<p>The example in the question, 这句话怪怪的。= This sentence is weird.</p>
<p>怪怪的 (weird) is an adjective. The word 是 (to be) is often omitted. The noun after the adjective is omitted too. The complete sentence would be，</p>
<p>这句话是一句怪怪的话。= This sentence is a weird sentence.</p>
<p><strong>的</strong> is typically used to form an adjective. For example,</p>
<p>这个苹果是红色的。 = This apple is red. The word 红色 is a noun. 红色的 is an adjective.</p>
<p>Added comments on &quot;<strong>nominalization</strong>&quot;.</p>
<p>The term &quot;nominalization&quot; is a method in <strong>English</strong> grammar to convert a verb or adjective into a <strong>noun</strong> with a suffix. For example, &quot;statement&quot; and &quot;assumption&quot;. Words that end in -ment, -ion, -ence, -ance, -ity, -ent, -ant, and -ancy, are often nominalizations.</p>
<p>Another situation is &quot;nominalized adjective&quot; with the definite article &quot;<strong>the</strong>&quot;. For example, &quot;<strong>The rich</strong> get richer and <strong>the poor</strong> get poorer&quot;.</p>
<p>In Chinese, <strong>的</strong> is used to make an <strong>adjective</strong> (adjectivization, or adjectivalization)。 It can be seen as a suffix attached to a noun, a verb, or another adjective.</p>
<p><strong>富的</strong>更富，<strong>穷的</strong>更穷。= 富人越来越富，穷人越来越穷。= <strong>富的人</strong>变得越来越富，<strong>穷的人</strong>变得越来越穷。</p>
<p>My understanding is that the real noun <strong>人</strong> is simply omitted in the first sentence. It makes the adjective 富的 look like a noun, but it is not.</p>
<p>In English, &quot;Purposeful omission is the leaving out of particular nonessential details that can be assumed by the reader (if used in literature), according to the context and attitudes/gestures made by the characters in the stories&quot;.</p>
<p>See wiki/Nominalization <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominalization" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a></p>
<p>see wiki/Nominalized adjective <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominalized_adjective#:%7E:text=A%20nominalized%20adjective%20is%20an,are%20rich%20and%20poor%20respectively." rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a></p>
<p>See wiki/Adjectivization <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adjectivization" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a></p>
<p>See wiki/Purposeful Omission <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purposeful_omission" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T21:35:30.300Z
In terms of the OP's question, your answer is that it's nominalizing (i.e., 怪怪的 is a noun phrase where the modified noun had been omitted).
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-16T00:27:08.047Z
@StumpyJoePete Can you elaborate/make an example on "nominalizing"? The meanings and uses of 怪 are here - https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E6%80%AA
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-16T00:57:57.083Z
@StumpyJoePete 怪怪的话 is a noun phrase.  In 这句话怪怪的, the last (second) noun 话 had been omitted, and also the verb 是 is also omitted, from 这句话是怪怪的话. Does it make sense?
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-16T04:30:10.943Z
Consider the sentence "我喜欢甜的" (imagine if someone asked if you like 粽子). The subject of the sentence is the noun phrase 我. The rest of the sentence is a verb phrase, made up of a verb (喜欢) and the direct object, which is a noun phrase. What is it that you like? The sweet ones. 甜的. You can break that noun phrase down further, if you'd like, into 甜 + 的 + {a spot where a noun should be, but it has been elided}. In basically any case where you use 的 without a following noun, the whole phrase acts like a noun. Hence nominalizing.
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-16T04:36:44.373Z
Also, nominalization can be used to describe grammatical phenomena in many languages. Here's an example in Japanese (one of the cases uses の, which shares some of the functions that 的 serves in Chinese): https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/nominalizers-koto-and-no/
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T21:06:42.820Z
2023-04-17T03:54:26.070Z
2023-04-17T03:54:26.070Z
PdotWang
<p>我觉得这句话哪里<strong>怪怪的</strong> - Somewhere in the sentence I felt <strong>weird</strong>.</p>
<p>他看起來<strong>怪怪的</strong> - He looked <strong>weird</strong>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T14:15:01.300Z
So is it a nominalization or an emphasis?
ToniToni
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T17:38:18.767Z
The verb in this sentence is 觉得, not 怪, and 怪怪的 is an adjective rather than a noun, so nominalization is out. It seems to me "emphasis" is the right choice. 乖乖的, 靜靜的, and 悄悄的 are some similar terms.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T18:46:28.737Z
How come 怪怪的 can't be a noun? Like weird one.
ToniToni
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T22:09:23.807Z
Weird is an adjective. It can be replaced by "strange", another adjective.  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/weird
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-16T00:05:32.753Z
怪 is a noun when used in naming the devil, weird animals, or a weird person - 鬼怪, 怪獸, 怪人/物. It is an adjective when describing strange/weird/odd behaviors or looks.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T13:06:45.700Z
2023-04-15T13:06:45.700Z
r13
<p>我觉得这句话哪里怪怪的</p>
<p>I guess 的 can be nominalizing since it would be something weird. But every time I see 的 by itself at the end of a ssntemce I struggle to tell whether or not it's emphasizing since I'vs heard 是 can be removed in the. 是 的 construction.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-15T21:37:50.737Z
I think the 是…的 construction is also technically nominalizing. The reason grammar texts talk about it as emphasis is that it allows you to rearrange sentences to move the property of your choice to center stage
Stumpy Joe Pete
<grammar><particles><adjectives>
Is 的 Here An Emphasis or Just A Nominalization
# Is 的 Here An Emphasis or Just A Nominalization

