Advanced uses of "dou"

In its simplest terms, 都 (dōu) means "all," but there are also many other advanced uses for it.

都 Meaning "To the Point That"

都 can also mean 甚至 (shènzhì), meaning "even to the point that," and in this form it expresses emphasis.

Structure

Subj. + 都 + Predicate

Examples

• 我 很 想 妈妈 ，有时候 我 都 能 看见 她 。Wǒ hěn xiǎng Māma, yǒu shíhou wǒ dōu néng kànjiàn tā.I really miss Mom. Sometimes I can even see her.
• 我 都 能 闻见 面包 的 香味 。Wǒ dōu néng wénjiàn miànbāo de xiāngwèi.I can even smell the aroma of bread.
• 我 对 你 太 了解 了 ，我 都 能 知道 你 下 一步 要 做 什么 。Wǒ duì nǐ tài liǎojiě le, wǒ dōu néng zhīdào nǐ xià yī bù yào zuò shénme.I know you too well. I can even tell what your next move will be.
• 你 说的 那些 我 都 能 想象 得到。Nǐ shuō de nàxiē wǒ dōu néng xiǎngxiàng de dào.I can imagine all those things that you said.

都 Meaning "Since..., then..."

This pattern overlaps a little with the 都……了 pattern used to mean "already." It still has some of that "already," flavor, but with some of "since" added in as well.

Structure

"Since ..., in that case...“ can also be conveyed with 都 and a repeating verb, similar to "既然⋯⋯就".

Verb + 都 + Verb 了，...

Examples

• 来 都 来 了 ， 就 先 别 急着 走 了 。Lái dōu lái le, jiù xiān bié jízhe zǒu le.You're here already. No need to be in such a hurry to leave.
• 去 都 去 了 ， 就 好好 玩 吧。Qù dōu qù le, jiù hǎohāo wán ba.Go all the way, just have fun.
• 说 都 说 了 ， 就别说这是什么秘密了。Shuō dōu shuō le, jiù bié shuō zhè shì shénme mìmì le.Say what you want to say, just don't spill secrets.

都 Adding a Tone of Complaint

都 can also convey a tone of grumbling or complaint, frequently used with 怨 or 怪. You might argue that this is simply the "all" adverb 都, and you wouldn't be wrong, but this usage is so common that it's worth special attention.

Structure

都 + 怨 / 是 / 怪 + Somebody

Examples

• 都 怪 你，出门 不 带 伞。Dōu guài nǐ, chūmén bù dài sǎn.It's all your fault, leaving without bringing an umbrella.
• 都 是 你，害 我 跑 这么 远。Dōu shì nǐ, hài wǒ pǎo zhème yuǎn.It's because of you, making me go all that way.
• 都 怨 你，不 提前 订好 座位。Dōu yuàn nǐ, bù tíqián dìng hǎo zuòwèi.I blame you for not making the reservation earlier.

See also

• Expressing "even" with "shenzhi"
• Expressing "every" with "mei" and "dou"
• Explaining results with "suoyi"
• Expressing "all" with "shenme dou"
• Emphasizing quantity with "dou"
• Expressing "even" with "lian" and "dou"
• Expressing "already" with "dou"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 97-99) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 178) [ →buy]

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp.329 ) →buy

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