Comparing "dou" and "quan"

都 (dōu) and 全 (quán) both are adverbs that mean "all." Sometimes they can be used interchangeably, and sometimes they can even be used together as 全部 (quán dōu). Both words are used in informal and formal settings. Only 全 can be used as an adjective to mean "complete" or "entire." 都 is used in a wide variety of other grammar patterns which cannot use 全.

B1HSK3ASV4567

	都 (dōu)	全 (quán)
Meaning	all; at all; already	all; complete, entire
Part of Speech	adverb	adverb, adjective
Formality	flexible	flexible

:Yes

Both 都 (dōu) and 全 (quán) are adverbs that can mean "all"

As adverbs, 都 (dōu) and 全 (quán) are often interchangeable

• 我们 小区 周围 都 是 写字楼。 Wǒmen xiǎoqū zhōuwéi dōu shì xiězìlóu.Our neighborhood is surrounded by office buildings.
• 因为 战争，这里的 人 全 离开 了。 Yīnwèi zhànzhēng, zhèlǐ de rén quán líkāi le.Because of the war, all the people here left.
• 大家 全 来 了。 Dàjiā quán lái le.Everyone came all over.
• 电子 资料 和 纸质 资料 我 都 有。 Diànzǐ zīliào hé zhǐzhì zīliào wǒ dōu yǒu.I have all the information electronically and in paper form.
• 问题 都 解决 了。 Wèntí dōu jiějué le.The problems are solved.

As adverbs, 都 (dōu) and 全 (quán) can be used together

For added emphasis, use them together as 全都.

• 披萨 全 都 吃 完 了。 Pī Sà quán dōu chī wán le.The pizza was all gone.
• 我们 全 都 是 上班族。Wǒmen quán dōu shì shàngbānzú.We are all working people.
• 漫威的 电影 全 都 看 完 了。 Màn wēi de diànyǐng quán dōu kàn wán le.All the Marvel movies were watched.

全 can be used as an adjective to mean "complete" or "entire"

When used in this way, 全 comes before a noun, meaning "entire." 都 cannot be used this way.

Common Phrases

• 全 天 quán tiānall day
• 全 公司 quán gōngsīcompany-wide
• 全 国 quán guónational
• 全球 quánqiú global
• 全 世界 quán shìjièworldwide

Example Sentences

• 我 要 一 份 全 熟 的 牛排 。 Wǒ yào yī fèn quán shóu de niúpái.I'll have a fully cooked steak.
• 我 需要 全 天 工作。 Wǒ xūyào quán tiān gōngzuò.I need to work all day.
• 他 的 英文 非常 棒 ， 可以 去 参加 全 国 比赛 。 Tā de Yīngwén fēicháng bàng, kěyǐ qù cānjiā quán guó bǐsài.His English is so good, he could go to a national competition.
• 我们 公司 在 全球 都 有 工厂 。 Wǒmen gōngsī zài quánqiú dōu yǒu gōngchǎng.Our company has factories all over the world.
• 全 世界 的 人 都 很想 知道 大选 的 结果 。 quán shìjiè de rén dōu hěn xiǎng zhīdào dàxuǎn de jiéguǒ.People all over the world are anxious to know the results of the election.

都 (dōu) can emphasize "all" when there are many

全 is for emphasizing "entire," not "all" of many things.

• 很多 人 都 喜欢 火锅。
• 很多 人 全 喜欢 火锅。
• 我 每天 都 运动。
• 我 每天 全 运动。
• 因为 疫情，很多 地方 都 关门 了。
• 因为 疫情，很多 地方 全 关门 了。

都 (dōu) has many different grammatical uses

The uses of 都 in grammar patterns are so varied that we will not attempt to list them all here. That's what the Chinese Grammar Wiki is for! But we'll give a few common uses of 都 that you are most likely to run into.

都 can be used with 每，covers the meanings of "each" and "every."See the Chinese Grammar Eiki entry.

• 我 每 个 星期六 都 去 游泳。

都 can be used with 什么 to make 什么都, which means "everything." See the Chinese Grammar Eiki entry.

• 我 什么 都 喜欢。

都 can mean "already." In this usage there's also a 了. See the Chinese Grammar Eiki entry.

• 都 6 点 了 ！

Combined with 一点 to make 一点都 (and followed by a negative), 都 can mean "not at all." See the Chinese Grammar Eiki entry.

• 我 一点 都 不 想 和 他 做 朋友 。

都 appears in quite a lot of grammar patterns, so you'll want to get familiar with those on the Chinese Grammar Wiki.

Sources and further reading

AllSet Learning Wikis

• Grammar patterns which use 都 (Chinese Grammar Wiki)

Websites

• 对外汉语教学：怎么区别“都”和“全”？ - Chinese Fever的文章 - 知乎

Books