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.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

别biénot

说shuōsay

别 means not, 说 means say; leaving something unsaid builds the sense of not to mention.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

冎冎guǎbone
刂刀dāoknife

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

言兌說

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yán

Sound part声符shēngfú

兌

兌duì說shuō

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →