<p>...什么颜色 or ...什么颜色的 may both be used. However, their constructed sentence have different analytical structures in the grammatical sense.</p>

<p>In your <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/38617/meaning-of-%e7%9a%84-in-%e5%8f%aa%e6%9c%89%e4%b8%89%e4%b8%aa%e5%be%97%e6%bb%a1%e5%88%86%e7%9a%84">other question</a>, you may have already seen an example of Chinese grammar, that some words are <strong>implied</strong>.</p>

<p>The two complete sentences are as follows:</p>

<p>你的眼睛是什麼顏色？ What color are your eyes? <strong>什麼顏色 acts as a noun</strong></p>

<p>你的眼睛是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？ What color(ed eyes) are your eyes? <strong>什麼顏色 acts as an adjective</strong></p>

<hr>

<p>Here I analyze them using grammatical concepts.</p>

<p><strong>Step 1</strong>:</p>

<pre><code>/-Subject-\/-Predicate-\         &lt;--- Step 1
  你的眼睛    是什麼顏色？

/-Subject-\/--Predicate---\      &lt;--- Step 1
  你的眼睛  是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？
</code></pre>

<p><strong>Step 2 &amp; 3</strong>:</p>

<pre><code>/--Subject--\/-Predicate-\            &lt;--- Step 1
/-M-\   /-H-\/-P-\ /--O--\            &lt;--- Step 2
  你  的 眼睛   是   什麼顏色？

/--Subject--\/-----Predicate------\   &lt;--- Step 1
/-M-\   /-H-\/-P-\ /------O-------\   &lt;--- Step 2
|   |   |   ||   | /--M--\    /-H-\   &lt;--- Step 3
  你  的 眼睛   是   什麼顏色 的 (眼睛)？

M: Modifier
H: Head
P: Predicator
O: Object
</code></pre>

<p>Here we see a pattern: (Modifier)的(Head). Modifier is a fragment that describes the Head. For example: </p>

<ul>
<li>(你)的(眼睛). Eyes -> whose eyes? -> your eyes</li>
<li>(什麼顏色)的(眼睛). Eyes -> how are the eyes? -> What colored eyes</li>
</ul>

<p>As you can see, the two questions are asking for different answers. </p>

<ul>
<li>你的眼睛是什麼顏色？asks for the color</li>
<li>你的眼睛是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？ asks for the eyes in what color</li>
</ul>

<p>And so, the conversation should be as follows:</p>

<pre><code>Q: 你的眼睛是什麼顏色？ What color are your eyes?
A: 黑色。 Black.
</code></pre>

<pre><code>Q: 你的眼睛是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？ What color(ed eyes) are your eyes?
A: 黑色的(眼睛)。 Black color(ed eyes). 的 is necessary
</code></pre>

<hr>

<p>Side note, you may also reverse the order of the question:</p>

<pre><code>Q: 你的眼睛是什麼顏色? -&gt; 你(的)眼睛的顏色是什麼? (We take out all but the last 的 in common situations, but the modifier behavior is still here.)
A: 黑色。
</code></pre>

<p>These two sentences are pretty much the same. Analytically, both are still asking for the color quality of "your eyes".</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-11T08:16:54.727Z
2020-04-11T08:34:53.860Z
2020-04-11T08:34:53.860Z
Daniel Cheung
<p>Both of 什麼顏色 or 什麼顏色的 can be used. Because you can expected to get the answer both of 黑色 or 黑色的 no matter whether your question include 的 or not(assume that answerer have black eyes.) In this kind of situation, 的 can be included or not included.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-08T23:13:33.793Z
2020-04-08T23:13:33.793Z
000
<p>你的眼睛是什么颜色=你的眼睛是什么颜色(的)</p>

<p>I thick 的 is not necessary.In formal rather we do not say 甚麼顏色的, We usually say 甚麼顏色.</p>

<p>In case of we you usually say "color+的" to describe the color of an object. So it can let few people add 的 behind the question.You heard 甚麼顏色的 may result in this.</p>

<p>的 can be more colloquial</p>

<p><strong>Same pattern</strong></p>

<p>Which department are you studying</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>你是讀哪一所門科系? 你是讀哪一所大學的?(less use or verbal)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Where are you from?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>你從哪裡來?你從哪裡來的?(less use or verbal) </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-08T16:58:52.490Z
2020-04-08T16:58:52.490Z
jack chiou
<p>Let's convert the question to a statement:</p>

<ul>
<li>你的眼睛是什么颜色？ -> 我的眼睛是红色。 (x)</li>
</ul>

<p>The answer question may be confusing. The sentence may be simplified into 眼睛是红色. Since 眼睛 may not be a color, the sentence is incorrect. You should say 我的眼睛是红色的 instead. Due to the same reason, the question should be 你的眼睛是什么颜色的？</p>

<hr>

<p>我分辨不出这是什么颜色</p>

<p>This one is correct. It can be converted into 这是绿色, which is perfect valid statement. 这 may be a reference to color.</p>

<p>But when you say 我分辨不出这朵花是什么颜色的, you should include 的 at the end of statement as discussed above.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-11T08:30:17.963Z
I disagree with your reasoning. Please see my answer. Although asking and answering with 的 is more commonly used, ones without should also be grammatically correct. Because you can reverse the order 你的眼睛是什麼顏色? -> 你眼睛的顏色是什麼? These two sentences are pretty much identical.
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-13T01:36:50.863Z
@DanielCheung Your second example is correct. It would answer 颜色是绿色 and is valid as what I discussed above. But that doesn't mean the first one is correct.
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-09T03:35:45.017Z
2020-04-09T03:35:45.017Z
tsh
<p>I read many examples asking about the color of something. <strong>So, about the color, should "什么颜色" or "什么颜色的" be used?</strong></p>

<p>你的眼睛是什么颜色？What color are your eyes?</p>

<p>橙子是什么颜色的？ What color are oranges?  </p>

<p>我分辨不出这是什么颜色。 I can't tell what colour it is.</p>

<word>
Question with "什么颜色" or "什么颜色的"
# Question with "什么颜色" or "什么颜色的"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-08)

I read many examples asking about the color of something. **So, about the color, should "什么颜色" or "什么颜色的" be used?**

你的眼睛是什么颜色？What color are your eyes?

