5 · Expressions (level 5)
Even and let alone: shènzhì and hékuàng
escalation and the a fortiori argument
Shènzhì climbs to the surprising case; hékuàng points to the case that follows all the more.
甚至 means “even”. It adds the most surprising item to what has been said, and it often comes at the end of a list: 老人喜欢，年轻人喜欢，甚至孩子也喜欢, “old people like it, young people like it, even children like it”. It can stand before a verb or before the noun it picks out, and it combines readily with 连…都.
何况 runs the argument the other way. The first clause states a hard case, usually with 都 or 也; 何况 then names a case that follows all the more obviously, mostly as a rhetorical question with 呢: 大人都觉得难，何况孩子呢？, “even adults find it hard, let alone children”.
English “let alone” only works after a negative. 何况 does not care: 专家也会犯错，何况我们呢？ is “even experts make mistakes, so all the more so do we”. Without 呢, 何况 can also add one more reason: “and besides, what is more”.
In everyday speech 更不用说…了, “not to mention”, often takes the place of 何况 in statements, and 更何况 strengthens it.
The form
| even, adding the extreme case | 他忙得甚至忘了吃饭。 |
| even, before a noun | 很多人，甚至孩子，都知道这件事。 |
| let alone | 大人都觉得难，何况孩子呢？ |
| and besides | 太晚了，何况外面还在下雨。 |
| not to mention (spoken) | 他连英语都不会，更不用说法语了。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
甚至 adds the most surprising case at the end of a series, often with 都 or 也.
这首歌老人喜欢，年轻人喜欢，甚至小孩子也会唱。Old people like this song, young people like it, and even small children can sing it.
甚至 can stand before a verb, or before the noun it singles out.
他累得甚至站着都能睡着。He was so tired he could have fallen asleep standing up.
何况 introduces the case that follows all the more obviously, often as a question with 呢.
这条路白天都不好走，何况晚上呢？This road is hard going even by day, let alone at night.
Without 呢, 何况 can add a further reason: and besides.
我不想去，太远了，何况我明天还要上班。I don’t want to go — it’s too far, and besides, I have work tomorrow.
In speech, 更不用说 … 了 does the work of 何况 in statements.
他连饭都不会做，更不用说做蛋糕了。He can’t even cook a meal, never mind bake a cake.
A closer look
Three steps up the same ladder
连…都 marks a single extreme case: 连他都知道, “even he knows”. 甚至 adds that case as the last step of a series, and the two often work together: 甚至连他都知道. 何况 then argues from that step: if even this is so, how much more that other thing.
In writing, 况且 is a near neighbour of 何况 in its “besides” meaning only: it adds a reason, never a “let alone”. And 何况 itself is a little bookish; in a quick conversation 更别说 and 更不用说 are what people reach for.
How to spot it
- 甚至
- 甚至连…都
- 何况…呢
- 更何况
- 更不用说
Example sentences
这部小说很受欢迎，甚至被翻译成了十几种语言。This novel is very popular; it has even been translated into more than ten languages.
他一生气，甚至连父母的话都不听。When he gets angry, he won’t even listen to his parents.
专家都没有把握，何况我们这些普通人呢？Even the experts aren’t sure, let alone ordinary people like us.
我一个月都没休息，甚至周末也在加班。I haven’t had a break for a month; I’ve even been working at weekends.
你应该帮他，他是你的同事，更何况他还帮过你。You ought to help him — he’s your colleague, and what’s more, he has helped you before.
坐车都要一个小时，何况走路呢？It takes an hour even by car — never mind on foot.
7 more example sentences
她会说英语、法语，甚至还会一点儿阿拉伯语。She speaks English and French, and even a little Arabic.
这几年他很少回家，甚至过年也不回来。In recent years he has seldom come home — not even for the New Year.
这件事连他妻子都不知道，何况别人呢？Not even his wife knows about this, let alone anyone else.
他很节约，甚至一张纸都舍不得扔。He is very thrifty; he can’t even bring himself to throw away a sheet of paper.
这份工作工资不高，何况离家又远，我不打算去。The pay isn’t high, and on top of that it’s far from home, so I don’t plan to take the job.
有的问题老师都要查资料，何况学生呢？Some questions send even the teacher to the reference books, let alone the students.
为了这次比赛，他每天练习八个小时，甚至更多。For this competition he practised eight hours a day, or even more.
Worth knowing (1)
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Hékuàng without ne
Used without a question, 何况 simply adds a further reason to one already given — much like English “besides”. The argument does not climb; it piles up.
这么晚了，何况他也不一定在家，明天再去吧。It’s late, and besides, he may not even be at home — let’s go tomorrow.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Both words take an argument to an extreme case, but they point in opposite directions. 甚至 climbs up to the surprising case. “Let alone” points to the case that is all the more obvious once the hard one has been named — and that is 何况.
Shènzhì climbs to the surprising case; hékuàng points to the case that follows all the more.
Your turn
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