In some sentences, we can see “都 dōu”, “都不 dōubù” and “不都 bùdōu”. What are the differences among these three Adverbs? How do you use them correctly?
In Chinese, “都 dōu”, “都不 dōubù” and “不都 bùdōu” are all Adverbs. They are used to refer to the elements which come before them. Therefore, the sentence structure should be:
Subject (plural) + 都/都不/不都 + Verb/Adj.
The most distinctive difference is the meaning they express:
不都 bù dōu= not all, (i.e. some do, some don’t)
1. 都dōu (all)
我们都喜欢。
We all like (it).
水果都新鲜。
The fruits are all fresh.
他的衣服都很贵。
His clothes are all very expensive.
2. 都不 dōubù (none of)
我们都不喜欢。
None of us like (it).
水果都不新鲜。
None of these fruits are fresh.
他的衣服都不贵。
None of his clothes are expensive.
3. 不都 bùdōu (not all of)
我们不都喜欢。
Not all of us like (it).
水果不都新鲜。
Not all of these fruits are fresh.
他的衣服不都很贵。
Not all of his clothes are very expensive.
When Verb Has An Object
In a sentence, when the verb has an object, and you want to use “都dōu”, “都不dōubù” and “不都bùdōu” to modify that object, the object should be moved to the head of the sentence.
Object + Subject + 都/都不/不都 + Verb/Adj.
牛奶和茶我都喜欢。
I like both milk and tea.
红色和黑色我都不喜欢。
I like neither red, nor black.
这些书我不都喜欢。
I don’t like all these books.
Vague Meaning
When the Subject is in plural form and the Object is put at the beginning of the sentence, it maybe unclear whether 都 dōu is referring to the Subjects or Objects. Therefore, without knowing the context of the conversation, the meaning will be vague. Only the context will tell us which meaning is implied. E.g.
这些书我们都要。
could mean:
Chinese is a highly pattern-based language. Knowing these structures will help you converse more freely in Chinese. You can learn more Chinese structures by doing our HSK grammar exercises, which use a progressive method to build your grammar.