Comparing "dou" and "quan"
Revision as of 08:32, 18 April 2022 by Malihua (talk | contribs) (→全 can be used as an adjective to mean "complete" or "entire")
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 都 can also be used to mean "(not) at all" (usually used in the negative for emphasis) or "already." Only 全 can be used as an adjective to mean "complete" or "entire."
| 都 (dōu) | 全 (quán) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | all; at all; already | all; complete, entire |
| Part of Speech | adverb | adverb, adjective |
| Formality | flexible | flexible |
Contents
Both 都 (dōu) and 全 (quán) are adverbs that can mean "all"
- 我们小区周围都是写字楼。
- 因为战争，这里的人全离开了。
- 大家全来了。
- 电子资料和纸质资料我都有。
- 问题都解决了。
- 我们全都是上班族。
- 食物全都吃完了。
都 (dōu) can mean "already"
- 都6点了！
都 (dōu) can intensify negatives
- 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.
全 can be used as an adjective to mean "complete" or "entire"
Common Phrases
- 全天
- 全套
- 全公司
- 全国
- 全世界
For added emphasis, use them together as 全都
- 全都吃完了。
Sources and further reading
AllSet Learning Wikis
- Grammar patterns which use 都 (Chinese Grammar Wiki)
Books
Websites
对外汉语教学：怎么区别“都”和“全”？ - Chinese Fever的文章 - 知乎 https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/215968679
