The uses of question words with dou and ye

These constructions are used for general categorisation. They can describe how a particular action applies to a general object, as in 我什么东西都吃 wŏ shénme dōngxi dōu chī I eat anything; 我哪儿都去 wŏ năr dōu qù I go anywhere. They can also describe people in general doing a particular type of thing, as in 谁都喜欢吃中国菜 shuí dōu xĭhuān chī Zhōngguó cài everyone likes eating Chinese food.

The question word 什么 shénme what is placed before a noun to imply any or every, and can refer to the subject or object of a sentence. If 什么 shénme any or every is used as the object, it should be placed before the adverb 都 dōu both, all, and can be placed before or after the subject of a sentence. The adverb 都 dōu is placed before the verb, as illustrated below.

I eat anything. Or

The question words 哪儿 nǎr where and 谁 shuí who can be used in the same way as 什么 shénme what.

I go anywhere. Or:

I go anywhere.

If the any or every word is the subject of a sentence, the resulting sentence patterns will be as follows.

Everyone likes eating Chinese food. Or:

Everyone likes eating Chinese food.

The adverb 也 yě often precedes the negation 不 bù or 没 méi as demonstrated below.

I don’t go anywhere (nowadays).

I didn’t go anywhere.

The adverb 也 yě is usually used in negative sentences as above, while the adverb 都 dōu can be used in both affirmative and negative sentences, such as:

I don’t go anywhere (nowadays). Or:

I don’t go anywhere (nowadays).

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