Chinese word

别说

Pronunciation

Pinyinbié shuō

Meaning

  • conjunctionlet alone

Example

别说孩子，就连大人也不懂。bié shuō hái zi jiù lián dà rén yě bù dǒng

Not even adults understand it, let alone children.

Illustration for 别说 (let alone)

More examples

他工作太忙，别说参加聚会，连打个电话也没有时间。tā gōng zuò tài máng bié shuō cān jiā jù huì lián dǎ gè diàn huà yě méi yǒu shí jiān

He is too busy with work to make even a phone call, let alone attend a gathering.

Core concept

Sets one case aside as already notable, then highlights a second case as even more striking or difficult.

Common phrases

  • 别说...，更别说...bié shuō gèng bié shuō

    let alone ___, not to mention ___

  • 别说...，连...都...bié shuō lián dōu

    let alone ___, not even ___ ___

  • 别说...，甚至...bié shuō shèn zhì

    let alone ___, even ___

Similar words

更不用说gèng bú yòng shuō: A connector showing that an already impossible thing makes a still harder thing impossible too.
何况hé kuàng: A connector that adds a more unfavorable situation as a stronger reason for the same conclusion.

Definition in Chinese

用来引出更极端或更不利的情况，表示后项比前项更加显著或更难实现，常用于口语加强语气。yòng lái yǐn chū gèng jí duān huò gèng bú lì de qíng kuàng biǎo shì hòu xiàng bǐ qián xiàng gèng jiā xiǎn zhù huò gèng nán shí xiàn cháng yòng yú kóu yǔ jiā qiáng yǔ qì

Word origin

别说 (biéshuō, "do not say") literally means not to mention something, and the spoken phrase develops into a connector that presents the next case as even more striking.

Usage tips

  • Natural in conversation, this connective can sound casual in formal prose, where a more neutral connective is often preferred.

Word lists with this word