Expressing "let alone" with "geng buyong shuo"

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。Lián wǒ dōu bù zhīdào zhège gēshǒu, gèng bùyòng shuō tā le.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。Lián jiārén dōu bù lǐjiě nǐ, ggèng bùyòng shuō qítā de rén le.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。Lián zhōumò dōu yào jiābān, gèng bùyòng shuō gōngzuòrì le.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。Zhèlǐ lián wǒ dōu zhù bù xiàqù, gèng bùyòng shuō nǐ le.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。Mèimei lián bāshí fēn yě méiyǒu dé guo, gèng bùyòng shuō yībǎi fēn le.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。Lián lǎo yuángōng yě zǒu le, gèng bùyòng shuō nàxiē xīn yuángōng le.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。Xiǎo Míng lián tā zìjǐ dōu zhàogu bù hǎo, gèng bùyòng shuō zhàogu xiǎopéngyou le.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。Tā lián zìjǐ guójiā de guóqí dōu bù rènshí, gèng bùyòng shuō qítā guójiā de le.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。Tā dōu bù huì zhǔ jīdàn, gèng bùyòng shuō zuò yī dà zhuōzi de cài le.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。Tā cónglái méiyǒu chū guo yuǎnmén, gèng bùyòng shuō chū guó le.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"

Sources and Further Reading

HSK5