Meaning of 全
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- all
- whole
- entire
- every
- complete
- surname Quan
How to use 全
全 often comes before a noun to mean the whole of something, as in 全国 (quánguó, the whole country) or 全身 (quánshēn, the whole body). As an adverb it means all or entirely and goes before the verb, often with 都 (dōu). Example: 我们全都去了。(Wǒmen quán dōu qù le.) We all went.
Picture 全 (quán) as a roof 人 sitting over 王, covering everything underneath so nothing is left out. When the whole thing is under one roof, it is complete and entire.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 全 with 金 (jīn, gold), which has two extra dots and a longer bottom. Another trap is putting 全 after the verb like English "all". Say 他们全来了 (tāmen quán lái le), not 他们来了全.
全 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
全 quán · all · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 全.
| 完全 | wánquán | complete; whole; totally; entirely |
| 安全 | ānquán | safe; secure; safety; security |
| 全部 | quánbù | whole; all |
| 全国 | quánguó | whole nation; nationwide |
| 全身 | quánshēn | the whole body; (typography) em |
| 全体 | quántǐ | all; entire |
| 全家 | quánjiā | whole family |
| 全年 | quánnián | the whole year; all year long |
| 全球 | quánqiú | the whole world; worldwide; global |
| 全面 | quánmiàn | all-around; comprehensive |
| 全场 | quánchǎng | everyone present; the whole audience |
| 全都 | quándōu | all; without exception |
Questions about 全
What does 全 mean?
全 (quán) means "all; whole" and is used as a adverb and adjective.
How do you write 全?
全 is made of 1 character: 全 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 全 an HSK word?
Yes. 全 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 全 and 全部?
全 is short and usually attaches directly to a noun or goes before a verb, like 全班 (quánbān, the whole class). 全部 (quánbù) can stand alone as a noun or take 的, as in 全部的钱 (quánbù de qián, all the money).
Why does 安全 mean safe if 全 means whole?
安 (ān) means peaceful, and 全 adds the idea of being intact and unharmed. Together 安全 (ānquán) describes something calm and kept whole, which is safe.