全都 (quán dōu) — all, without exception | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

The everyday spoken 'all, without exception' before a verb or adjective. 处处 means 'everywhere' (places, not people/things); 一律, 一概, and 无不 are more formal or written, and 一概 implies a blanket rule.

adverb

allwithout exception

Examples

全都。
Wǒ men bān de xué shēng quán dōu lái le.
All the students in our class have come.
全都。
Zhè xiē shū quán dōu shì zhōng wén de.
All these books are in Chinese.
全都。
Tā men quán dōu tóng yì zhè ge jì huà.
They all agree with this plan.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

Both 全 and 都 mean 'all', so together they stress that everything is included without exception.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

入入rù
玉玉yùjade

The shape puts 入 together with 玉 to show a whole piece of jade, so it means complete or whole.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

邑邑yìtown, city

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě都dōu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

都 is built from 者, which supplies the sound, and 邑, meaning town or city.

Appears in

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