<p>I think most of these verb+的 noun are all following a law that the verb must be a transitive verb.</p>

<p><code>吃的 喝的</code>
means something can be eaten or drunk</p>

<p>However for intransitive verbs, they are not able to construct verb+的 nouns, for the reason that there are no passive structures.</p>

<p><code>洗澡的</code> is a really strange usage. Though it can be used as a transitive verb, the passive structures for bathe is not common to used in daily life.</p>

<p>Besides, verb+的 is a very informal usage that they are mostly only used in oral Chinese. For more formal ways, there are some other words that can be used, like <code>食物 饮品</code> for food and drinks. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T03:13:02.803Z
Also in spoken language, derogatory usage: 开车的 or 姓赵的！ I don't know if this qualifies to the OP's question, I thought it's worth noting.
imrek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T03:35:24.447Z
Naturally in the proper context 洗澡的 standing by itself is OK， e。g。if the is talk is in the context of 洗澡的、睡觉的、脱衣服的 or 穿上衣服的人 then 洗澡的 by itself seems OK。
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T04:01:36.200Z
开车的 or 姓赵的 is like ~er in English, which means the person who are driving a car or whose last name is 赵. I don't think it's same as this question.
biubiubiu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T07:46:21.967Z
@S.Rhee I can hardly find a situation where you say 洗澡的 to mean "one who takes a bath".
Wang Dingwei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T11:10:02.957Z
@biubiubiu OK, now I see the difference. The OP is looking for terms in the sense of "... stuff". 吃的 "eat(able) stuff", etc.
imrek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T11:16:30.460Z
@Wang Dingwei the question has been raised whether when talking about the  activities of ２ or more people （or animals），after mentioning one is taking a bath，one can then later refer to him／her／it as 洗澡的 （or 洗澡着的）。 洗澡的人 exists （see e。g。iciba）。 So after introducing the subject of 洗澡的人 could it not be shortened to 洗澡的？ This user has seen 躺着的 in print。
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T13:14:52.713Z
correction： since 洗澡 is a 离合词 it would seem that 洗澡着的人 and therefore 洗澡着的 are ungrammatical， have to be replaced by 洗着澡的（人）
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T02:43:59.837Z
2014-11-27T02:43:59.837Z
biubiubiu
<p>I'm often don't which noun to use, but I can think of a verb to describe it.</p>

<p>I know that 吃的 (to eat + 的) means food, so I was wondering if I can use it with other verbs as well, like 洗澡的 (to bathe + 的）can mean bath?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T01:13:30.473Z
Yes `~的` is like `~er` in English which turns a verb into a noun, but just like in English, if the made-up word does not exist or already has a different meaning, it won't help understanding.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-27T04:12:14.453Z
yeah totally - I've heard stuff like 擦屁股的 for toilet paper and what not...
Mou某
<grammar><usage><meaning-in-context><sentence-structure>
Can I use a verb+的 construction to imply an item/noun?
# Can I use a verb+的 construction to imply an item/noun?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-26)

I'm often don't which noun to use, but I can think of a verb to describe it.

I know that 吃的 (to eat + 的) means food, so I was wondering if I can use it with other verbs as well, like 洗澡的 (to bathe + 的）can mean bath?

**Tags:** grammar, usage, meaning-in-context, sentence-structure

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Yes `~的` is like `~er` in English which turns a verb into a noun, but just like in English, if the made-up word does not exist or already has a different meaning, it won't help understanding.  
> **username_2**: yeah totally - I've heard stuff like 擦屁股的 for toilet paper and what not...  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-11-27. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

I think most of these verb+的 noun are all following a law that the verb must be a transitive verb.

`吃的 喝的`
means something can be eaten or drunk

However for intransitive verbs, they are not able to construct verb+的 nouns, for the reason that there are no passive structures.

`洗澡的` is a really strange usage. Though it can be used as a transitive verb, the passive structures for bathe is not common to used in daily life.

Besides, verb+的 is a very informal usage that they are mostly only used in oral Chinese. For more formal ways, there are some other words that can be used, like `食物 饮品` for food and drinks.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Also in spoken language, derogatory usage: 开车的 or 姓赵的！ I don't know if this qualifies to the OP's question, I thought it's worth noting.  
> **username_5**: Naturally in the proper context 洗澡的 standing by itself is OK， e。g。if the is talk is in the context of 洗澡的、睡觉的、脱衣服的 or 穿上衣服的人 then 洗澡的 by itself seems OK。  
> **username_3**: 开车的 or 姓赵的 is like ~er in English, which means the person who are driving a car or whose last name is 赵. I don't think it's same as this question.  
> **username_6**: @S.Rhee I can hardly find a situation where you say 洗澡的 to mean "one who takes a bath".  
> **username_4**: @username_3 OK, now I see the difference. The OP is looking for terms in the sense of "... stuff". 吃的 "eat(able) stuff", etc.  
> **username_5**: @username_6 the question has been raised whether when talking about the  activities of ２ or more people （or animals），after mentioning one is taking a bath，one can then later refer to him／her／it as 洗澡的 （or 洗澡着的）。 洗澡的人 exists （see e。g。iciba）。 So after introducing the subject of 洗澡的人 could it not be shortened to 洗澡的？ This user has seen 躺着的 in print。  
> **username_5**: correction： since 洗澡 is a 离合词 it would seem that 洗澡着的人 and therefore 洗澡着的 are ungrammatical， have to be replaced by 洗着澡的（人）  

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