ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

all / both / entirely

dōu
10 strokes · 者 + 阝 (city radical, right side) · HSK 1

Where 都 comes from

都 = 者 (a person/thing) + 阝 on the right (the 'city' radical, a shrunken 邑). It first meant a big city, a capital — the place where everyone gathers. From 'all gathered in one place' came its everyday meaning: ALL, every one of them. (As 'capital' it reads dū.)

都 in Chinese culture

都 (dōu) is the word for 'all', and like 也 it goes before the verb: 我们都好 = 'We're all fine', 大家都来 = 'Everyone comes'. Read as dū, the same character means 'capital city': 首都 is a nation's capital. One character, two readings, two linked ideas — gathering and the place of gathering.

Example

dōu — all / both

我们都是中国人。
Wǒmen dōu shì Zhōngguó rén.
We are all Chinese.

How to remember it

A great city (阝) where everyone gathers — so 都 means ALL.

都 has two readings: dōu = 'all' (everyday), dū = 'capital city' (首都 = capital). Same character, both rooted in the idea of everyone coming together in one place.

Same sound, different tones

1st dōu
all
3rd dǒu
to tremble
4th dòu
bean

Words unlocked by 都

都好 dōu hǎo
all good
大家都 dàjiā dōu
everyone (all of them)
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