Meaning of 凡是
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- each and every; every; all; any
How to use 凡是
凡是 goes at the very start of a sentence or clause to introduce a whole category, and the second half usually contains 都 (dōu) to say the rule covers everything in it. It sounds a bit formal and is common in rules, notices and general statements. Example: 凡是学生都可以免费参观。(Fánshì xuésheng dōu kěyǐ miǎnfèi cānguān.) All students can visit for free.
凡 (fán) means ordinary or all, and 是 (shì) means to be. Think of 凡是 as "all that is": whatever falls into this group, the rule applies to it.
Common mistake: Learners often drop 都 in the main clause, as in 凡是学生可以参加. It is much more natural to say 凡是学生都可以参加. Also, 凡是 cannot go right before a verb like 每 or 总是 can, so 他凡是迟到 is wrong. Say 他总是迟到 instead.
凡是 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.
凡 fán · ordinary · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
是 shì · to be · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 凡是.
| 还是 | háishi | still (as before); had better |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 但是 | dànshì | but; however |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 正是 | zhèngshì | is precisely |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 就是 | jiùshì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 有的是 | yǒudeshì | have plenty of; there's no lack of |
| 是否 | shìfǒu | whether (or not); if |
Questions about 凡是
What does 凡是 mean?
凡是 (fánshì) means "each and every; every; all; any" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 凡是?
凡是 is made of 2 characters: 凡 (3 strokes), 是 (9 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 凡是 an HSK word?
Yes. 凡是 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 凡是 and 所有?
所有 (suǒyǒu) is an adjective that sits directly before a noun, as in 所有的人 (all the people). 凡是 introduces a whole clause or category, often with a description, as in 凡是喜欢音乐的人 (anyone who likes music). 凡是 also sounds more formal and rule-like.
Can 凡是 be followed by a longer phrase instead of a single noun?
Yes, and this is very common. You can say 凡是去过北京的人都说那里很大 (Fánshì qùguo Běijīng de rén dōu shuō nàlǐ hěn dà), meaning everyone who has been to Beijing says it is big. The phrase after 凡是 defines the group, and 都 follows in the main clause.