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Level Advanced Chinese · HSK 5–6

Even and Let Alone: 甚至, 何况, 更不用说, 尚且…何况 and 别说…连

These patterns compare two cases on a scale. You state one, and the other follows a fortiori: if even the easy case fails, the hard one certainly will; if even an expert can't, a beginner certainly can't. English uses 'let alone' and 'never mind'; Chinese has a richer set, from spoken 别说 to written 尚且.

甚至 at C1

甚至 (shènzhì) adds a further, more extreme example. At C1 it often comes in the middle of a series, sometimes as 甚至于 or with 连: 他不但不道歉，甚至还怪别人 (not only did he not apologise, he even blamed others).

  • 这个病很难治，有的人甚至要治好几年。

    Zhège bìng hěn nán zhì, yǒu de rén shènzhì yào zhì hǎo jǐ nián.

    This illness is hard to treat; some people even need several years of treatment.

何况 and 更不用说

何况 (hékuàng) means 'let alone, all the more so': the second case follows obviously from the first. 这个问题大人都不懂，何况孩子呢？ (even adults don't understand this, let alone children). It often ends in 呢 as a rhetorical question.

更不用说 (gèng búyòng shuō) means 'not to mention': it adds a case that obviously follows. It's neutral and used in both speech and writing.

  • 这么重的箱子，大人都搬不动，何况孩子呢？

    Zhème zhòng de xiāngzi, dàrén dōu bān bu dòng, hékuàng háizi ne?

    Even adults can't lift a box this heavy, let alone a child.

  • 他连英语都说不好，更不用说法语了。

    Tā lián Yīngyǔ dōu shuō bu hǎo, gèng búyòng shuō Fǎyǔ le.

    He can't even speak English well, let alone French.

尚且…何况 and 别说…连…也

尚且 (shàngqiě) is the written 'even': 尚且 A，何况 B means 'if even A, then all the more B'. 专家尚且不能解决，何况我们呢？ (if even experts can't solve it, how could we?).

别说 (biéshuō) puts the harder case first: 别说 B，连 A 也/都… means 'never mind B, not even A'. 别说出国了，他连省都没出过 (never mind going abroad, he's never even left the province). It's spoken and lively.

PatternOrderRegister
连 A 都…，更不用说 Beasy case, then hardneutral
A 都…，何况 B 呢easy case, then hardneutral
A 尚且…，何况 Beasy case, then hardwritten
别说 B，连 A 也…hard case, then easyspoken

  • 成年人尚且做不到，何况孩子？

    Chéngniánrén shàngqiě zuò bu dào, hékuàng háizi?

    If even adults can't manage it, how could a child?

  • 别说一万块，我连一千块都没有。

    Biéshuō yíwàn kuài, wǒ lián yìqiān kuài dōu méiyǒu.

    Never mind ten thousand yuan, I don't even have a thousand.

Common mistakes

  • ✗他连跑步都跑不快，何况走路呢？

    ✓他连路都走不稳，何况跑步呢？

    Tā lián lù dōu zǒu bu wěn, hékuàng pǎo bù ne?

    何况 introduces the harder case, which follows from the easier one. Put the easy case (walking) with 连…都 and the hard one (running) after 何况.

  • ✗别说一千块，我也没有一万块。

    ✓别说一万块，我连一千块都没有。

    Biéshuō yíwàn kuài, wǒ lián yìqiān kuài dōu méiyǒu.

    别说 takes the bigger, harder case, and 连…都 the smaller one that also fails.

  • ✗专家尚且不能解决，我们何况呢？

    ✓专家尚且不能解决，何况我们呢？

    Zhuānjiā shàngqiě bù néng jiějué, hékuàng wǒmen ne?

    何况 opens its clause, before the noun it introduces.

Questions learners ask

Is 何况 always a question?

Often, with 呢, but not always: 何况他还是个孩子 (besides, he's only a child) adds an extra reason as a statement.

Can I use 尚且 in speech?

It will sound bookish. In conversation say 连…都…，更不用说… or 别说….

Practice this in lessons

The Advanced Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

Practice this in lessons →

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