Meaning of 所有
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- all
- to have; to possess; to own
How to use 所有
Most often 所有 comes before a noun to mean "all", usually with 的 and often followed by 都 before the verb. Example: 所有的学生都来了。(Suǒyǒu de xuéshēng dōu lái le.) All the students came. In formal language it can also mean ownership, as in 所有权 (suǒyǒuquán) ownership rights.
所 (suǒ) means "that which" and 有 (yǒu) means "to have". Put together, 所有 is "everything that one has", which stretches to mean "all".
Common mistake: Learners often forget 都 (dōu) and say 所有的人喜欢 instead of 所有的人都喜欢 (Suǒyǒu de rén dōu xǐhuan). Another trap is putting 所有 after the noun like English "the students all". It must come before the noun.
所有 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.
所 suǒ · actually · 8 strokes
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- 3
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有 yǒu · to have · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 所有.
| 没有 | méiyǒu | haven't; hasn't |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | there still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition |
| 有些 | yǒuxiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 有用 | yǒuyòng | useful |
| 有名 | yǒumíng | famous; well-known |
| 有的 | yǒude | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 有一些 | yǒuyīxiē | somewhat; rather |
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore; as a result |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful |
Questions about 所有
What does 所有 mean?
所有 (suǒyǒu) means "all; to have; to possess; to own" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 所有?
所有 is made of 2 characters: 所 (8 strokes), 有 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 所有 an HSK word?
Yes. 所有 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 所有 and 一切?
Both mean "all". 所有 normally needs a noun after it, as in 所有的书 (all the books). 一切 (yíqiè) can stand alone as a pronoun meaning "everything", as in 一切都好 (Everything is fine).
Is 的 required after 所有?
No. Both 所有的人 and 所有人 (suǒyǒu rén) are correct and common. Using 的 sounds slightly fuller and is very common in speech.