连…，更不用说…
even A …, not to mention B; let alone B
Structure
连 A 都／也 … ， 更不用说 B （了）
What it means
“Even A …, let alone B”: the first clause names the most unlikely case, and 更不用说 adds a case that follows all the more.
How it is built
连 + A + 都／也 … ， 更不用说 + B (+ 了): 他连自己的生日都记不住，更不用说别人的了 (he can't even remember his own birthday, let alone anyone else's).
When to use it
Speech and writing, positive or negative. It mirrors 别说…，连…也… (4-12), where the obvious case comes first. 何况 (4-17) does the same job more formally, often as a question ending in 呢.
Watch out
Don't swap the cases: the surprising one goes after 连, the obvious one after 更不用说. ✗ 他连别人的生日都记不住，更不用说自己的了 ✓ 他连自己的生日都记不住，更不用说别人的了.
Examples
有的假瓷器连专家都很难分辨，更不用说普通人了。
Some fakes are hard even for experts to spot, let alone ordinary people.
那时候农村连电视都很少见，更不用说电脑了。
In those days even a television was rare in the countryside, not to mention a computer.
他连自己的生日都记不住，更不用说别人的了。
He can’t even remember his own birthday, let alone anyone else’s.
Learn this in Lesson 94 · HSK 6–7: 瓷器：china 的由来 (Porcelain: why it is called china)
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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