的

The hanja 的 originally meant “target” but also carries the meanings of:

• a possessive or attributive particle (like “~의” in Korean, or “’s” in English);

• a suffix meaning “-like,” “-ic,” or “-al,” indicating a certain quality or state.

A phono-semantic compound:

白 (white) — semantic component, originally referring to the white center of a target

勺 (작, “ladle/scoop”) — phonetic component, provides pronunciation

In ancient archery, the white center of the target was called 的. From the idea of precision and exactness, the meaning expanded metaphorically.

《說文解字》 (Shuowen Jiezi):

「的，明也。」

“的 means clarity / distinctness.”

In Korean, 的:

- does not function as a grammatical particle

- appears mainly in Sino-Korean nouns and adjectives

- retains its semantic core of “target / exactness”

The Chinese grammatical function of 的 is instead handled by:

- 의 (possessive)

- adjective endings (-한, -적인)

목적 (目的) — purpose; objective

표적 (標的) — target (military / figurative)

적중 (的中) — hitting the mark; accuracy

지적 (指摘) — pointing out; indication

객관적 (客觀的) — objective

주관적 (主觀的) — subjective

기본적 (基本的) — basic

일시적 (一時的) — temporary

사실적 (寫實的) — realistic

Related characters:

目 — eye; focus

標 — mark; sign

中 — hit; center

白 — clarity; brightness

的 is the most frequently used character in modern Chinese. Its grammatical role developed long after its original concrete meaning.

The concept of precision → relation → description explains its semantic evolution.

Korean and Japanese borrowed the adjectival sense, not the grammatical particle.

Classical citations:

《史記》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「射不中的。」

“He shot but did not hit the target.”

《莊子》 (Zhuangzi)

「失其的矣。」

“He has lost the target” — lost the point or essence.