...更不用说
Reach for this when you've just made a point and want to add a second, more extreme case that makes the first point even more obvious — 'not to mention,' 'let alone,' 'much less.' The structure stacks: if the smaller/easier thing is already true (or already false), then this bigger thing is even more so. Common in opinion writing, debate, news commentary, and emphatic spoken Chinese. Slightly formal — you'll see it in essays and persuasive speech more than in casual chat.
Structure
Clause A, 更不用说 + Clause B + (了)
gèng bú yòng shuō
How to Think About It
Think of it as a ladder. Clause A puts the first rung in place — already strong enough on its own. 更不用说 then jumps two rungs higher and says 'and that's not even the strongest example.' English splits this into 'let alone' (for negative ladders) and 'not to mention' (for positive ones); Chinese uses 更不用说 for both. The 更 carries the comparative force — without it, 不用说 alone just means 'no need to say.'
Examples
他连一句简单的问候都说不出来，更不用说做演讲了。
Tā lián yí jù jiǎndān de wènhòu dōu shuō bù chūlái, gèng bú yòng shuō zuò yǎnjiǎng le.
He can't even manage a simple greeting, let alone give a speech.
周末我连出门的力气都没有，更不用说去爬山。
Zhōumò wǒ lián chūmén de lìqi dōu méiyǒu, gèng bú yòng shuō qù páshān.
On the weekend I don't even have the energy to go outside, much less go hiking.
这道菜在国内很受欢迎，更不用说在国外了。
Zhè dào cài zài guónèi hěn shòu huānyíng, gèng bú yòng shuō zài guówài le.
This dish is popular at home, not to mention abroad.
孩子都看得懂，更不用说大人了。
Háizi dōu kàn de dǒng, gèng bú yòng shuō dàrén le.
Even kids can understand it, let alone adults.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 更 or replace it with 也, weakening the comparison. They also try to use 更不用说 to introduce a simple parallel fact, but the pattern requires escalation — B must be more extreme than A, not just additional.
他连中文都不会，也不用说英文了。
他连中文都不会，更不用说英文了。
Don't Confuse With
别说...就是...也...
'Forget X, even Y...' — another escalation pattern, but it leads with the smaller case and uses 就是...也 to introduce the bigger one. 更不用说 puts the bigger case at the end as a punchline.
何况
Means 'let alone / moreover,' often pairs with 连...都. Slightly more formal/literary than 更不用说 and can introduce supporting reasons, not just escalations.
不仅...还...
'Not only... but also...' — pure addition without the 'this is even more obvious' flavor. Use 更不用说 only when B clearly outweighs A.
Practice
Fill in: 他连自己的名字都写不好，___ 写文章了。
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更不用说
Arrange: 更不用说 / 他 / 中文 / 连 / 都 / 不会 / 日文了 / ，
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他连中文都不会，更不用说日文了。
Translate to Chinese: I can't even cook rice, let alone make a whole dinner.
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我连米饭都不会做，更不用说做一顿饭了。
Use ...更不用说 to escalate from a small example to a bigger one in your own life.
Show answer
我连地铁都不敢一个人坐，更不用说一个人出国了。
Hear It in Real Episodes
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear ...更不用说 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.