Chinese word

凡是

Pronunciation

Pinyinfán shì

Meaning

  • conjunctionevery

Example

凡是重要的事，得亲自处理。fán shì zhòng yào de shì děi qīn zì chú lǐ

Every important matter must be handled personally.

Illustration for 凡是 (every)

More examples

凡是认真准备的人，考试成绩往往更好。fán shì rèn zhēn zhǔn bèi de rén kǎo shì chéng jì wáng wǎng gèng hǎo

Anyone who prepares seriously tends to get better exam results.

Core concept

Draws a boundary around all cases that fit a condition, treating them as one complete set for a rule or judgment.

Common phrases

  • 凡是...都fán shì dōu

    all ___

  • 凡是...就fán shì jiù

    whenever ___

Similar words

无论wú lùn: Shows that a result remains unchanged in any situation or under any condition.
不论bú lùn: Shows that the same conclusion or action applies despite any circumstances.
不管bù guǎn: Shows that the same treatment applies without regard to the situation or conditions.

Definition in Chinese

凡是用于引出对所有符合某一条件的人或事作出普遍判断或规定，常见结构为“凡是＋条件，＋结论”。fán shì yòng yú yǐn chū duì suó yǒu fú hé mǒu yì tiáo jiàn de rén huò shì zuò chū pǔ biàn pàn duàn huò guī dìng cháng jiàn jié gòu wèi fán shì tiáo jiàn jié lùn

Word origin

凡 (fán, "general") + 是 (shì, "to be") combines a broad category with a defining link, yielding a word for everything that has the stated quality.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this conjunction can sound formal, so spoken Chinese often uses a conditional pattern meaning "as long as..., then..." for the same broad idea.

Other meanings

  • alladverb
  • anythingadverb

Word lists with this word