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Chinese grammar - Expressing 'even' with 甚至 (shènzhì)

Expressing 'even' with 甚至 (shènzhì)

The Chinese word 甚至 (shènzhì) is used to emphasize extremity or inclusiveness, similar to 'even' in English.

Examples:
他很忙,甚至没有时间吃饭。
tā hěn máng,#shènzhì méiyǒu shíjiān chīfàn.
He is very busy, even not having time to eat.
她很聪明,甚至比老师还聪明。
tā hěn cōngmíng,#shènzhì bǐ lǎoshī hái cōngmíng.
She is very smart, even smarter than the teacher.
他们甚至不知道这个消息。
tāmen shènzhì bù zhīdào zhè ge xiāoxi.
They don’t even know this news.
我甚至不敢相信自己的眼睛。
wǒ shènzhì bù gǎn xiāngxìn zìjǐ de yǎnjīng.
I can't even believe my own eyes.
他很有钱,甚至可以买一架飞机。
tā hěn yǒuqián,#shènzhì kéyǐ mǎi yí jià fēijī.
He is so rich, he can even buy a plane.

(jià) is a measure word for airplanes or machines

她工作很努力,甚至晚上都在工作。
tā gōngzuò hěn nǔlì,#shènzhì wǎnshàng dōu zài gōngzuò.
She works very hard, even working at night.
这个地方很偏僻,甚至没有信号。
zhè ge dìfāng hěn piānpì,#shènzhì méiyǒu xìnhào.
This place is very remote, it doesn't even have a signal.

偏僻 (piānpì) means 'remote'

信号 (xìnhào) means 'signal'

他甚至没听过这个词。
tā shènzhì méi tīngguò zhè ge cí.
He has never even heard of this word.

听过 (tīngguò) means 'have heard of'

我很累,甚至站不起来。
wǒ hěn lèi,#shènzhì zhàn bù qǐlái.
I am so tired, I can't even stand up.
他甚至不看说明书就开始组装。
tā shènzhì bú kàn shuōmíngshū jiù kāishǐ zǔzhuāng.
He started assembling without even looking at the manual.

说明书 (shuōmíngshū) means 'manual' or 'instructions'

组装 (zǔzhuāng) means 'to assemble'

这个问题很难,甚至老师都回答不了。
zhè ge wèntí hěn nán,#shènzhì lǎoshī dōu huídá bùliǎo.
This question is so difficult, even the teacher can't answer it.
她很生气,甚至不想跟我说话。
tā hěn shēngqì,#shènzhì bù xiǎng gēn wǒ shuōhuà.
She is so angry, she doesn't even want to talk to me.
他很忙,甚至没有时间休息。
tā hěn máng,#shènzhì méiyǒu shíjiān xiūxi.
He is so busy, he doesn't even have time to rest.
她很瘦,甚至风都能吹走她。
tā hěn shòu,#shènzhì fēng dōu néng chuīzǒu tā.
She is so thin, even the wind can blow her away.

(fēng) means 'wind'

吹走 (chuīzǒu) means 'to blow away'

他很勇敢,甚至敢独自去森林。
tā hěn yǒnggǎn,#shènzhì gǎn dúzì qù sēnlín.
He is so brave, he even dares to go to the forest alone.

勇敢 (yǒnggǎn) means 'brave'

森林 (sēnlín) means 'forest'

我很忙,甚至周末也在工作。
wǒ hěn máng,#shènzhì zhōumò yě zài gōngzuò.
I am so busy, even working on weekends.
她很专心,甚至没有注意到我。
tā hěn zhuānxīn,#shènzhì méiyǒu zhùyì dào wǒ.
She is so focused, she didn't even notice me.
他很好学,甚至睡觉前都在学习。
tā hěn hàoxué,#shènzhì shuìjiào qián dōu zài xuéxí.
He is so studious, even studying before going to bed.

好学 (hàoxué) means 'eager to learn'

这个地方很安静,甚至可以听到风吹过树叶的声音。
zhè ge dìfāng hěn ānjìng,#shènzhì kéyǐ tīngdào fēng chuīguò shùyè de shēngyīn.
This place is so quiet, you can even hear the wind blowing through the leaves.

吹过 (chuīguò) means 'to blow past'

树叶 (shùyè) means 'leaves'

他很懒,甚至不愿意起床。
tā hěn lǎn,#shènzhì bú yuànyì qǐchuáng.
He is so lazy, he doesn't even want to get up.

(lǎn) means 'lazy'

愿意 (yuànyì) means 'willing'