Expressing "everything" with "shenme dou"

什么... 都/也 (shénme... dōu/yě) is a pattern often used to express "all" or "everything." Because it's not just one word, though, it can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first.

Basic Structures

什么... 都/也 (shénme... dōu/yě)

The structure is very clear, as many Chinese grammar points are. In this structure, 都 (dōu) is more frequently used than 也 (yě)。

Topic + 什么 + 都 / 也 + Verb / Adj.

Examples

• 我女朋友 觉得 外国 的 东西 什么 都 好。Wǒ nǚpéngyou juéde wàiguó de dōngxī shénme dōu hǎo. My girlfriend thinks that all foreign things are good.
• 我 觉得 这里 的 菜 什么 都 好吃。Wǒ juéde zhèlǐ de cài shénme dōu hǎochī. I think everything is delicious here.
• 中国 的 历史 爸爸 什么 都 知道。Zhōngguó de lìshǐ bàba shénme dōu zhīdao. My dad knows everything about Chinese history.
• 工作 的 事情 老公 什么 都 跟 我 说。Gōngzuò de shìqing lǎogōng shénme dōu gēn wǒ shuō. My husband tells me everything about work stuff.
• 家务活 我 什么 都 会 做。Jiāwùhuó wǒ shénme dōu huì zuò. I can do every kind of housework.

Targeted Structures

Structures with a Noun

什么 + Noun + 都

Examples with Nouns

• 我们 什么 酒 都 喝。Wǒmen shénme jiǔ dōu hē. We can drink any alcohol.
• 她 什么 衣服 都 是 黑色 的。Tā shénme yīfu dōu shì hēisè de. All of her clothes are black.
• 妈妈 做 的 什么 菜 都 好吃。Māma zuò de shénme cài dōu hǎochī. All of the dishes mom makes are tasty.
• 我男朋友 什么 运动 都 喜欢。Wǒ nánpéngyou shénme yùndòng dōu xǐhuan. My boyfriend likes all kinds of sports.
• 你 不 应该 什么 话 都 跟 他 说。Nǐ bù yīnggāi shénme huà dōu gēn tā shuō. You shouldn't tell him everything.

Negative Structures

Structures with 不/没

The negative structure simply adds a 不 (bù) or a 没 (méi) after the 都 (dōu)/也 (yě). Instead of "all" or "everything," this expresses "none" or "not any."

什么 + Noun. + 都 / 也 + 不 + Verb Phrase

什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 没(有) + Verb Phrase

Negative Examples

• 生病 以后，爸爸 什么 酒 都 不 能 喝 了。Shēngbìng yǐhòu, bàba shénme jiǔ dōu bù néng hē le. After dad got sick, he can't drink any kind of alcohol.
• 老板 现在 很 生气，什么 人 也 不 见。Lǎobǎn xiànzài hěn shēngqì, shénme rén yě bù jiàn. The boss is very angry. He's doesn't want to see anybody.
• 今天 我 不 舒服，什么 东西 都 没 吃。Jīntiān wǒ bù shūfu, shénme dōngxī dōu méi chī. Today I'm not well, so I didn't eat anything.
• 昨天 开会 的时候，她 什么 话 也 没 说。Zuótiān kāihuì de shíhou, tā shénme huà yě méi shuō. She didn't say anything at yesterday's meeting.
• 你 在 家里 怎么 什么 事 都 不 做？Nǐ zài jiālǐ zěnme shénme shì dōu bù zuò? How come you haven't done anything at home?

Beyond 什么

This pattern also works with other question words, such as 哪儿 (nǎr) and 谁 (shéi). In these cases, 哪儿 (nǎr) or 哪里 (nǎli) would mean "everywhere," and 谁 (shéi) would mean "everyone."

Structures

哪儿 / 哪里 + 都 / 也 + Verb Phrase

谁 + 都 / 也 + Verb Phrase

Examples

• 我 太 累 了，哪儿 都 不 想 去。Wǒ tài lèi le, nǎr dōu bù bù xiǎng qù. I'm too tired. I don't want to go anywhere.
• 他 来 上海 以前，哪里都 没 去 过。 Tā lái Shànghǎi yǐqián, nǎlǐ dōu méi qù guò. Before he came to Shanghai, he hadn't gone anywhere.
• 在美国，谁 都 知道 Obama。Zài Měiguó, shéi dōu zhīdao Obama. In America, everyone knows Obama.
• 谁 都 喜欢 看 美女。 Shéi dōu xǐhuan kàn měinǚ. Everyone likes to look at beautiful girls.

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) (p. 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