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-04-15)

我觉得这句话哪里怪怪的

I guess 的 can be nominalizing since it would be something weird. But every time I see 的 by itself at the end of a ssntemce I struggle to tell whether or not it's emphasizing since I'vs heard 是 can be removed in the. 是 的 construction.

**Tags:** grammar, particles, adjectives

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think the 是…的 construction is also technically nominalizing. The reason grammar texts talk about it as emphasis is that it allows you to rearrange sentences to move the property of your choice to center stage  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-04-15. Score: 3

The example in the question, 这句话怪怪的。= This sentence is weird.

怪怪的 (weird) is an adjective. The word 是 (to be) is often omitted. The noun after the adjective is omitted too. The complete sentence would be，

这句话是一句怪怪的话。= This sentence is a weird sentence.

**的** is typically used to form an adjective. For example,

这个苹果是红色的。 = This apple is red. The word 红色 is a noun. 红色的 is an adjective.

Added comments on "**nominalization**".

The term "nominalization" is a method in **English** grammar to convert a verb or adjective into a **noun** with a suffix. For example, "statement" and "assumption". Words that end in -ment, -ion, -ence, -ance, -ity, -ent, -ant, and -ancy, are often nominalizations.

Another situation is "nominalized adjective" with the definite article "**the**". For example, "**The rich** get richer and **the poor** get poorer".

In Chinese, **的** is used to make an **adjective** (adjectivization, or adjectivalization)。 It can be seen as a suffix attached to a noun, a verb, or another adjective.

**富的**更富，**穷的**更穷。= 富人越来越富，穷人越来越穷。= **富的人**变得越来越富，**穷的人**变得越来越穷。

My understanding is that the real noun **人** is simply omitted in the first sentence. It makes the adjective 富的 look like a noun, but it is not.

In English, "Purposeful omission is the leaving out of particular nonessential details that can be assumed by the reader (if used in literature), according to the context and attitudes/gestures made by the characters in the stories".

See wiki/Nominalization [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominalization)

see wiki/Nominalized adjective [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominalized_adjective#:%7E:text=A%20nominalized%20adjective%20is%20an,are%20rich%20and%20poor%20respectively.)

See wiki/Adjectivization [here](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adjectivization)

See wiki/Purposeful Omission [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purposeful_omission)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: In terms of the OP's question, your answer is that it's nominalizing (i.e., 怪怪的 is a noun phrase where the modified noun had been omitted).  
> **username_3**: @StumpyJoePete Can you elaborate/make an example on "nominalizing"? The meanings and uses of 怪 are here - https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E6%80%AA  
> **username_2**: @StumpyJoePete 怪怪的话 is a noun phrase.  In 这句话怪怪的, the last (second) noun 话 had been omitted, and also the verb 是 is also omitted, from 这句话是怪怪的话. Does it make sense?  
> **username_1**: Consider the sentence "我喜欢甜的" (imagine if someone asked if you like 粽子). The subject of the sentence is the noun phrase 我. The rest of the sentence is a verb phrase, made up of a verb (喜欢) and the direct object, which is a noun phrase. What is it that you like? The sweet ones. 甜的. You can break that noun phrase down further, if you'd like, into 甜 + 的 + {a spot where a noun should be, but it has been elided}. In basically any case where you use 的 without a following noun, the whole phrase acts like a noun. Hence nominalizing.  
> **username_1**: Also, nominalization can be used to describe grammatical phenomena in many languages. Here's an example in Japanese (one of the cases uses の, which shares some of the functions that 的 serves in Chinese): https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/nominalizers-koto-and-no/  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-04-15. Score: 0

我觉得这句话哪里**怪怪的** - Somewhere in the sentence I felt **weird**.

他看起來**怪怪的** - He looked **weird**.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So is it a nominalization or an emphasis?  
> **username_3**: The verb in this sentence is 觉得, not 怪, and 怪怪的 is an adjective rather than a noun, so nominalization is out. It seems to me "emphasis" is the right choice. 乖乖的, 靜靜的, and 悄悄的 are some similar terms.  
> **username_0**: How come 怪怪的 can't be a noun? Like weird one.  
> **username_3**: Weird is an adjective. It can be replaced by "strange", another adjective.  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/weird  
> **username_3**: 怪 is a noun when used in naming the devil, weird animals, or a weird person - 鬼怪, 怪獸, 怪人/物. It is an adjective when describing strange/weird/odd behaviors or looks.  

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