英语中的定语是用来修饰名词或者代词的句子成分，通常定语可以放在名词或者代词之前或者之后，放在名词或者代词之前的称为前置定语，而放在名词或者代词之后的称为后置定语。
前置定语通常由什么充当呢？
1. It was a rainy, windy, freezing day.（形容词）
2. Minding young children was truly a stressful experience.（形容词）
3. There is a fantastic blue leather sofa in his house. （形容词；名词）
4. A great deal of attention is being paid today to the so-called digital divide.（数量词；形容词）
5. The world is facing an energy crisis and so is China. （名词）
6. My father bought a story book for me.（名词）
7. All kinds of things in the environment can affect sleep.（表示种类的短语）
8. The fair is a big gathering. Thousands of businessmen from more than 150 countries and regions are here to trade with China. （形容词；数量词）
后置定语通常由什么充当呢？
1. English can be a language difficult to learn. （形容词短语作后置定语，修饰a language）
2. Such standardized tests may not assess all the important elements necessary to succeed in school and in life. （形容词短语作后置定语，修饰the elements）
3. Do you know the woman talking to Tom? （现在分词短语作后置定语，修饰the woman）
4. As for the English teachers working in the rural areas, their professional development is very urgent because of their relatively closed working environment. （现在分词短语作后置定语，修饰the teachers）
5. The materials and tools used for paper cutting are simple, papers and scissors. （过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰the materials and tools）
6. All kinds of things in the environment can affect sleep．(介词短语作后置定语，修饰things）
7. Paper cutting is a unique form of Chinese folk art and has a history of more than 2000 years. (介词短语作后置定语)
8. Their decision to leave was very annoying. (to do短语作后置定语)
9. He has made a discovery, which I think is of great importance to the progress of science and technology. (定语从句，which 指代a discovery)
10. The day is bound to come when all the people in the world shall live in peace.(定语从句的间隔结构，when引导的定语从句修饰the day)
11. Nowadays, people everywhere seem to find less and less time available to them, and more and more things to achieve. (everywhere为特殊的后置定语，修饰 people)
根据以上例子可知，后置定语的形式有形容词短语、现在分词短语、过去分词短语、to do短语、介词短语（of 短语一定是定语，其他的介词短语需要判断是否为状语）、从句（定语从句）以及特殊的后置定语（people involved, people there, Americans today）。
在大学英语四级翻译考试中，定语如何处理呢？从上面的例子中我们看到了英语的形式，那在汉语中，定语是以怎样的方式呈现呢？
1. 茶拥有5000年的历史。
2. 昂贵、雅致的茶具成了地位的象征。
3. 今天，茶不仅是一种健康的饮品，而且是中国文化的重要组成部分。
4. 为了鼓励人们多消费，许多商店给使用移动支付的顾客打折。
5. 四川、湖南等省份的居民普遍爱吃辛辣食物，而江苏和浙江（的）人更喜欢甜食。
6. 如今，随着经济的发展和生活水平的提高，越来越多的中国人包括许多农民和外出务工人员都能够乘飞机出行。
7. 生活在不同地区的人们饮食多种多样。
8. 近年来，节假日期间选择乘飞机外出旅游的人数在不断增加。
9. 剪纸用的材料和工具很简单：纸和剪刀。
10. 由于通信网络的快速发展，中国智能手机用户的数量近年来以惊人的速度增长。这极大地改变了许多人的阅读方式。
在以上的汉语句子中，我们能够看到“的”和“这”，汉语中定语的呈现方式之一是“的”之前为定语，另外一个是“这”，通常情况下，如果“的”之前的汉语可以处理成形容词、名词、数量词或者表示种类的短语，那不需要调整语序，定语处理成前置定语即可。如“昂贵、雅致的茶具”可处理成“expensive and graceful tea sets”; 其他情况要处理成后置定语，尤其是“的”之前的汉语部分有动词出现，通常处理成定语从句（也就相当于非谓语动词短语作后置定语，其中现在分词短语表示动作正在进行或者和其之前的名词之间构成主动关系，而过去分词短语表示动作已经完成或者和其之前的名词构成被动关系）如以下例子：
1. 为了鼓励人们多消费，许多商店给使用移动支付的顾客打折。
In order to encourage people to spend more, many stores offers discounts to customers who use the mobile payment/using mobile payment.
2. 生活在不同地区的人们饮食多种多样。
People who live in different parts of China / living in different parts of China have a variety of /various kind of diets.
3. 近年来，节假日期间选择乘飞机外出旅游的人数在不断增加。
In recent years, the number of people who choose to travel by air/ choosing to travel by air during holiday has been increasing.
4. 剪纸用的材料和工具很简单：纸和剪刀。
The materials and tools that/ which are used /used for paper cutting are simple: paper and scissors.
如果“的”之前的汉语既不能处理成前置定语，也不能处理成定语从句（现在分词、过去分词短语作后置定语），那就可以优先考虑将其处理成“万能定语of 短语作后置定语”或者其他介词短语作后置定语，在处理时，注意A of B 的短语中A和B均为名词或者动名词，如：
1. 茶拥有5000年的历史。
Tea has a history of more than 5000 years.
2. 昂贵、雅致的茶具成了地位的象征。
Expensive and graceful tea became a symbol of social status.
3. 今天，茶不仅是一种健康的饮品，而且是中国文化的重要组成部分。
Today, Tea is not only a healthy drink, but also an integral part of Chinese culture.
4. 四川、湖南等省份的居民普遍爱吃辛辣食物，而江苏和浙江（的）人更喜欢甜食。
Residents in provinces such as Sichuan and Hunan generally prefer spicy food, but people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are fond of sweets.
5. 如今，随着经济的发展和生活水平的提高，越来越多的中国人包括许多农民和外出务工人员都能够乘飞机出行。
Nowadays, with the development of China's economy and the improvement of people's living standards, more and more Chinese people, including many farmers and migrant workers, can travel by air.
汉语中“这”通常可以处理成非限制性定语从句的引导词“which”以连接两个句子。如：
由于通信网络的快速发展，中国智能手机用户的数量近年来以惊人的速度增长。这极大地改变了许多人的阅读方式。
Because of the rapid development of communication network, the number of smartphone users in china has increased at an astonishing rate in recent years, which has made major/ significant changes to the way that many people read/has greatly changed the way of reading for many people.
