verb + object) = you need/ want clothes

  • 你要旗袍 (noun + verb + object) = you need/ want cheongsam

The verb applies an action to the object

I have heard that the 的 particle can also be used for "adjective clauses", is this the case here?

Yes, 的 turns the noun + verb phrase 你要 into an adjective phrase that describes the noun e.g. 衣服，旗袍

  • 你要的衣服 (adjective phrase + object) = the clothes that you need / want

  • 你要的旗袍 (adjective phrase + object) = the cheongsam that you need/ want

  • 你要的衣服还没买 = the clothes that you need/ want hasn't been bought yet

  • 你要的旗袍呢? = how about / where is the cheongsam that you need/ want?

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  • Thank you, this helped a lot!
    – Philippe1123
    Sep 12, 2021 at 9:45
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Tang Ho's comment hits the main problem of the second sentence. Here is the translation after correction:

You haven't purchased (chosen) the cloth you wanted yet. Where is the 旗袍 (traditional dress) you wanted?

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