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How to say “not only… even…” in Chinese with 不但…甚至连

不但 (búdàn) + Clause 1, 甚至 (shènzhì) + 连 (lián) + Noun + 都 (dōu)/也 (yě) + Verb

不但 (bù dàn)…甚至连 (shèn zhì lián) — not only… even…

HSK 5Sentence Patterns

Rule structure

不但 (bùdàn)…甚至连 (shènzhì lián)… is an emphatic progression: "not only… but even…". It uses 甚至 (shènzhì) to escalate and 连 (lián)…都 (dōu)/也 (yě) to highlight the extreme case.

Examples

他不但没道歉，甚至连电话都不接。

Tā bùdàn méi dàoqiàn, shènzhì lián diànhuà dōu bù jiē.

Not only did he not apologize, but he doesn’t even answer the phone.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say “not only… even…” in Chinese with 不但…甚至连?

Use the structure: 不但 (búdàn) + Clause 1, 甚至 (shènzhì) + 连 (lián) + Noun + 都 (dōu)/也 (yě) + Verb. For example: 他不但没道歉，甚至连电话都不接。 — “Not only did he not apologize, but he doesn’t even answer the phone.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他不但没道歉，甚至连电话都不接。 — “Not only did he not apologize, but he doesn’t even answer the phone.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 5.

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More HSK 5 grammar rules

有关的 — related to…

跟 (gēn) / 和 (hé) / 与 (yǔ) + Noun + 有关的 (yǒuguān de) + Noun

所 — so-called

所谓 (suǒwèi) + Noun Phrase

一面 — simultaneous actions

一面 (yímiàn) + Verb 1, 一面 (yímiàn) + Verb 2

等于 — equal to

A + 等于 (děngyú) + B

更不用说 — let alone

⋯⋯，更不用说 (gèng bùyòng shuō)⋯⋯

而已 — that's all

Clause + 而已 (éryǐ)

别说 — let alone

别说 (biéshuō)⋯⋯，就是 (jiùshì)⋯⋯

难怪 — no wonder

Reason，怪不得 (guàibude) / 难怪 (nánguài) + Observation