Expressing "all" with "suoyou"

You can use 所有 (suǒyǒu) to say "all of" something. It's what you use to say phrases like "all the money in the world" or "all of my friends."

Basic Pattern

Structure

This pattern is used to refer to "all" of a noun, with the quantity of said noun usually being fairly large. You may notice that the 的 after 所有 is occasionally omitted.

所有 (+ 的) + Noun

Examples

• 你 买 了 她 所有 的 书 ？Nǐ mǎi le tā suǒyǒu de shū?You've bought all her books?
• 我 喜欢 所有 我 妈妈 做 的 菜 。Wǒ xǐhuan suǒyǒu wǒ māma zuò de cài.I like all the food my mom cooks.
• 他 记得 所有 朋友 的 生日 。Tā jìde suǒyǒu péngyou de shēngrì.He remembers all of his friends' birthdays.
• 我 的 孩子 看 过 所有 的 迪斯尼 动画片 。Wǒ de háizi kàn guo suǒyǒu de Dísīní dònghuàpiàn.My child has seen all of the Disney animated films.

Full Sentence Pattern

When you make 所有 part of the subject, you're typically going to need 都 before the predicate.

Structure

所有 (+ 的) + Noun + 都 + Predicate

The predicate part of the pattern can be a verb or an adjective.

Examples

• 所有 人 都 走 了 吗 ？Suǒyǒu rén dōu zǒu le ma?Did all the people leave?
• 所有 的 学校 都 放假 了。Suǒyǒu de xuéxiào dōu fàngjià le.All the schools are out for the holiday.
• 我们 学校 所有 的 老师 都 会 说 英文 。Wǒmen xuéxiào suǒyǒu de lǎoshī dōu huì shuō Yīngwén.All the teachers in our school can speak English.
• 我们 公司 所有 人 都 参加 了 这个 会议 。Wǒmen gōngsī suǒyǒu rén dōu cānjiā le zhège huìyì.All people in our company attended this meeting.

"Not All" with 不是所有的

Take note that you use 不是 rather than just 不 to negate 所有.

Structure

不是 + 所有 (+ 的) + Noun + 都 + Predicate

Examples

• 不是 所有 的 美国 人 都 爱 喝 咖啡 。Bù shì suǒyǒu de Měiguó rén dōu ài hē kāfēi.Not all Americans like drinking coffee.
• 不是 所有 问题 都 能 用 钱 来 解决 。Bù shì suǒyǒu wèntí dōu néng yòng qián lái jiějué.Not all problems can be solved with money.
• 不是 所有 朋友 都 愿意 帮 他 。Bù shì suǒyǒu péngyou dōu yuànyì bāng tā.Not all of his friends are willing to help him.
• 不是 所有 的 公司 都 给 员工 提供 培训 。Bù shì suǒyǒu de gōngsī dōu gěi yuángōng tígōng péixùn.Not all companies provide their employees with training.

See also

• Expressing "Everyone" with "shei"
• Expressing "All" with "shenme dou"
• Expressing "Every" with "mei" and "dou"
• Indicating the whole with "quan"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 283) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Contemporary Chinese 4 (当代中文4) (pp. 181) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

Websites

• Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese grammar 所 (suǒ) structural particle

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