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

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.
• 每 个 国家 都 有 不一样 的 文化。Měi gè guójiā dōu yǒu bù yīyàng de wénhuà. Every country has a different culture.
• 每 个 人 都 有 自己 的 想法。Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ. Every person has their own way of thinking.

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.

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