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HSK 7–9 grammar · conjunction

⋯⋯,何况⋯⋯

⋯⋯,何况⋯⋯ — much less, all the more so

Pattern

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( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after

How it works

何况 argues from the weaker case to the stronger: if even the easy thing fails, the hard one certainly does. 更何况 strengthens it. It differs from 别说 in that 何况 adds a further reason rather than dismissing a claim.

Examples

大人都搬不动,何况孩子呢?
Dàrén dōu bān bu dòng, hékuàng háizi ne?
Even adults can't lift it — much less a child.
路这么远,更何况还下着雨。
Lù zhème yuǎn, gèng hékuàng hái xiàzhe yǔ.
It's such a long way, and on top of that it's raining.

Related

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See it in a story

In the app, ⋯⋯,何况⋯⋯ is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.