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Using 别说……，都/也…… for a Stronger Point
别说 A，B 都/也…… means roughly “not to mention A; even B ….” The main assertion about B makes the point about A easy to infer. The scale depends on the predicate and context, not a rule that the second item must be bigger or harder.
别说普通员工，连部门主管都弄不清这项规定的细节。
The head is expected to understand more; failure even at that level makes the difficulty for ordinary employees unsurprising.
Read the full explanation and examples
Meaning and use
别说 A，B 都/也…… sets A aside and makes an emphatic assertion about B: “not to mention A; even B ….” Decide what scale makes B noteworthy. If even the department head cannot understand a rule, ordinary employees’ difficulty is unsurprising. If even a short summary cannot be written, an entire report is beyond reach. The second item is not always larger, harder or more demanding; it is the case that gives the argument its force.
Here 别说 is not a command to stop talking. It introduces the case the listener can infer from the emphatic second part. The first part can be a noun phrase or an action, not necessarily a complete clause. Literal commands such as 别说话 (“Don’t speak”) are a different use.
别说普通员工，连部门主管都弄不清这项规定的细节。
The head is expected to understand more; failure even at that level makes the difficulty for ordinary employees unsurprising.
Form and choice of 都 or 也
Use 别说 + A，then a main clause such as subject + 连 B + 都/也 + predicate. 连 is common but not required, as the light-rain example shows. Keep the main subject before 都/也: 他连一段摘要都写不出来. Both cases need a shared, interpretable scale; unrelated facts do not become progressive merely by adding these words.
In 连 B 都……, 都 often marks the scalar meaning “even B”; it need not mean that every member of a plural group is included. 也 can also support “even B” in this frame. They overlap in some sentences, but ordinary 他也去了 (“he went too”) and 他都去了 (“even he went,” in a suitable context) do not simply mean the same thing. Choose according to focus and context.
别说下这么大的雨，下一点儿小雨也会影响公交车的速度。
The second case is physically smaller, yet still has the effect; the same effect under heavy rain is easy to infer.
Reading the progression
Find the predicate and the scale it creates. The summary and budget examples move from a larger task to failure at a smaller one. The department-head example compares expected knowledge. The teachers example has a positive predicate and includes a less expected group. “Stronger point” concerns the force of the assertion, not a fixed physical size or difficulty order.
别说写完整份报告，他连一段清楚的摘要都写不出来。
Failure on the smaller writing task supports the negative inference about the larger one.
别说初学者，连经验丰富的老师也觉得这份讲解很有帮助。
A positive predicate is possible. The explanation helps even people expected to need less basic guidance.
别说重新装修整间办公室，我们连换一套灯具的钱都没有。
The inability to fund the smaller purchase supports the inference that the larger renovation is out of reach.
Useful contrasts
Plain 也 can simply add information: 他看了报告，也看了邮件 (“He read the report and also read the email”). It need not create a scale. In 别说 A，B 都/也……, the assertion about B is marked as especially telling, making the point about A easy to infer.
The outline lists this expression under progressive compound sentences. Keep the lesson focused on this specific frame. The related form ……不说，还…… is a separate outline point; do not substitute it automatically, since its wording and clause organization differ.
A quick reading strategy
Identify A, B and the predicate. Ask why the assertion about B is particularly noteworthy, and what it lets you infer about A. Translate the whole relation naturally; English often puts “even B” before “let alone A,” while Chinese places 别说 A first.
Frequently asked questions
Can this pattern introduce a real question?
It can appear in a rhetorical question if the context supports that reading, but the construction itself is not inherently interrogative. In ordinary use, it often introduces a statement.
Can I always replace 都 with 也?
Not always. In this scalar frame they may both convey “even,” but 都 is not just an all-members quantifier here, and ordinary 也 can simply mean “also.” Context, focus and the predicate determine the natural choice.
Does every sentence with 别说 express this pattern?
No. Read the relationship between clauses. For this progressive use, the second clause must advance to a stronger point; 别说 alone does not guarantee that meaning.
