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 my mom cooks.
• 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' birthdays.
• 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 Disney animated films.

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.

"Not All" with 不是所有的

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 the Americans like drinking coffee.
• 不是 所有的 问题 都 能 用 钱 来 解决 。Bù shì suǒyǒu de wèntí dōu néng yòng qián lái jiějué.We can't solve all the problems 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 ready to help him.
• 不是 所有 公司 都 给 员工 提供 专业 的 培训 。Bù shì suǒyǒu gōngsī dōu gěi yuángōng tígōng zhuānyè de péixùn.Not all the company provides their employees with professional 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