Using 甚至 to Add a Stronger Point

Meaning: an especially strong addition

The pattern ……，甚至…… links two related pieces of information. The first establishes a situation or degree; the part after 甚至 adds a detail that takes the idea further. That detail is often unexpected, unusually extreme, or especially clear evidence of the first point. The relation is additive, but the second point carries greater force.

The scale depends on the speaker’s expectations. In 班里很多人知道这件事，甚至刚来的同学也知道, the newcomer is treated as a less expected person to know. The sentence does not make a universal claim that newcomers always know less.

Form and placement

Use a complete first clause, then place 甚至 immediately before the added point: [first clause]，甚至 [stronger detail]. The second part may be a full clause or a shorter phrase when the relationship is clear. The subject of the second clause can be stated again when needed; it may also be omitted if context makes it clear. 甚至 can occur before a subject, time expression, or other focused detail, so choose the position that makes the added point clear.

Position helps show the focus. In 他甚至把周末都用来练习, the unexpected detail is his use of weekends; in 甚至附近城市的人也专门开车来吃, the focus includes those visitors. Read what follows 甚至 in its full clause, rather than assuming it must always precede a subject.

When the pattern fits

Use 甚至 when you want the second piece of information to stand out as an extension of the first, rather than as the next event in a timeline. It works in statements about degree, reach, effort, ability, or surprising circumstances. The pattern itself does not make a sentence a question: questions are possible when the speaker has a reason to ask about the added detail, but 甚至 still signals that the detail goes beyond what was first stated.

It can introduce a negative point too: 他忙得连午饭都顾不上吃，甚至没时间喝水. The lack of time for water is presented as more extreme. Whether the clause is positive or negative is separate from whether the added point is striking.

A useful contrast

Compare this pattern with ……，并且……, which adds another piece of information without necessarily presenting it as more surprising or more extreme. With 甚至, the second point is framed as a step beyond the first. For example, saying that the mountain road had a lot of snow and that even local drivers would not risk driving up it makes the second point a striking sign of the conditions. A simple addition with 并且 would not carry that same emphasis. The neighboring pattern 不仅/不光……，还/而且…… also adds information, but it uses its own paired structure and is outside the focus of this lesson.

A connector such as 并且 can add another fact without itself supplying the “even” scale. The surrounding facts may still be surprising. The choice changes the way the speaker presents the relation; it does not mean every sentence with 并且 is weaker in its real-world content.

Frequently asked questions