měige rén duì zhè jiàn shìqíng dōu yǒu zìjǐ de kànfǎ.

Questions & Answers about měige rén duì zhè jiàn shìqíng dōu yǒu zìjǐ de kànfǎ.

Why does the sentence use 每个 instead of just 每? Is there a difference between 每个人 and 每人?

每 (měi) means “every/each” and is normally followed by a measure word:

  • 每 + 个 + 人 → 每个人 (everyone / every person)
  • 每 + 本 + 书 → 每本书 (every book)

每个 is “every + (generic measure word)”. In 每个人, 个 is the measure word for 人.

You can also say:

  • 每人 instead of 每个人

Both are correct here and mean essentially the same thing. Differences:

  • 每个人 feels a bit more colloquial and explicit.
  • 每人 is slightly more concise and may sound a bit more formal or written in some contexts (e.g. 每人一杯 “one cup per person”).

In this sentence, 每个人… and 每人… are both natural.

What exactly does 对 do in this sentence, and how is it different from saying something like 在这件事情上?

对 (duì) here introduces the object/target someone’s attitude or opinion is directed toward, roughly “toward / regarding / about”.

  • 对这件事情都有自己的看法
    • Literally: “toward this matter (they) all have their own views.”
    • Natural: “everyone has their own opinion about this matter.”

You could also say:

  • 在这件事情上,每个人都有自己的看法。

Both are correct. Nuance:

  • 对… is simple and very common in spoken Chinese.
  • 在…上 (“on this matter”) feels a tiny bit more formal or written, but is also common.

Functionally, for this sentence, 对这件事情 ≈ 在这件事情上.

Why is 件 used in 这件事情? Can I say 这件事 or 这个事情 instead?

件 (jiàn) is the measure word for things like events, matters, incidents:

  • 一件事 / 一件事情 → “one matter/one thing (that happened)”

In the sentence:

  • 这件事情 = “this matter / this issue / this thing (that we’re talking about)”

Variations:

  1. 这件事

    • Very common and completely natural.
    • Slightly shorter; often sounds a bit more colloquial.
  2. 这个事情

    • Also used, especially colloquially.
    • Some speakers feel 这件事(情) is a bit neater or more standard.

All of these work here:

  • 每个人对这件事情都有自己的看法。
  • 每个人对这件事都有自己的看法。
  • 每个人对这个事情都有自己的看法。

Meaning doesn’t really change.

What is the role of 都 here? Could we leave it out? How is it different from 也?

都 (dōu) means “all / both” and emphasizes that the whole group shares the property that follows.

  • 每个人…都有自己的看法。
    • Highlights: every person, without exception, has their own opinion.

If you remove 都:

  • 每个人有自己的看法。

This is still grammatical and understandable, but:

  • With 都, the “every single one of them” feeling is stronger.
  • Without 都, it sounds a little bit less emphatic and a bit more like a general statement.

Difference from 也 (“also”):

  • 也 compares one case to another: “also, too”.
  • 都 groups them: “all (of them)”.

You cannot replace 都 with 也 here:

  • ❌ 每个人对这件事情也有自己的看法。 (sounds wrong; “each person also has…” but also compared to what?)

So 都 is the natural choice.

Why is 都 placed before 有? Could we put 都 somewhere else?

Basic rule: 都 usually comes after the subject (or group) it refers to and before the verb.

Pattern:

  • [Subject] + 都
    • [Verb Phrase]

In our sentence:

  • Subject: 每个人对这件事情 (“every person, with respect to this matter”)
  • Adverb: 都
  • Verb: 有
  • Object: 自己的看法

So:

  • 每个人对这件事情 都 有 自己的看法。

You normally cannot move 都 after the verb in this kind of sentence:

  • ❌ 每个人对这件事情有都自己的看法。
  • ❌ 每个人对这件事情有自己的都看法。

Those are ungrammatical.

You can change fronting slightly, e.g.:

  • 对这件事情,每个人都有自己的看法。

But 都 still immediately precedes 有.

Why do we use 有 here? Could we say 是 instead of 有?

有 (yǒu) means “to have / to possess” in this sentence:

  • 有自己的看法 = “have one’s own opinion/view”

This expresses possession of an opinion, which is how Chinese often talks about opinions, ideas, feelings, etc.

Using 是 (shì) would not work:

  • ❌ 每个人对这件事情是自己的看法。
    • This is ungrammatical; 是 links two noun phrases like “A is B”, but 自己的看法 is not being equated with the person; it’s something they have.

So:

  • 有 = correct and natural (possess an opinion)
  • 是 = wrong here
What does 自己 mean here, and why do we add 的 after it?

自己 (zìjǐ) means “self / oneself”. It is reflexive and refers back to the subject:

  • 每个人…都有自己的看法。
    • Each person has their own opinion.