橙子是什么颜色的？ What color are oranges?

我分辨不出这是什么颜色。 I can't tell what colour it is.

**Tags:** word


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-04-11. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

...什么颜色 or ...什么颜色的 may both be used. However, their constructed sentence have different analytical structures in the grammatical sense.

In your [other question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/38617/meaning-of-%e7%9a%84-in-%e5%8f%aa%e6%9c%89%e4%b8%89%e4%b8%aa%e5%be%97%e6%bb%a1%e5%88%86%e7%9a%84), you may have already seen an example of Chinese grammar, that some words are **implied**.

The two complete sentences are as follows:

你的眼睛是什麼顏色？ What color are your eyes? **什麼顏色 acts as a noun**

你的眼睛是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？ What color(ed eyes) are your eyes? **什麼顏色 acts as an adjective**

---

Here I analyze them using grammatical concepts.

**Step 1**:

```
/-Subject-\/-Predicate-\         <--- Step 1
  你的眼睛    是什麼顏色？

/-Subject-\/--Predicate---\      <--- Step 1
  你的眼睛  是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？

```

**Step 2 & 3**:

```
/--Subject--\/-Predicate-\            <--- Step 1
/-M-\   /-H-\/-P-\ /--O--\            <--- Step 2
  你  的 眼睛   是   什麼顏色？

/--Subject--\/-----Predicate------\   <--- Step 1
/-M-\   /-H-\/-P-\ /------O-------\   <--- Step 2
|   |   |   ||   | /--M--\    /-H-\   <--- Step 3
  你  的 眼睛   是   什麼顏色 的 (眼睛)？

M: Modifier
H: Head
P: Predicator
O: Object

```

Here we see a pattern: (Modifier)的(Head). Modifier is a fragment that describes the Head. For example:

* (你)的(眼睛). Eyes -> whose eyes? -> your eyes
* (什麼顏色)的(眼睛). Eyes -> how are the eyes? -> What colored eyes

As you can see, the two questions are asking for different answers.

* 你的眼睛是什麼顏色？asks for the color
* 你的眼睛是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？ asks for the eyes in what color

And so, the conversation should be as follows:

```
Q: 你的眼睛是什麼顏色？ What color are your eyes?
A: 黑色。 Black.

```

```
Q: 你的眼睛是什麼顏色的(眼睛)？ What color(ed eyes) are your eyes?
A: 黑色的(眼睛)。 Black color(ed eyes). 的 is necessary

```

---

Side note, you may also reverse the order of the question:

```
Q: 你的眼睛是什麼顏色? -> 你(的)眼睛的顏色是什麼? (We take out all but the last 的 in common situations, but the modifier behavior is still here.)
A: 黑色。

```

These two sentences are pretty much the same. Analytically, both are still asking for the color quality of "your eyes".


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-04-08. Score: 0

Both of 什麼顏色 or 什麼顏色的 can be used. Because you can expected to get the answer both of 黑色 or 黑色的 no matter whether your question include 的 or not(assume that answerer have black eyes.) In this kind of situation, 的 can be included or not included.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-04-08. Score: 0

你的眼睛是什么颜色=你的眼睛是什么颜色(的)

I thick 的 is not necessary.In formal rather we do not say 甚麼顏色的, We usually say 甚麼顏色.

In case of we you usually say "color+的" to describe the color of an object. So it can let few people add 的 behind the question.You heard 甚麼顏色的 may result in this.

的 can be more colloquial

**Same pattern**

Which department are you studying

> 你是讀哪一所門科系? 你是讀哪一所大學的?(less use or verbal)

Where are you from?

> 你從哪裡來?你從哪裡來的?(less use or verbal)


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-04-09. Score: 0

Let's convert the question to a statement:

* 你的眼睛是什么颜色？ -> 我的眼睛是红色。 (x)

The answer question may be confusing. The sentence may be simplified into 眼睛是红色. Since 眼睛 may not be a color, the sentence is incorrect. You should say 我的眼睛是红色的 instead. Due to the same reason, the question should be 你的眼睛是什么颜色的？

---

我分辨不出这是什么颜色

This one is correct. It can be converted into 这是绿色, which is perfect valid statement. 这 may be a reference to color.

But when you say 我分辨不出这朵花是什么颜色的, you should include 的 at the end of statement as discussed above.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I disagree with your reasoning. Please see my answer. Although asking and answering with 的 is more commonly used, ones without should also be grammatically correct. Because you can reverse the order 你的眼睛是什麼顏色? -> 你眼睛的顏色是什麼? These two sentences are pretty much identical.  
> **username_4**: @username_1 Your second example is correct. It would answer 颜色是绿色 and is valid as what I discussed above. But that doesn't mean the first one is correct.  

---

