全都

• Pinyin: quán dōu
• Hanzi breakdown: 全 = 入 + 王, complete/all; 都 = 者 + 阝, all/entirely

Meaning

All; entirely; every single one. Emphasizing totality without exception.

Stronger than 都 alone. Used for emphasis: 全都是真的 (it's all true), 全都吃完了 (ate everything). Often in spoken Chinese for dramatic effect.

Examples

1. 他把饭全都吃完了。 He ate all the food.
2. 这些书我全都看过。 I've read every single one of these books.
3. 参加会议的人全都到齐了。 Everyone attending the meeting has arrived.

Usage Guide

Context: emphasis, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 作业全都做完了。(Finished all the homework.)
• 问题全都解决了。(All problems are solved.)

Don't Say

• 我全都一个朋友。(Grammatically wrong — 全都 needs a plural or collective noun)

Origin & History

全 (quán, all/complete) + 都 (dōu, all/entirely). Emphatic reduplication meaning completely all.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal