连……都……
Reach for 连...都... when you want to make a point by citing a surprising extreme. The pattern picks one item the listener wouldn't expect to fit the claim (even a child, even him, even on weekends) and uses it to push the rest of the argument home. The thing being highlighted comes right after 连, and 都 sits before the verb in the second half. You can also swap 都 for 也 with the same effect. It's everywhere in spoken Chinese, often in mild complaints, surprised observations, or rhetorical emphasis.
Structure
连 [EXTREME ITEM] 都 [VERB / NEGATION]
lián... dōu...
How to Think About It
Think of 连 as a spotlight on the most unlikely member of a group, with 都 echoing 'yes, even that one.' The whole pattern says: if THIS extreme example fits, then by implication everything more normal also fits. The item after 连 must be specific enough to feel surprising — a child, the boss, the simplest word. Vague items kill the effect, because the punch comes from the listener thinking 'wait, even that?'
Examples
他连饭都没吃就走了。
Tā lián fàn dōu méi chī jiù zǒu le.
He left without even eating.
连小孩都知道这个道理。
Lián xiǎohái dōu zhīdao zhège dàoli.
Even a child knows this principle.
我累得连话都说不出来。
Wǒ lèi de lián huà dōu shuō bu chūlái.
I'm so tired I can't even speak.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 都 (or 也) and just say 连 + item + verb, copying English 'even.' Chinese requires the 都/也 echo on the second half; without it, the sentence sounds incomplete and the emphasis is lost.
连孩子知道这件事。
连孩子都知道这件事。
Don't Confuse With
甚至...
Use 甚至 to add an extreme case as a continuation ('and even Y'). 连...都... frames the extreme as the topic of the sentence from the start.
就连...也...
Reinforced version with 就 added for extra emphasis; same meaning, slightly stronger feel. Use it when you want to dial the surprise up.
连...也...
Functionally the same — 都 and 也 are interchangeable in this pattern. 也 leans slightly softer; 都 is the more common default.
Practice
Fill in the blank: ___ 老师都不知道答案。
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连
Fill in the blank: 他连一句话 ___ 没说。
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都
Arrange: 连 / 名字 / 我 / 都 / 忘了 / 他的
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我连他的名字都忘了。
Translate: He's so busy he doesn't even have time to eat.
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他忙得连吃饭的时间都没有。
Write a sentence about something surprising you forgot using 连...都...
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我太紧张了，连自己的手机号都忘了。