Expressing "even" with "lian" and "dou"
"连... 都/也..." (lián... dōu/yě...) is a pattern that can be used to emphasize certain unexpected or surprising events or information. It is used the same way even is in English.
Here's the general sentence structure:
连 + Noun + 也/都 + Adjective/Verb
The important thing to remember is that the noun is being emphasized rather than the action.
Here are some example sentences which should make this clear:
- 我们 都 去 上海 ，连 奶奶 也 去。
- 她 每天 都 在 学习 数学，连 星期日 都 在 学习。
- 我 太 穷 了，连 吃饭 的 钱 都 没有。
- 谁 都 喜欢 听 那 首 歌曲，连 爸爸 也 喜欢。
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (pp. 152)
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 356-357)
