Expressing "not even one"

In English we might want to say something like "I have absolutely no money, not even one penny." That "not even one" is the focus of this article.

Structure

This structure is usually used for emphasizing how little of something you have. The measure word in the middle of the sentence and the noun should be compatible with the verb at the end.

一 + Measure Word + (Noun) + 也 / 都 + 不 / 没 + Verb

Examples

• 我一 口 都 没 吃。I didn't take a single bite .
• 他一 句 中文 都 不 会 说。He can't speak one sentence of Chinese.
• 昨天 我们 一 瓶 啤酒 也 没 喝。We didn't drink a single bottle of beer yesterday.
• 来上海 以前 我 一 个 外国 人 都 没 见 过。Before coming to Shanghai, I had never seen a foreigner.
• 为什么 这里 一个 人 都 没 有？Why aren't there any people here?

Structure

If you want to put the topic of your conversation at the beginning of the sentence, make sure it has a strong emphasis or some kind of exaggerated remark.

Topic + Subj. + 一 + Measure Word + (Noun) + 也 / 都 + Verb

Examples

• 这 个 人 我 一 次 都 没 见 过。I haven't seen this person once.
• 这样 的 菜 我 一 次 也 没 买 过。I've never bought this kind of food before.
• 这 次 活动 我们 公司 一个 人 也 没 参加。Not one person in our company has participated in this activity.

See also

• "Not at all"

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)(p.153) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 37 - 9) →buy