你的 (nǐ de) is a possessive pronoun meaning 'your' — used to show that something belongs to the person being addressed. It consists of 你 (nǐ), meaning 'you', and the particle 的 (de), which marks possession, similar to the English apostrophe-s ('s) or the word 'of'. Unlike English, Chinese doesn’t change form for number or gender: 你的 works for 'your' whether addressing one person or many, and regardless of the possessor’s gender.

This phrase always precedes the noun it modifies — for example, 你的书 (nǐ de shū, 'your book') — and cannot stand alone as a subject or object. It’s neutral in register, appropriate in both casual and formal speech, though in very polite contexts with elders or superiors, speakers may prefer 您的 (nín de) instead. The particle 的 is pronounced lightly, almost like 'duh', and never carries tone emphasis in connected speech.