Expressing "let alone" with "geng buyong shuo"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
更不用说 (gèng bùyòng shuō) is similar to the English expression "let alone" or "to say nothing of." For example, we might say: "he can't even boil an egg, let alone prepare a banquet."
Structure
连 + A + 都 / 也 + Verb, 更不用说 + B + 了
Notice that the order used in this pattern is the opposite of the 别说 structure.
Examples
- 连 我 都 不 知道 这个 歌手, 更不用说 他 了。I don't even know the singer, let alone him.
- 连 家人 都 不 理解 你, 更不用说 其他 的 人 了。Even your family doesn't understand you, let alone other people.
- 连 周末 都 要 加班, 更不用说 工作日 了。I have to work overtime even on weekends, not to mention work days.
- 这里 连 我 都 住 不 下去, 更不用说 你 了。I can't even keep living here, let alone you.
- 妹妹 连 80 分 也 没有 得 过 , 更不用说 100分 了。My sister didn't even score 80 points, let alone 100 points.
- 连 老 员工 也 走了 , 更不用说 那些 新 员工 了。Even the old employees have left, not to mention the new ones.
- 小明 连 他 自己 都 照顾 不 好, 更不用说 照顾 小朋友 了。Xiao Ming can't even take care of himself, let alone take care of children.
- 他 连 自己 国家 的 国旗 都 不 认识, 更不用说 其他 国家 的 了。He can't even recognize his own country's flag, not to mention any other countries' flags.
Some sentences will deviate from the structure a little bit, dropping the 连 or even both the 连 and the 都:
- 他 都 不 会 煮 鸡蛋, 更不用说 做 一 大 桌子 的 菜 了。He can't even boil an egg, let alone prepare a banquet.
- 他 从来 没有 出 过 远门, 更不用说 出国 了。He's never traveled very far, let alone out of the country.
Unless the first action is negated with 没有, 更不用说 generally sounds more natural followed by a 了.
See also
- "Let alone" with "bie shuo"
- "Let Alone" with "hekuang"
- Advanced uses of "lian"
- Expressing "Even" with "lian" and "dou"