Indicating the whole with "quan"

One of the uses of 全 (quán) is to indicate the entirety of something. It could be used for something like a whole household, an entire country, the whole world, etc.

Using 全 before a Noun

Structure

The structure is quite simple, just put 全 in front of the noun you want to emphasize "the whole" of. You cannot use it with 的. Pay attention to the types of nouns you can use with 全, since it is usually paired up with 身 (body), 家 (family), 国 (country), 世界 (world), 天 (day) and the like.

全 + Noun + 都 + Verb

Examples

• 我们 全家 都 去 旅游 了。Wǒmen quán jiā dōu qù lǚyóu le.The entire family went traveling.
• 明天 我 全 天 都 呆 在 家里。Míngtiān wǒ quán tiān dōu dāi zài jiālǐ.I am going to stay home all day tomorrow.
• 全 公司 的 人 都 知道 这 件 事 了。 Quán gōngsī de rén dōu zhīdào zhè jiàn shì le.The whole company knew about this thing.
• 打 完 球 以后 我 全 身 都 是 汗。Dǎ wán qiú yǐhòu wǒ quán shēn dōu shì hàn.My whole body sweat after playing the ball.
• 全世界 的 人 都 知道 Obama 是 谁，你 不 知道？Quán shìjiè de rén dōu zhīdào Obama shì shéi, nǐ bù zhīdào?The whole world knows who Obama is. Don't you know?

Using 全都 before a Verb

Affirmative Pattern

Before a verb 全 can be omitted, but if it is used, the purpose is to emphasize the idea of "all" or "entire."

Structure

Subj. + 全 + 都 + Verb / Adj.

Examples

• 大家 全 都 到 了。Dàjiā quán dōu dào le.Everybody has come.
• 作业 全 都 做 完 了 吗？Zuòyè quán dōu zuò wán le ma?You've finished all your homework?
• 我 全 都 听懂 了。Wǒ quán dōu tīngdǒng le.I heard and understood all.
• 你 全 都 拿 走 吧。Nǐ quán dōu ná zǒu ba.Take them all.
• 他 把 咖啡 全 都 喝 了。Tā bǎ kāfēi quán dōu hē le.He drank up all the coffee.

Negative Pattern: Total Negation

Structure

When you negate 全都 with 不 or 没 after it, you're not just saying "not entirely," you're saying "none of it" or "not at all."

Subj. + 全都 + 不 / 没 + Verb / Adj.

Examples

• 他们 全 都 没 去。Tāmen quán dōu méi qù.None of them went.
• 这 个 周末 我们 全 都 不 在 家。Zhège zhōumò wǒmen quán dōu bù zài jiā.None of us will be home this weekend.
• 他 说 的 话 全 都 不 要 相信。Tā shuō de huà quán dōu bùyào xiāngxìn.Don't believe anything he says.
• 你们 的 员工 全 都 不 会 说 英语 吗？Nǐmen de yuángōng quándōu bù huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma.None of your employees can speak English?
• 你 的 家人 全 都 没 来 参加 你 的 婚礼 ？ Nǐ de jiārén quán dōu méi lái cānjiā nǐ de hūnlǐ?None of your family came to your wedding?

Negative Pattern: Partial Negation

Structure

When you negate by putting 不 or 没 before 全都, you're only partially negating. In other words, you're communicating "not all."

Subj.＋不 / 没＋全都＋Verb / Adj.

Examples

• 衣服 太多 了 ，这 次 我 没 全 都 来 。 Wǒmen de péngyou méi quán dōu lái.Not all of our friends came.
• 他 的 话 你 不 能 全 都 相信 。 Tā de huà nǐ bù néng quán dōu xiāngxìn.You can't believe everything he says.
• 中国 菜 我 不 是 全 都 喜欢 。 Zhōngguó cài wǒ bù quán dōu xǐhuan.I don't like all Chinese food.
• 我们 点 的 菜 太 多 了 ， 没 全 都 吃完 。 Wǒmen diǎn de cài tài duō le, méi quán dōu chī wán.We ordered too much too food. We didn't eat them all.
• 问题 太 多 了 ，我 没 全 都 问 。 Wèntí tài duō le, wǒ méi quán dōu wèn.I had too many questions for him. I didn't ask all of them.

See also

• Referring to "all" using "suoyou"
• Expressing "Everyone" with "shei"
• Expressing "All" with "shenme dou"
• Expressing "Every" with "mei" and "dou"
• Emphasizing quantity with "dou"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词 (p.457) →buy