Linking semantics and syntax

Abstract This study investigates the distribution of dou (‘all’) in Mandarin quantifier restrictors, an area largely overlooked. While dou is well-studied in nuclear scopes, its occurrence in restrictors follows distinct patterns: quantifiers that permit dou in nuclear scopes often reject it in restrictors. Symmetric quantifiers (e.g., ‘(at least) ten,’ ‘more than ten’) allow dou in restrictors, whereas non-symmetric ones (e.g., mei ‘every,’ dabufen ‘most’) do not. This paper argues that dou appears in restrictors only when the quantifier allows Q(A)(B) and Q(B)(A) to be interchanged truth-conditionally. Empirical tests on henduo (‘many’), henshao (‘few’), and proportional quantifiers support this symmetry-based analysis, emphasizing intersection (∩) as a licensing condition for dou in restrictors.