连 (lián) + extreme case + 都 (dōu, even) / 也 (yě, even)
Mandarin Chinese Articles
When can 连 (lián) be replaced by 甚至 (shènzhì, "even")?
By: Grace Zhang Tue Nov 26 2024
Mandarin chineseExpression Of Emphasis
The structure 连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu, even) / 也 (yě, even) is used to emphasize extreme, unexpected, and surprising pieces of information. Rather than just using one word like “even” in English, you need to follow this pattern:
他连妻子的生日都忘了！
(Tā lián qīzi de shēngrì dōu wàng le!)
He even forgot his wife’s birthday!
Forget his wife’s birthday — how could he?! Haha, I think this definitely qualifies as an extreme case. Therefore the “even” structure suits here to highlight the seriousness of his forgetfulness.
If you want to know more about how to express emphasis in Mandarin Chinese, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
When to use 连 (lián)...都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) in Mandarin Chinese?
The pair 连 (lián), and 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) is used when we want to highlight information. To do so, we put what we want to highlight between 连 (lián) and 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě). Let's compare the following:
他去过南极。
(Tā qùguo Nánjí.)
He has been to the South Pole.
他连南极都去过。
(Tā lián Nánjí dōu qùguo.)
He has even been to the South Pole.
The first sentenceNo definition set for sentenceLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is a statement, but the second sentence adopts a highlighted structure. The highlighted bit is 南极 (Nánjí, the South Pole), which is something unexpected in the speaker's mind. The 连 (lián) and 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) structure is brought in for emphasis. They are normally used as a pair. 连 is placed before the information being emphasized (“the South Pole” in this case) and 都 / 也 is placed before the verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. The verb is 去 (qù, go) in this case.
What are the patterns with 连 (lián)...都 (dōu) / 也 (yě?)
The positive and negative patterns of emphasis with 连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) are as follows:
Positive: | 连 (lián) + 都 (dōu, even) / 也 (yě, even) |
|---|---|
Negative: | 连 (lián) + 都 (dōu, even) / 也 (yě, even) + 不 (bù, no, not) / 没 (méi, no, not) |
As shown above, there are positive and negative forms of emphasis. 不 (bù) / 没 (méi) is added after 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) to form a negative sentence. For example:
他连小猫都怕。
(Tā lián xiǎomāo dōu pà.)
He is even afraid of kittens.
他连父母是谁都不知道。
(Tā lián fùmǔ shì shuí dōu bù zhīdào.)
He doesn't even know who his parents are.
The positive first sentence conveys the message that even the very unexpected thing (“someone is afraid of kittens”) is the case. The negative second sentence conveys the message that the most expected thing (“people know who their parents are”) is not the case.
Tip
连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) can emphasize a comparison. For example,
你连孩子都不如!
(Nǐ lián háizi dōu bùrú! )
Even a child is better than you!
The structure 连 and 都 is used as a pair here, to emphasize “a child.” 不如 is a comparative word and means "not as ... as." The sentence demonstrates that the emphasis structure can be embedded in a comparison.
Where are 连 (lián)...都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) placed?
连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) can be placed before or after the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (usually located at the beginning part of a sentence) For example:
连孩子的奶粉他们都买不起。
(Lián háizi de nǎifěn tāmen dōu mǎibùqǐ.)
They can't even afford the baby's milk powder.
(lit.) Even the baby's milk powder, they can't afford.
他们连孩子的奶粉都买不起。
(Tāmen lián háizi de nǎifěn dōu mǎibùqǐ.)
They can't even afford the baby's milk powder.
(lit.) They even the baby's milk powder can't afford.
In the first sentence, 连 (lián) is placed before the subject 他们 (tāmen, they), while in the second sentence 连 (lián) is placed after the subject “they.” There doesn’t seem to be much difference in meaning between the two sentences, except perhaps the first sentence puts a little more emphasis on “baby’s milk powder,” because that piece of information is placed at the very beginning of the sentence which is a prominent position.
Important
In the 连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) structure you may drop 连 (lián), but not 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě). For example, we may say the first sentence below, especially in an informal situation, but we may not say the second sentence.
✓ 他手机都没有。
(Tā shǒujī dōu méiyǒu.)
He doesn't even have a mobile phone.
(missing 连 here)
✘ 他连手机没有。
(Tā lián shǒujī méiyǒu.)
He doesn't even have a mobile phone.
( missing 都/也 here)
Are 都 (dōu, “all”) and 也 (yě, “also”) interchangeable in Mandarin Chinese?
Although 都 (dōu) and 也 (yě) are mostly interchangeable, there are subtle differences between the two. Let’s compare the following sentences:
王老师连上课的时间都忘了。
(Wáng lǎoshī lián shàngkè de shíjiān dōu wàng le.)
Teacher Wang even forgot his teaching time.
王老师连上课的时间也忘了。
(Wáng lǎoshī lián shàngkè de shíjiān yě wàng le.)
Teacher Wang even forgot his teaching time.
In the above two sentences, 都 (dōu) and 也 (yě) are generally interchangeable, but 都 (dōu) expresses a stronger sense of surprise or unexpectedness. This is perhaps because 都 (dōu, all) may indicate a range of possibilities (e.g., “time for shopping,” “time for dinner,” “time for teaching,” etc.) ranked from most likely to least likely. The extreme case highlighted (“forgot his teaching time,” in this case) ranks at the top of all the possibilities and is the most unexpected as far as the speaker is concerned. On the other hand, the second sentence with 也 (yě, also) is not associated with an assumed range of possibilities in the speaker’s mind. Therefore the sense of surprise or unexpectedness is less strong. 都 (dōu) is also used more commonly than 也 (yě).
When can 连 (lián) be replaced by 甚至 (shènzhì, “even”)?
We can use 甚至 (shènzhì) in the place of 连 (lián) in most cases, and we can even use the two together to increase the intensity of emphasis. For example,
他学习很用功，甚至(连)吃饭也在看书。
(Tā xuéxí hěn yònggōng, shènzhì (lián) chīfàn yě zài kànshū.)
He studies very hard and even reads when having a meal.
To sum up
连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu, even) / 也 (yě, even) is used in Mandarin Chinese to emphasize some unexpected information. In the mind of the speaker, the extreme case is surprising, the least likely, or least expected.
The structure can be in a positive or negative form.
连 (lián) can be placed before or after a subject.
Between 都 (dōu) and 也 (yě), 都 (dōu) is more often used and the sense of unexpectedness is more salient than 也 (yě).
甚至 (shènzhì, even) can replace 连 (lián) or be used together with 连 (lián)
For practice on how to emphasize using 连 (lián) ... 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě), click here for useful exercises! I'm sure you want to at least give it a try - come on, jump in!
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