凡事 / 任何事 + 都 + ...
Use this when you want to make a sweeping observation about how things work in general — a universal claim with no exceptions. 凡事 (every matter) and 任何事 (any matter) both sweep across all cases, and the 都 confirms 'all of them' belong under the same predicate. Common in proverbs, life advice, and op-ed openers: 凡事有两面 = 'everything has two sides.'
Structure
凡事 / 任何事 + 都 + [PREDICATE]
fánshì / rènhé shì + dōu + ...
How to Think About It
凡事 sounds maxim-like, almost proverbial — it is the favored opener of essays and self-help. 任何事 is more analytical and modern, often used to argue a logical claim ('any case will have...'). Both REQUIRE 都. Without 都 the universal sweep falls apart, because Chinese needs the explicit 'all' to bind the universal subject to the predicate. The 都 here is the same 都 you see in 我们都是 — it just universally quantifies whatever sits on its left.
Examples
凡事都有两面。
fánshì dōu yǒu liǎng miàn.
Everything has two sides.
任何事都需要时间去理解。
rènhé shì dōu xūyào shíjiān qù lǐjiě.
Anything takes time to understand.
凡事都不能急。
fánshì dōu bù néng jí.
Nothing should be rushed.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the 都 because the universal feel is already in 凡事 or 任何事. But Chinese requires the 都 to actually deliver universality to the predicate. '凡事有两面' is acceptable in fixed proverbs, but in fresh sentences you need 都: '凡事都有两面.'
凡事有原因。
凡事都有原因。
Don't Confuse With
什么都...
Conversational equivalent — 'anything / everything.' (他什么都吃 = he eats anything). 凡事/任何事 is more abstract and refers to MATTERS or situations, not concrete things.
所有的 + Noun + 都...
Universal over a specific noun ('all books are...'). Use 凡事 when you want to sweep over ALL MATTERS abstractly, not over a named noun.
无论什么事都...
Same universal sweep, more colloquial. 凡事 has a proverbial flavor; 无论什么事都 sounds like everyday speech.
Practice
Fill the blank: 凡事____有原因。
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都
Fill the blank: ____事都不能只看表面。
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凡
Arrange: 都 / 凡事 / 有 / 解决的办法
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凡事都有解决的办法。
Translate to Chinese: Anything is hard at the beginning.
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任何事开始的时候都很难。
Write a maxim using 凡事 or 任何事 + 都.
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凡事都要先想清楚再做。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: