Expressing "everything" with "shenme dou"

什么 (shénme)... 都 (dōu) 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 Pattern

Structure

In this structure, 都 (dōu) is more frequently used than 也 (yě)。

Topic (+ Subj.) + 什么 + 都 / 也 + Verb / Adj.

In some sentences, there will be a subject after the topic in the pattern above. See the following sentences for examples.

Examples

When used in the positive sense, it is more natural to follow 什么 (shénme) with 都 (dōu) rather than 也 (yě) to express "everything."

• 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 zhīdào. 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.
• 妈妈 做 的 菜 我 什么 都 喜欢。Māma zuò de cài wǒ shénme dōu xǐhuan. I like everything that mom cooks.
• 我女朋友 觉得 外国 的 东西 什么 都 好。Wǒ nǚpéngyou juéde wàiguó de dōngxi shénme dōu hǎo. My girlfriend thinks that all foreign things are good.

Structure with a Noun

Structure

什么 + Noun + 都

Examples

• 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 Structure

Structures

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

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 dōngxi 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?

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