Expressing "let alone" with "bie shuo"
Revision as of 03:38, 14 November 2011 by Jonathan.pope (talk | contribs)
别说 (bié shuō) means something like "leaving aside" or "don't think about", and is used in the following way:
别说 A ， 就是/就连 B 也 Verb
This is similar to English where we might say: "don't think about preparing a banquet, you can't even boil an egg". Note that this sentence structure is the reverse to the 更不用说 pattern.
Some examples:
- 别说 做 一 大 桌子 的 菜，你 就 连 怎么 煮 鸡蛋 也 不 知道。
- 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 连 骑 自行车 他 也 不 会。
且不说 is more formal than 别说, and is used in the same way.
