Expressing "every" with "mei"

In this article we will look at the structure for saying "every" in Chinese, which is slightly more involved than just throwing in the word 每 (měi).

Structure

The pronoun 每 (měi) covers the meanings of "each" and "every." It should normally be used with a measure word (Measure Word) and used with 都 (dōu) in a complete sentence.

每 + Measure Word + Noun + 都

Note that there are some words that don't use measure words because they themselves are already measure words. For example: 天 (tiān), 年 (nián), 周 (zhōu), 次 (cì) etc.

Examples

• 每 个 人 你 都 认识 吗？Měi gè rén nǐ dōu rènshi ma? Do you know every person?
• 老板 每 个 月 都 要 出差。Lǎobǎn měi gè yuè dōu yào chūchāi. The boss goes on business trips every month.
• 老师 每 天 都 给 我们 很多 作业。Lǎoshī měi tiān dōu gěi wǒmen hěn duō zuòyè. Every day the teacher gives us a lot of homework.
• 我 每 个 星期 都 给 妈妈 打电话。Wǒ měi gè xīngqī dōu gěi māma dǎ diànhuà. I give mom a phone call every week.
• 他 每 年 都 来 中国。Tā měi nián dōu lái Zhōngguó. He comes to China every year.
• 你 的 每 个 前 女友 都 很 漂亮。Nǐ de měi gè qián nǚyǒu dōu hěn piàoliang. Each of your ex-girlfriends has been very beautiful.
• 每 个 菜 都 好吃。Měi gè cài dōu hǎochī. Every dish is delicious.
• 他 每 天 都 不 吃 早饭。Tā měi tiān dōu bù chī zǎofàn. Every morning he doesn't eat breakfast.
• 我们 每 周 都 要 开会。Wǒmen měi zhōu dōu yào kāi huì. Every week we need to have a meeting.
• 爸爸 每 次 出差 都 给 我 买 礼物。Bàba měi cì chūchāi dōu gěi wǒ mǎi lǐwù. Every time dad goes on a business trip, he buys me a present.

See also

• Expressing "every time" with "mei" and "dou"
• Measure words for counting
• Measure words for verbs

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 19) →buy