Expressing "all" with "suoyou"

In this grammar structure, we learn about a way to say "all of" something. Sort of like how we might say "all the king's men" or "all the money in the world."

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

• 我 喜欢 所有 我 妈妈 做 的 菜 。Wǒ xǐhuan suǒyǒu wǒ māma zuò de cài.I like all the food the my mother cooks.
• 我 的 孩子 看 过 所有 迪斯尼 动画片 。Wǒ de háizi kàn guo suǒyǒu Dísīní dònghuàpiàn.My children have seen all the Disney movies.
• 钱 不 可能 解决 所有的 问题 。Qián bù kěnéng jiějué suǒyǒu de wèntí.Money can't solve all the problems.
• 你 买 了 她 所有的 书 ？Nǐ mǎi le tā suǒyǒu de shū?You've bought all her books?
• 他 记得 所有 朋友 的 生日 。Tā jìde suǒyǒu péngyou de shēngrì.He remembers all his friends' birthday.

Advanced Pattern

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 everybody left?
• 所有的 学校 都 放假 了。Suǒyǒu de xuéxiào dōu fàngjià le.All the schools are on holidays.
• 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.Everybody in our company attended this meeting.
• 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 the Americans like drinking coffee.

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