甚或 (shèn huò) — (conjunction) even, to the extent that; (conjunction) so much so that

Definition

A formal/literary conjunction meaning 'even' or 'so much so that', used to escalate to an extreme or surprising case. Stronger and more written than the everyday 连 or 甚至.

conjunction
evento the extent thatso much so that

Examples

  • ，甚或。
    Tā gōng zuò fēi cháng nǔ lì, shèn huò zhōu mò yě bù xiū xi.
    He works very hard, even taking no rest on weekends.
  • ，甚或。
    Qíng kuàng jí qí yán zhòng, shèn huò kě néng zào chéng bù kě wǎn huí de sǔn shī.
    The situation is extremely serious, so much so that it might cause irreparable losses.
  • ，甚或。
    Tā jīng tōng duō guó yǔ yán, shèn huò lián lěng mén de xiǎo yǔ zhǒng yě dǒng.
    He is proficient in many languages, even understanding obscure minority languages.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

甚 combines 甘 and 匕. The evidence gives no meaning for either part.

Open 甚 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
員
員yuán或huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

或 combines 戈, a weapon shape, with 員, which supplies the sound.

Open 或 →

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