Chinese word

甚至

Pronunciation

Pinyinshèn zhì

Meaning

  • adverbeven

Example

他很忙，甚至忘了吃饭。tā hěn máng shèn zhì wàng le chī fàn

He was very busy and even forgot to eat.

Illustration for 甚至 (even)

More examples

他学习很用功，甚至会在假期里每天学习几个小时。tā xué xí hěn yòng gōng shèn zhì huì zài jià qī lǐ měi tiān xué xí jǐ gè xiǎo shí

He works very hard at his studies and even studies for several hours every day during vacation.

Core concept

A step that carries a statement beyond the usual range to include an unlikely or most extreme case.

Common phrases

  • 甚至会shèn zhì huì

    even do

  • 甚至没有想到shèn zhì méi yǒu xiǎng dào

    not even think of

Similar words

连lián: Stresses how wide a range is by including something normally left out.
就连jiù lián: Uses an especially surprising person or thing as an emphatic example.
甚至于shèn zhì yú: Marks a further degree of emphasis through a startling result or extreme example.

Definition in Chinese

用于强调连出乎意料或极端的事也发生，常与具体例或否定、可能性等连用以强化语气。yòng yú qiáng diào lián chū hū yì liào huò jí duān de shì yě fā shēng cháng yǔ jù tǐ lì huò fǒu dìng kě néng xìng děng lián yòng yǐ qiáng huà yǔ qì

Word origin

The formation 甚 (shèn, "extreme") + 至 (zhì, "reach") presents the meaning as reaching an extreme point, which explains its use for emphatic inclusion.

Usage tips

  • When 甚至 (shènzhì, "even") appears with a negative or a possibility, it strengthens the whole idea rather than simply adding one more item, so its scope matters in conversation.

Opposites

Word lists with this word