Correct Answer: B
“都(dōu)” is an adverb meaning “all” or “both” which is commonly used in Chinese people’s daily conversations. It refers to the total of all the nouns or collective nouns which precede it in a sentence.
Nǐmen dōu zhīdào nèi mǎ ěr ma?
你们 都 知道 内 马 尔 吗?
Do you all know Neymar?
Wǒmen dōu yǒu shǒujī.
我们 都 有 手机。
Both of us have cellphones.
“都(dōu)” is used before or after “不(bù)” to express negation, but the meanings of “都不(dōubù)” and “不都(bùdōu)” are quite different.
“都不(dōubù)” indicates a complete negation, meaning “none of …” or “neither of …”
Lǐ Níng: Nǐmen shì Měiguó rén ma?
李 宁: 你们 是 美国 人 吗?
Li Ning: Are you guys Americans?
Elizabeth: Wǒmen dōubú shì Měiguó rén.
Elizabeth: 我们 都不 是 美国 人。
Elizabeth: None of us is American.
Tāmen dōubù hējiǔ.
他们 都不 喝酒。
Neither of them drinks alcohol.
“不都(bùdōu),” on the other hand, is a partial negation, meaning “not all of…” or “not both of …”
Tāmen bùdōu shì dàxuésheng.
她们 不都 是 大学生。
Not all of them are university students.
Wǒmen bùdōu qù kàn diànyǐng.
我们 不都 去 看 电影。
Not all of us will go see the movie.
In the test above, the two blanks need two complete negations. Therefore, the correct answer is B.
<<Back to “Chinese Test: The Negation of ‘都(dōu)’”
HSK Test
General Chinese (Beginner Level)
General Chinese (Intermediate Level)