The "Even" Pattern: 连...都/也

Sometimes you want to say that something is surprising or extreme, and the best way to do that in Chinese is with 连...都 or 连...也. This pattern is the equivalent of "even" in English, as in "even I got it wrong" or "she didn't even try."

The basic pattern

连 + [Surprising Thing] + 都/也 + Verb

连 (lián) introduces the thing that makes the statement surprising or extreme. 都 (dōu) or 也 (yě) follows the highlighted item and leads into the verb. The two are interchangeable here, though 都 is slightly more common in speech.

• 连我都知道。(Lián wǒ dōu zhīdào.) -- Even I know that.
• 连小孩也能做。(Lián xiǎohái yě néng zuò.) -- Even a child can do it.
• 她连早饭都没吃。(Tā lián zǎofàn dōu méi chī.) -- She didn't even eat breakfast.
• 他连名字都不记得了。(Tā lián míngzi dōu bù jìde le.) -- He doesn't even remember the name.

The thing between 连 and 都/也 is whatever you are highlighting as the surprising or extreme case.

Positive and negative sentences

连...都/也 works in both positive and negative sentences, but the feeling is a little different in each.

In a positive sentence, 连...都/也 means "even X, which is remarkable":

• 连我妈妈都喜欢这首歌。(Lián wǒ māma dōu xǐhuān zhè shǒu gē.) -- Even my mom likes this song.
• 连他都通过考试了。(Lián tā dōu tōngguò kǎoshì le.) -- Even he passed the exam.

In a negative sentence, 连...都/也 means "not even X, which is the bare minimum":

• 他连一个朋友都没有。(Tā lián yī ge péngyou dōu méiyǒu.) -- He doesn't even have a single friend.
• 我连她的名字都不知道。(Wǒ lián tā de míngzi dōu bù zhīdào.) -- I don't even know her name.

The negative version is probably more common in everyday speech. It often expresses frustration, disbelief, or the idea that something falls below even the lowest expectation.

Where 连 sits in the sentence

连 comes before the highlighted item, and that item can be the subject, the object, or something else entirely. The rest of the sentence wraps around it.

When the highlighted item is the object, 连 pulls it forward before the verb:

• 连水都不喝。(Lián shuǐ dōu bù hē.) -- Won't even drink water.
• 她连一句话都没说。(Tā lián yī jù huà dōu méi shuō.) -- She didn't say even a single word.

When the highlighted item is the subject, 连 just goes before it:

• 连老师都不知道答案。(Lián lǎoshī dōu bù zhīdào dá'àn.) -- Even the teacher doesn't know the answer.

连...都/也 versus just 都 or 也

都 and 也 on their own mean "all" and "also." Adding 连 in front changes the feel entirely. Without 连, there is no sense of surprise or extremity.

• 我也不知道。(Wǒ yě bù zhīdào.) -- I don't know either.
• 连我都不知道。(Lián wǒ dōu bù zhīdào.) -- Even I don't know. (Implying: if even I don't know, nobody does.)

The 连 is what creates that "even" feeling. Don't drop it and expect the same meaning.

A natural, high-frequency pattern

连...都/也 shows up constantly in spoken Chinese, especially when someone is complaining, expressing disbelief, or emphasizing how easy or how bad something is. Once you learn to hear it, you will notice it in almost every conversation. It is also easy to use yourself since the structure is simple and the effect is satisfying.