别说…，连…也…
never mind A, even B…; let alone A
Structure
别说 A ， 连 B 也／都 …
What it means
“Never mind A, even B …; let alone A”: A goes without saying, and even the extreme case B holds.
How it is built
别说 + A，连 + B + 也／都 + …: 这道题太难了，别说学生，连老师也算了半天 (never mind the students, even the teacher took ages).
When to use it
Works in the negative (连…都没有) and the positive (连孩子都知道). In speech the order can flip: 连 B 都…，更别说 A 了.
Watch out
Don’t swap them: the surprising case goes after 连, and 也 or 都 must follow it.
Examples
别说七大姑八大姨了，很多年轻人连自己舅舅的电话都没有。
Forget the whole tribe of aunts: plenty of young people do not even have their own uncle’s phone number.
这道题太难了，别说学生，连老师也算了半天。
This problem is so hard that never mind the students, even the teacher took ages to work it out.
Learn this in Lesson 38 · HSK 5–6: 亲戚怎么叫 (What to call your relatives)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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