地 as an Adverb Marker: Why It Cannot Be Counted

The same verses, in full

Easiest first: ranked by how much of each verse sits at or below HSK 1, the point’s own level. Colours are tones. Nothing here was written for the page — every line is in the text.

• 你nǐ要yào赶紧gǎn jǐn地de到dào我wǒ这里zhè lǐ来lái。

  Be diligent to come to me soon,

  2 Timothy 4:9 · 88% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 他们tā men就jiù忧愁yōu chóu起来qǐ lái，一个yí ge一个yí ge地de问wèn他tā说shuō：「是shì我wǒ吗ma？」

  They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, “Surely not I?” And another said, “Surely not I?”

  Mark 14:19 · 77% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 他们tā men还是hái shi不住bú zhù地de问wèn他tā，耶稣yē sū就jiù直zhí起qǐ腰yāo来lái，对duì他们tā men说shuō：「你们nǐ men中间zhōng jiān谁shuí是shì没有méi yǒu罪zuì的de，谁shuí就jiù可以kě yǐ先xiān拿ná石头shí tou打dǎ她tā。」

  But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”

  John 8:7 · 77% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 我wǒ就jiù明明míng míng地de告诉gào sù他们tā men说shuō：『我wǒ从来不cóng lái bú认识rèn shi你们nǐ men，你们nǐ men这些zhè xiē作恶zuò è的de人rén，离开lí kāi我去wǒ qù吧ba！』」

  Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

  Matthew 7:23 · 74% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 我wǒ曾céng急促jí cù地de说shuō： 人rén都dōu是shì说谎shuō huǎng的de！

  I said in my haste, “All people are liars.”

  Psalms 116:11 · 70% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 他们tā men说shuō：「你nǐ是shì疯fēng了le！」使shǐ女nǚ极力jí lì地de说shuō：「真是zhēn shi他tā！」他们tā men说shuō：「必bì是shì他tā的de天使tiān shǐ！」

  They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”

  Acts 12:15 · 70% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

What the Bible does with it

地 read de turns a description into a manner adverb: 欢欢喜喜地歌颂, praised joyfully; 远远地站, stood at a distance. Read dì, the same character is earth or land, and in a book full of the land of Canaan and the land of Edom that is by far the commoner word.

The Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified) uses 地 2,972 times. 2,507 of those occurrences are the same words doing something else.

The rule is: 地 read de — the adverbial particle — with a word before it and a word with a verb sense after it, inside the clause. 30 of its 465 matches were drawn at random and checked one by one; 100% were right. Recall is not measured, so the figure is what this rule finds, not everything the translation contains.

This page exists in the state it is in rather than not existing. Every other page in this section prints a number; this one prints the rule, the checked sample and the reason the number is missing, because a figure that would be wrong is worse than a page that says so. The examples below were picked by hand from matches that were confirmed.

Questions

How do I tell the two apart when reading?

By what surrounds it. Adverbial 地 follows a description — often a doubled one like 欢欢喜喜 or 远远 — and is followed by a verb. The noun follows a place name: 迦南地, 以东地.

How often does it occur in the Chinese Bible?

465 clauses in the Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified), out of 2,972 occurrences of the words that mark it.

Which book of the Bible uses it most?

John, with 38 — followed by Luke (33), Mark (30), 1 Samuel (28).

How do you know the count is right?

The rule is: 地 read de — the adverbial particle — with a word before it and a word with a verb sense after it, inside the clause. 30 of its 465 matches were drawn at random and checked one by one; 100% were right. Recall is not measured, so the figure is what this rule finds, not everything the translation contains.

Related reference pages

• 的 — the attributive particle
• 得 — the degree complement, in full