B1 Intermediate Quantities & Measures

How to Say “All of” with 所有 (suǒyǒu)

所有 means “all of” a (usually large) set of things. It’s a quantifier that sits on the noun: 所有 (+ 的) + Noun. 所有的书 (“all the books”), 所有人 (“everyone”). Make the 所有 phrase the subject and you need 都 before the predicate: 所有人都走了. For “not all,” put 不是 at the front: 不是所有…都.

Why this trips learners up

To say “all of” something in Chinese, reach for 所有. It’s a quantifier that clips onto the noun: 所有 (+ 的) + Noun. 所有的书 (“all the books”), 所有的钱 (“all the money”), 所有人 (“everyone”), 世界上所有的语言 (“all the languages in the world”). The 的 is optional and is often dropped before people-nouns (所有人, 所有学生). Reach for 所有 when the set is large or you want to stress that you mean every last one.

Here’s the piece English speakers forget. When the 所有 phrase is the subject, the predicate still needs 都: 所有 (+ 的) + Noun + 都 + Predicate. 所有人都走了 (“everyone left”), 所有的房间都很干净 (“all the rooms are clean”), 公司所有的员工都要开会 (“all the staff have to attend a meeting”). English says “all the students came”; Chinese says “所有的学生都来了,” with 所有 on the noun and 都 sweeping it before the verb. The predicate can be a verb or an adjective.

To say “not all,” put 不是 at the very front, not 不: 不是 + 所有 (+ 的) + Noun + 都 + Predicate. 不是所有的鸟都会飞 (“not all birds can fly”), 不是所有的问题都能用钱解决 (“not all problems can be solved with money”). You’re negating the claim “all of them,” so it takes 不是 (“it’s not the case that all…”); 不所有 is simply wrong.

Two things keep 所有 straight. First, it’s not the same word as 都: 所有 quantifies a noun (“all of X”), while 都 is an adverb before the verb (“all / both [verb]”). They team up when the 所有 phrase is the subject (所有的学生都来了), but 所有 alone can’t sit in front of a verb, and 都 alone can’t sit in front of a noun. Second, 所有 needs a noun after it: “everyone left” is 所有人都走了, not 所有都走了. Quick guide: 所有 on the noun, 都 in the predicate, 不是 out front for “not all.”

The structure

所有 suǒyǒu Subject 都 dōu Verb

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Place Negation Adverb Function word Adjective Question Other

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

wǒ 我 Subject xǐhuan 喜欢 Verb suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern de 的 Function word yánsè 颜色 Object

I like all the colors (所有的颜色, 所有 on the object).

lǎoshī 老师 Subject rènshi 认识 Verb suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern xuésheng 学生 Object

The teacher knows all the students (所有学生, the 的 dropped).

suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern rén 人 Subject dōu 都 Adverb dào 到 Verb le 了 Function word ma 吗 Question

Has everyone arrived? (所有人都, a 所有 subject needs 都).

suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern de 的 Function word fángjiān 房间 Subject dōu 都 Adverb hěn gānjìng 很干净 Adjective

All the rooms are clean (所有的房间都, with an adjective predicate).

gōngsī 公司 Other suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern de 的 Function word yuángōng 员工 Subject dōu 都 Adverb yào 要 Function word kāihuì 开会 Verb

All the staff in the company have to attend a meeting (公司所有的员工都).

bù shì 不是 Negation suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern de 的 Function word niǎo 鸟 Subject dōu 都 Adverb huì 会 Function word fēi 飞 Verb

Not all birds can fly (不是所有…都, 不是 out front for “not all”).

bù shì 不是 Negation suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern de 的 Function word wèntí 问题 Subject dōu 都 Adverb néng 能 Function word yòng qián 用钱 Other jiějué 解决 Verb

Not all problems can be solved with money (不是所有…都).

shìjiè shàng 世界上 Place suǒyǒu 所有 Pattern de 的 Function word yǔyán 语言 Object wǒ 我 Subject dōu 都 Adverb xiǎng 想 Function word xué 学 Verb

I want to learn all the languages in the world (a fronted object swept by 都).

Common mistakes

Avoid: 不所有的人都喜欢他。 bù suǒyǒu de rén dōu xǐhuan tā.

Say this: 不是所有的人都喜欢他。 bù shì suǒyǒu de rén dōu xǐhuan tā.

Why it happens: Negate 所有 with 不是 at the front, not 不. “Not everyone likes him” is 不是所有的人都喜欢他, not 不所有的人. You’re denying the claim “all of them,” so it’s 不是 (“it’s not the case that all…”); 不 can’t attach to 所有.

Avoid: 所有人来了。 suǒyǒu rén lái le.

Say this: 所有人都来了。 suǒyǒu rén dōu lái le.

Why it happens: When the 所有 phrase is the subject, the predicate needs 都. “Everyone came” is 所有人都来了, not 所有人来了. 所有 marks the noun as exhaustive, and 都 has to sweep it up before the verb.

Avoid: 所有都走了。 suǒyǒu dōu zǒu le.

Say this: 所有人都走了。 suǒyǒu rén dōu zǒu le.

Why it happens: 所有 needs a noun after it, unlike 大家 or 都. “Everyone left” is 所有人都走了, not 所有都走了. 所有 is a quantifier that modifies a noun, so it can’t stand alone as the subject.

Compare & contrast

所有: quantifies the NOUN	都: an adverb before the VERB	The difference
所有的学生suǒyǒu de xuésheng = “all the students” (所有 sits on the noun)	学生都来了xuésheng dōu lái le = “the students all came” (都 sits before the verb)	所有的学生 = “all the students,” 所有 sits on the noun. 学生都来了 = “the students all came,” 都 sits before the verb. Different jobs, different slots.
我买了所有的书wǒ mǎi le suǒyǒu de shū = “I bought all the books” (所有 on the object)	这些书我都买了zhèxiē shū wǒ dōu mǎi le = “these books, I bought them all” (都 sweeping the topic)	我买了所有的书 = “I bought all the books” (所有 on the object). 这些书我都买了 = “these books, I bought them all” (都 sweeping the topic). They team up when the 所有 phrase is the subject: 所有的学生都来了.

Rule of thumb所有 (+ 的) + Noun means “all of” a (large) set: 所有的书, 所有人. Put it in the subject and the predicate needs 都: 所有人都走了. Negate with 不是 at the front for “not all”: 不是所有…都. Keep it apart from 都 (an adverb on the verb) and remember 所有 always takes a following noun.

Try it yourself

Say “All the rooms are clean.” 所有 + 的 + Noun + 都 + adjective: 所有的房间都很干净.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

How to Say “All of” with 所有 (suǒyǒu) grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

所有 + Subject + 都 + Verb

Example

我喜欢所有的颜色

I like all the colors (所有的颜色, 所有 on the object).

Watch out

✗ 不所有的人都喜欢他。 → ✓ 不是所有的人都喜欢他。