尽是: Nothing but in Chinese
尽是
尽是 presents a set as consisting entirely of the following kind, often with a dissatisfied or emphatic tone: nothing but or all. In this pattern 尽 directly precedes 是 and its noun phrase. The two-character predicate cannot be split by aspect marking or placed after its complement. Context identifies the relevant set.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Topic / Location + 尽是 + Noun phrase
Read the structure
尽是 presents a set as consisting entirely of the following kind, often with a dissatisfied or emphatic tone: nothing but or all. In this pattern 尽 directly precedes 是 and its noun phrase. The two-character predicate cannot be split by aspect marking or placed after its complement. Context identifies the relevant set. Keep the model Topic / Location + 尽是 + Noun phrase visible while you compare each sentence.
分配给我的尽是些基础工作。
What I was assigned was nothing but basic work.
Choose the right context
Say a place contains nothing but one category. Emphasize that every assigned item has the same character. Express an evaluative all or nothing-but judgment.
桌上尽是他看过的资料。
The table is covered entirely with materials he has read.
Respect the boundary
Do not split 尽是 with 了. Do not reverse 尽是 and its complement. Do not confuse adverbial 尽 with the verb meaning exhaust.
袋子里尽了是空瓶子。
(The bag all-le is empty bottles.)
Repair the pattern
了 splits the fixed predicate: 尽是 is one predicate in this construction and cannot be split by 了. The complement precedes 尽是: The category identified as exhaustive follows 尽是.
袋子里尽是空瓶子。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
分配给我的尽是些基础工作。
What I was assigned was nothing but basic work.
分配
Topic / Location
This part occupies the Topic / Location position in the model pattern.
给
尽是
This part occupies the 尽是 position in the model pattern.
我的
Noun phrase
This part occupies the Noun phrase position in the model pattern.
尽
Topic / Location
This part occupies the Topic / Location position in the model pattern.
是
尽是
This part occupies the 尽是 position in the model pattern.
些
Noun phrase
This part occupies the Noun phrase position in the model pattern.
基础
Topic / Location
This part occupies the Topic / Location position in the model pattern.
工作
尽是
This part occupies the 尽是 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
分配给我的尽是些基础工作。
What I was assigned was nothing but basic work.
桌上尽是他看过的资料。
The table is covered entirely with materials he has read.
袋子里尽是空瓶子。
The bag contains nothing but empty bottles.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Say a place contains nothing but one category.
- Emphasize that every assigned item has the same character.
- Express an evaluative all or nothing-but judgment.
Do not use it when
- Do not split 尽是 with 了.
- Do not reverse 尽是 and its complement.
- Do not confuse adverbial 尽 with the verb meaning exhaust.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
袋子里尽了是空瓶子。
袋子里尽是空瓶子。
了 splits the fixed predicate
尽是 is one predicate in this construction and cannot be split by 了.
袋子里空瓶子尽是。
袋子里尽是空瓶子。
The complement precedes 尽是
The category identified as exhaustive follows 尽是.
袋子里尽了是空瓶子。
尽是 is one predicate in this construction and cannot be split by 了.
袋子里空瓶子尽是。
The category identified as exhaustive follows 尽是.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 尽是.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 尽是. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
尽是: Nothing but Questions
Does 尽是 sound neutral?
It can be factual, but it often carries emphasis or dissatisfaction depending on context.
Can a noun phrase follow 尽是?
Yes. The noun phrase names the category that fills the relevant set.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, Level 6 item 【六07】, 范围、协同副词：尽、净、一齐、一同
Supports placement in HSK 6; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceA Reference Grammar of Chinese
Huang, Shi and Li · Cambridge University Press · 2022
Locator: Chapter 12, §§12.3–12.4, scope adverbs and frequently used adverbs
Treats scope adverbs as preverbal quantificational modifiers, supporting the exhaustive reading of 尽是.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
统统统统: Every Item Without Exception
Compare this lesson with 统统 emphatically including every member of a set; both belong to totality, exception, and limitation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
唯独唯独: The Sole Exception
Compare this lesson with 唯独 singling out one exception from a set; both belong to totality, exception, and limitation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
罢了罢了: Merely and Nothing More
Compare this lesson with 罢了 limiting a claim to no more than stated; both belong to totality, exception, and limitation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
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都都 (dōu): Scope and Position
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
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