什么/谁/哪儿/怎么 + 都/也 + (不/没) + Verb
什么都/谁都... (shénme dōu/shéi dōu...) — question words as 'everything/everyone/anywhere'
Question words like 什么 (what), 谁 (who), 哪儿 (where), and 怎么 (how) turn into universal statements — 'everything, everyone, everywhere, no matter how' — when followed by 都 or 也, instead of being used to actually ask something: 他什么都吃 (he eats everything/anything), 谁都可以来 (anyone/everyone can come), 我哪儿都没去 (I didn't go anywhere). Add 不 or 没 before the verb to make it a universal negative: 我什么都不知道 (I don't know anything at all). The deciding question: is the question word actually asking for specific information (→ needs 吗/呢 and rising question intonation, no 都/也), or is it standing in for 'no matter what/who/where' as part of a sweeping statement (→ follow it with 都 or 也, no question mark)? Without 都/也 right after, 什么/谁/哪儿 default back to being real questions.
Examples
- 他什么都吃，一点儿都不挑食。tā shén me dōu chī, yì diǎnr dōu bù tiāo shí
He eats everything — not picky at all.
- 这个消息谁都知道了。zhè ge xiāo xi shéi dōu zhī dào le
Everyone already knows this news.
- 我今天哪儿都不想去，只想在家什么都不做。wǒ jīn tiān nǎr dōu bù xiǎng qù, zhǐ xiǎng zài jiā shén me dōu bú zuò
I don't want to go anywhere today, I just want to stay home and do nothing at all.
Common mistake
✗ Wrong: 他什么吃。
✓ Right: 他什么都吃。
什么 alone just asks 'what' — to turn it into 'everything/anything', it needs 都 (or 也) right after it before the verb.
Practice this pattern
Fill in the missing character:
他＿么都吃，一点儿都不挑食。
He eats everything — not picky at all.