Expressing "let alone" with "bie shuo"
Saying that something is "not even A, let alone B" is very useful. The structure in Chinese is actually the reverse of that in English:
别说 B ,就是 A
Notice that the less likely information is put first in Chinese, whereas it's usually put second in English. It's a bit like saying "let alone B, it's not even A".
Some examples:
- 别说 一百 , 就是 一 块 钱 我 也 不 给 你 。
- 别说 白酒,就是 啤酒 的 味道 我 也 受 不了。
- 别说 开车,就是 骑 自行车 他 也 不 会。