Noun + 之 + Noun (a literary 的)
Classical glue for nouns
- Noun + (of — literary)之 + Noun = a formal, written "of / 's" (= (of / 's)的).
- life (one's time on earth)人生(of — literary)之road路 = "the road of life"; success成功之母 = "the mother of success".
- (of — literary)之 shows up in idioms, titles, and formal prose.
Noun + (of — literary)之 + Noun
- (of — literary)之 links two nouns in a bookish possessive.
failure失败is是success成功of之mother母。
- to be defeated失败to be / is是success成功之母 = "failure is the mother of success."
Explore
Correct or broken?
之 is the classical 的: noun + 之 + noun, in set phrases and lofty prose.
Practice
Failure is the mother of success: 失败是成功 ____ 母。
Noun + 之 + Noun = a literary “of”: 成功之母.
Practice
之 is formal / idiomatic; everyday speech uses 的.
Yes — 意料之中, 一臂之力.
Recap
Key idea
- Noun + (of — literary)之 + Noun — a literary "of / 's" (= (of / 's)的)
- life (one's time on earth)人生(of — literary)之road路 · success成功之母 · to come as no surprise意料之中
- Formal / idiomatic; everyday speech uses (of / 's)的
Read the full reference: HSK 6 grammar — Particles.
Practice
之 here is a formal version of…
人生之路 = 人生的路 (the road of life).