HSK 7-9
皆
jiē
All; without exception (literary)
Structure
Subject (plural) + 皆 + Verb/Adjective
How it works
皆 (jiē) is a formal, literary equivalent of 都 (dōu), meaning 'all' or 'without exception.' It is primarily used in written Chinese, classical poetry, or formal speeches to indicate that the entire group mentioned previously shares a common trait or participates in the same action.
Examples
放眼望去，满山皆是红叶。
Fàngyǎn wàng qù, mǎnshān jiē shì hóngyè.
Looking as far as the eye can see, the entire mountain is covered in red leaves.
此事路人皆知，已非秘密。
Cǐ shì lùrén jiē zhī, yǐ fēi mìmì.
Everyone on the street knows about this; it is no longer a secret.
凡在此工作者，皆需遵守规章制度。
Fán zài cǐ gōngzuò zhě, jiē xū zūnshǒu guīzhāng zhìdù.
All those who work here must abide by the rules and regulations.
Common mistakes
Using '皆' in casual, spoken conversation where '都' would be more natural.
Tip
Look for '皆' in four-character idioms (Chengyu), such as '人人皆知' (known to all) or '万事皆空' (everything is vanity).
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See 皆 in real Chinese
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