📌 Grammar Point: 全 / 全都
🎯 Meaning: whole, entire, all
In Chinese, 全 (quán) is often used to talk about the whole or entire of something.
You can use it with words like family, class, country, world, body, city, school, or day to show that you mean the whole group or the whole thing.
For example:
全家
the whole family
全班
the whole class
全国
the whole country
全世界
the whole world
全身
the whole body
全天
the whole day / all day
However, 全 cannot be used freely before every noun. Some combinations are natural, while others are not.
For example:
❌ 全房子
✅ 整个房子
zhěnggè fángzi
the whole house
So, when you use 全, pay attention to common and natural combinations. 😊
1. 全 + Noun: “the whole…”
Put 全 before certain nouns to mean the whole / the entire.
📌 Structure
全 + Noun
When 全 means “whole” before a noun, we normally do not add 的 after it.
❌ 全的家
✅ 全家
the whole family
❌ 全的班
✅ 全班
the whole class
Examples
全家都很高兴。
The whole family is very happy.
全班都喜欢这位老师。
The whole class likes this teacher.
我全身都很累。
My whole body is tired.
全世界都知道这个名字。
People all over the world know this name.
他全天都在家。
He stayed at home all day.
2. 全 + Noun + 都 + Verb / Adjective
When the noun refers to a whole group or a whole thing, we often add 都 after it.
📌 Structure
全 + Noun + 都 + Verb / Adjective
Here, 都 helps show that every person or every part is included.
Examples
全班都来了。
The whole class came.
全家都在吃饭。
The whole family is eating.
我全身都湿了。
My whole body got wet.
全校都知道这件事。
The whole school knows about this.
全城都在庆祝。
The whole city is celebrating.
3. 全都: “all of them / all of it”
全都 (quándōu) means all.
It is stronger than just 都 and emphasizes that nothing is left out.
📌 Structure
Subject + 全都 + Verb / Adjective
The part after 全都 can describe an action or a state.
Examples
他们全都来了。
They all came.
这些学生全都会说中文。
All these students can speak Chinese.
这些菜全都很好吃。
All these dishes are delicious.
今天的作业我全都写完了。
I finished all of today’s homework.
这些词我全都记住了。
I remembered all these words.
4. 全都不 / 全都没: total negation
When 不 or 没 comes after 全都, the sentence usually expresses total negation.
It can mean none, not any, or all not, depending on the sentence.
📌 Structure
Subject + 全都 + 不 / 没 + Verb / Adjective
Examples
他们全都没来。
None of them came.
这些问题我全都不知道。
I don’t know the answers to any of these questions.
这些字我全都不认识。
I don’t know any of these characters.
这些衣服全都不贵。
None of these clothes are expensive.
这些电影我全都没看过。
I haven’t seen any of these movies.
💡 In this pattern, the meaning is strong. It usually means zero or none.
5. 不是全都 / 没有全都: partial negation
If you want to say not all, do not put the negative word after 全都.
Instead, you can use:
不是全都…
or
没有全都…
📌 Meaning: not all / not completely
This means some are included, but not all.
Examples
他们不是全都来了。
Not all of them came.
这些学生不是全都会说中文。
Not all of these students can speak Chinese.
这些问题我不是全都知道。
I don’t know the answers to all of these questions.
这些问题我没有全都做完。
I didn’t finish all of these questions.
这些词我没有全都记住。
I didn’t remember all of these words.
6. Compare the Difference
Look at these two sentences:
这些问题我全都不知道。
I don’t know the answers to any of these questions.
👉 Meaning: I know none of them.
Now compare it with:
这些问题我不是全都知道。
I don’t know the answers to all of these questions.
👉 Meaning: I know some, but not all.
This is the key difference:
全都不 / 全都没 = none / not any / all not
不是全都 / 没有全都 = not all
7. A Small Note About 没全都
You may also hear or see this pattern:
他们没全都来。
Not all of them came.
This is another natural way to say that not everyone came.
However, for learners, 不是全都 is clearer and easier to understand.
✅ Better for learners:
他们不是全都来了。
Not all of them came.
8. Common Mistakes
❌ 全的家都很高兴。
✅ 全家都很高兴。
Quánjiā dōu hěn gāoxìng.
The whole family is very happy.
❌ 全房子很大。
✅ 整个房子很大。
Zhěnggè fángzi hěn dà.
The whole house is big.
⚠️ 这些问题我全都没做完。
This may sound like: I didn’t finish any of them.
✅ If you mean “I didn’t finish all of them,” say:
这些问题我没有全都做完。
I didn’t finish all of these questions.
9. Quick Summary
Use 全 + noun to mean the whole / entire.
For example:
全家 = the whole family
全班 = the whole class
全国 = the whole country
全世界 = the whole world
全身 = the whole body
全天 = the whole day / all day
Use 全都 to mean all of them / all of it.
他们全都来了。
They all came.
Use 全都不 / 全都没 for total negation.
他们全都没来。
None of them came.
Use 不是全都 / 没有全都 for partial negation.
他们不是全都来了。
Not all of them came.
So remember:
🌟 全 focuses on “the whole.”
🌟 全都 emphasizes “all of them / all of it.”
🌟 In negative sentences, word order is very important.