全 / 一共 / 只 for Scope and Totality in Chinese
全 / 一共 / 只
These adverbs set different scopes before a predicate. 全 presents every relevant member as included, 一共 gives a combined total, and 只 restricts the assertion to one amount, participant, or action. Their shared pre-predicate position does not make them interchangeable: each creates a different relation between the set and the claim.
Published July 29, 2026
Reviewed July 29, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject / Topic + 全 / 一共 / 只 + Predicate
Read the structure
These adverbs set different scopes before a predicate. 全 presents every relevant member as included, 一共 gives a combined total, and 只 restricts the assertion to one amount, participant, or action. Their shared pre-predicate position does not make them interchangeable: each creates a different relation between the set and the claim. Keep the model Subject / Topic + 全 / 一共 / 只 + Predicate visible while you compare each sentence.
这些书我全看了。
I read all these books.
Choose the right context
Use 全 when every relevant member shares the predicate. Use 一共 when stating a combined numerical total. Use 只 when restricting the assertion to a limited choice or amount.
我们班一共有二十个学生。
Our class has twenty students in total.
Respect the boundary
Do not place the scope adverb after the predicate. Do not use 一共 without a total that can be combined. Do not combine 全 and 只 when they assign contradictory scope to the same set.
这些书我看了全。
(I read all these books.)
Repair the pattern
The scope adverb is stranded after its predicate: 全 must precede the predicate whose relevant objects it includes. 一共 follows the completed total predicate: 一共 introduces the combined total before 有, not after the completed noun phrase.
这些书我全看了。
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.
这些书我全看了。
I read all these books.
这些
Subject / Topic
This part occupies the Subject / Topic position in the model pattern.
书
全 / 一共 / 只
This part occupies the 全 / 一共 / 只 position in the model pattern.
我
Predicate
This part occupies the Predicate position in the model pattern.
全
Subject / Topic
This part occupies the Subject / Topic position in the model pattern.
看了
全 / 一共 / 只
This part occupies the 全 / 一共 / 只 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.
这些书我全看了。
I read all these books.
我们班一共有二十个学生。
Our class has twenty students in total.
今天我只喝水。
Today I am only drinking water.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Use 全 when every relevant member shares the predicate.
- Use 一共 when stating a combined numerical total.
- Use 只 when restricting the assertion to a limited choice or amount.
Do not use it when
- Do not place the scope adverb after the predicate.
- Do not use 一共 without a total that can be combined.
- Do not combine 全 and 只 when they assign contradictory scope to the same set.
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.
这些书我看了全。
这些书我全看了。
The scope adverb is stranded after its predicate
全 must precede the predicate whose relevant objects it includes.
我们班有二十个学生一共。
我们班一共有二十个学生。
一共 follows the completed total predicate
一共 introduces the combined total before 有, not after the completed noun phrase.
这些书我看了全。
全 must precede the predicate whose relevant objects it includes.
我们班有二十个学生一共。
一共 introduces the combined total before 有, not after the completed noun phrase.
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 全 / 一共 / 只.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 全 / 一共 / 只. 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
全 / 一共 / 只 for Scope and Totality Questions
How are 全 and 都 different?
Both can express broad inclusion, but their distribution and focus are not identical in every sentence. This lesson only establishes 全 before the shared predicate.
Can 只 modify a noun directly?
In the pattern taught here, 只 is an adverb before the predicate. The classifier 只 is a different word and appears between a number or demonstrative and a noun.
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: Appendix A, Level 2 item 【二14】, PDF p. 187
Lists 全, 一共, and 只 as Level 2 range or coordination adverbs with separate examples.
Official source现代汉语副词的性质、范围与分类
张谊生 · 上海师范大学 / 语言研究 · 2000
Locator: Article body, range-adverb and coordination-adverb classification
Classifies scope adverbs such as 都 and 只 by how they delimit the proposition they modify.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
都都 (dōu): Scope and Position
Compare 全 with 都 as whole-set scope markers before the shared predicate.
Compare
每每: Every and Each
每 selects members individually, while 全 presents the relevant members as one included set.
Easy to confuse
只有…才只有...才: Only If Condition
Contrast simple restrictive 只 with the paired necessary-condition focus of 只有…才.
Compare
至少/仅仅Minimum and Restriction with 至少 and 仅仅
只 sets an upper restriction in context, while 至少 establishes a minimum boundary.
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Easy to confuse
Compare 全 with 都 as whole-set scope markers before the shared predicate.