Expressing "everything" with "shenme dou"

"什么...都/也" (shénme...dōu/yě) is a pattern often used to express "all" or "everything". This pattern also works with other question words, such as 哪儿　and 什么时候.

Structures

The structure is very clear, as many Chinese grammar points are.

什么 + Noun. + 都

什么 + Noun. + 也

什么 + 都/也

Examples

• 你 不 应该 什么 话 都 跟他说 。You shouldn't have told everything to him.
• 我 什么 水果 都 喜欢 吃。I like to eat all kinds of fruits.
• 今天 我 什么 工作 都 做了。Today I did all my work.
• 我 什么 都 知道。I knew everything.

Negative Structures

The negative structure simply adds a 不 or a 没 after the 都/也.

什么 + Noun. + 都/也 + 不

什么 + Noun. + 都/也 + 没

Examples

• 以后 你 应该 什么 酒 都 不要 喝。From now on,you should not drink any wine.
• 我 什么 电影 都 不 喜欢 看。I don't like to watch any movie. (implying I don't like movies in general)
• 今天 我 什么 东西 都 没 吃。Today I didn't eat anything.
• 她 什么 话 都 没跟我说。She didn't tell me anything.

See also

• Expressing "Every" with "mei" and "dou"
• Expressing "Everyone" with "shei"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 195)→buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 286-8) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 216-7) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 314)→buy