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.

Basic Pattern

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 。 Wǒ yī kǒu dōu méi chī.I didn't take a single bite.
• 他 一 句 中文 都 不 会 说 。 Tā yī jù Zhōngwén dōu bù huì shuō.He can't speak one sentence of Chinese.
• 为什么 这里 一 个 人 都 没有 ？ Wèishénme zhèlǐ yī gè rén dōu méiyǒu? Why aren't there any people here?
• 她 一 瓶 酒 也 没 喝 。 Tā yī píng jiǔ yě méi hē.She didn't drink a bottle of wine.
• 来 上海 以前 ， 他 一 个 外国 朋友 都 没有 。 Lái Shànghǎi yǐqián, tā yī gè wàiguó péngyou dōu méiyǒu.He didn't have a foreign friend before he came to Shanghai.

Advanced Pattern

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 。 Zhège rén wǒ yī cì yě méi jiàn guo.I haven't seen this person once.
• 这样 的 菜 我 一 次 也 没 吃 过 。Zhèyàng de cài wǒ yī cì yě méi chī guo.I've never eaten this kind of food before.
• 这 次 活动 我们 公司 一个 人 也 没 参加 。 Zhè cì huódòng wǒmen gōngsī yī gè rén yě méi cānjiā.Not one person in our company has participated in this activity.

See also

• Expressing "not at all" with "yidianr ye bu"
• Expressing "even" with "lian" and "dou"

Sources and further reading

Books

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