In 自己的看法:

  • 自己 functions like a possessor (“one’s own”).
  • 的 turns it into a modifier of 看法, similar to “’s” or “of” in English.

Structure:

  • 自己 (self) + 的 (possessive marker) + 看法 (view/opinion)
  • → “one’s own view”

Without 的, it would be ungrammatical here:

  • ❌ 有自己看法 (missing the 的 in this structure; sounds wrong).
What is the difference between 看法, 意见, and 观点?

All three can relate to “opinion/view”, but with different nuances:

  1. 看法 (kànfǎ)

    • Literally: “way of seeing”.
    • Very common, neutral.
    • Means “view, way of looking at something”.
    • Often used in everyday conversation:
      • 你对这件事有什么看法?
        “What’s your view on this matter?”
  2. 意见 (yìjiàn)

    • “Opinion; suggestion; objection”.
    • Often used when expressing suggestions, criticisms, or objections:
      • 你有什么意见可以提。
        “You can raise any opinions/suggestions.”
    • Can sometimes have a slight “disagreeing/critical” feel, depending on context.
  3. 观点 (guāndiǎn)

    • “Point of view; standpoint”.
    • Feels a bit more formal/abstract, often used in discussions, essays, academic contexts:
      • 他的观点很有意思。
        “His viewpoint is very interesting.”

In this sentence, 看法 fits perfectly; 意见 and 观点 would change the tone slightly:

  • 每个人对这件事情都有自己的观点。 → more formal / ideological
  • 每个人对这件事情都有自己的意见。 → sounds more like “everyone has their own opinions/remarks (possibly conflicting)”
Is 每个人对这件事情 the subject of the sentence, or is just 每个人 the subject?

Grammatically, the main subject is 每个人.

The 对这件事情 part is a prepositional phrase that modifies how the action relates to something:

  • Subject: 每个人 (every person)
  • Prepositional phrase: 对这件事情 (“with regard to this matter”)
  • Adverb: 都
  • Verb: 有
  • Object: 自己的看法

So the core is:

  • 每个人 都 有 自己的看法。
    “Everyone has their own opinion.”

Adding 对这件事情 just specifies the topic of those opinions.

Why doesn’t Chinese mark plural on 人 (person/people)? Why is it 每个人 and not something like “每个人人”?

Chinese generally does not mark plural on nouns the way English does.

  • 人 can mean “person” or “people” depending on context.
  • 每个 already implies “each/every one”, so adding a plural marker is unnecessary.

So:

  • 一个人 → one person
  • 很多人 → many people
  • 每个人 → every person / everyone

You don’t say:

  • ❌ 每个人人
  • ❌ 很多人人

The quantity or distribution is always shown by words like 一, 两, 每, 很多, 几 etc., not by changing the noun itself.

Could we move parts around and still be correct, for example: 对这件事情,每个人都有自己的看法? Does the meaning change?

Yes, this is also correct:

  • 对这件事情,每个人都有自己的看法。

Meaning is essentially the same. Differences:

  • Original: 每个人对这件事情都有自己的看法。
    • Starts with “everyone”, focusing on the people.
  • Variation: 对这件事情,每个人都有自己的看法。
    • Starts with “regarding this matter”, focusing on the topic first.

Both word orders are natural; Chinese allows fairly flexible placement of prepositional phrases like 对…, 在…上, etc., as long as the main structure remains clear.

Can we omit 事情 and just say 对这件? Or omit 件 and say 对这事情?

In practice:

  • ❌ 对这件 (by itself) is incomplete; 件 is a measure word and must be followed by a noun.
  • ✅ 对这件事 / 对这件事情
  • ✅ 对这事 (colloquial; dropping the measure word in some set phrases is okay)
  • ❌ 对这事情 is less standard; most people would say:
    • 对这件事情 (with 件), or
    • 对这事 / 对这个事情

So in this pattern, the safest natural options are:

  • 对这件事情
  • 对这件事
  • 对这事 (more casual)
  • 对这个事情 (colloquial, common but a bit looser)
Is there any difference in tone or politeness if we replace 每个人 with 大家?

Yes, you can say:

  • 大家对这件事情都有自己的看法。

Differences:

  • 每个人 = “each person / everyone individually”, emphasizing individuality.
  • 大家 = “everyone / all of you”, but as a group; very common when addressing an audience.

So:

  • 每个人对这件事情都有自己的看法。

    • Slightly more neutral; stresses that each individual has their own view.
  • 大家对这件事情都有自己的看法。

    • Feels more like the speaker is talking to the group (“all of you have your own views”).
    • Slightly more conversational.

Grammatically, both are fine; the nuance is in emphasis and addressee.

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