Expressing "everything" with "shenme dou"

什么……都 (shénme... dōu) is a pattern often used to express "all" or "everything." Because it's not just one word, though, it can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first.

Basic Usage

Structure

In some sentences, there will be a subject after the topic in the pattern above. See the following sentences for examples.

Examples

When used in the positive sense, it is more natural to follow 什么 (shénme) with 都 (dōu) rather than 也 (yě) to express "everything."

我觉得这里的菜什么都好吃。
Wǒ juéde zhèlǐ de cài shénme dōu hǎochī.
I think everything is delicious here.
中国的历史爸爸什么都知道。
Zhōngguó de lìshǐ bàba shénme dōu zhīdào.
My dad knows everything about Chinese history.
工作的事情老公什么都跟我说。
Gōngzuò de shìqing lǎogōng shénme dōu gēn wǒ shuō.
My husband tells me everything about work stuff.
妈妈做的菜我什么都喜欢。
Māma zuò de cài wǒ shénme dōu xǐhuan.
I like everything that mom cooks.
我女朋友觉得外国的东西什么都好。
Wǒ nǚpéngyou juéde wàiguó de dōngxi shénme dōu hǎo.
My girlfriend thinks that all foreign things are good.

Structure with a Noun

Structure

Examples

我们什么果汁都喝。
Wǒmen shénme guǒzhī dōu hē.
We drink any kind of fruit juice.
她什么衣服都是黑色的。
Tā shénme yīfu dōu shì hēisè de.
All of her clothes are black.
妈妈做的什么菜都好吃。
Māma zuò de shénme cài dōu hǎochī.
All of the dishes mom makes are tasty.
我男朋友什么运动都喜欢。
Wǒ nánpéngyou shénme yùndòng dōu xǐhuan.
My boyfriend likes all kinds of sports.
你不应该什么话都跟他说。
Nǐ bù yīnggāi shénme huà dōu gēn tā shuō.
You shouldn't tell him everything.

Negative Structure

Structures

The negative structure simply adds a 不 (bù) or a 没 (méi) after the 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě). Instead of "all" or "everything," this expresses "none" or "not any."

Examples

生病以后，爸爸什么酒都不能喝了。
Shēngbìng yǐhòu, bàba shénme jiǔ dōu bù néng hē le.
After dad got sick, he can't drink any kind of alcohol.
老板现在很生气，什么人也不见。
Lǎobǎn xiànzài hěn shēngqì, shénme rén yě bù jiàn.
The boss is very angry. He's doesn't want to see anybody.
今天我不舒服，什么东西都没吃。
Jīntiān wǒ bù shūfu, shénme dōngxi dōu méi chī.
Today I don't feel well, so I didn't eat anything.
昨天开会的时候，她什么话也没说。
Zuótiān kāihuì de shíhou, tā shénme huà yě méi shuō.
She didn't say anything at yesterday's meeting.
你在家里怎么什么事都不做？
Nǐ zài jiālǐ zěnme shénme shì dōu bù zuò?
How come you haven't done anything at home?

Expressing "everything" with "shenme dou" "什么……都"

Basic Usage

Structure

Examples

Structure with a Noun

Structure

Examples

Negative Structure

Structures

Examples

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books