Indicating the Whole with “quán”
全
How it works
全 (quán) means “whole,” “entire,” or “all.” It is used when you want to describe something in its complete form, with no part left out.
It is commonly used in two ways.
First, 全 (quán) can come before a noun to mean “the whole...” or “the entire...”.
Second, it can come before a verb, or be used together with 都 (dōu), to mean “all.”
Compared with 都 (dōu), 全 (quán) often gives a stronger feeling of completeness, while 都 (dōu) usually focuses on all members in a group.
The pattern
Example sentences
他看完了全书。
He finished reading the whole book.
我们班的学生全都来了。
All the students in our class came.
这些菜我全吃完了。
I finished all these dishes.
Key point
全 (quán) and 都 (dōu) are similar, but not always the same.
我们都来了。 Wǒmen dōu lái le. We all came.
我们全来了。 Wǒmen quán lái le. We all came. This sounds more emphatic and gives a stronger feeling of “everyone without exception.”