别说 (bié shuō) — let alone; not to mention; to say nothing of
Definition
别说 is the colloquial 'let alone / not to mention' that follows a 连…都/也… clause. 何况 is its formal/written counterpart, more common in essays and structured 连…都…,何况… patterns.
conjunction
let alonenot to mentionto say nothing of
Examples
- ,别说。Tā lián zǒu lù dōu kùn nan, bié shuō pǎo bù le.He has trouble even walking, let alone running.
- ,别说。Wǒ lián zhōng wén bào zhǐ dōu kàn bù dǒng, bié shuō kàn xiǎo shuō le.I can't even read a Chinese newspaper, let alone a novel.
- ,别说。Zhè ge xiàng mù lián zhuān jiā dōu jiě jué bù liǎo, bié shuō wǒ men le.Even experts can't solve this project, let alone us.
Grammar
Appears in
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