何况 hékuàng

何况（hékuàng）means “何况: 'let alone / much less', a stronger case follows”. 何况 (hékuàng), often 更何况, introduces a stronger, more obvious case in a rhetorical progression: if even the lesser thing is true, then all the more so this. Formation: 连…都/也…，(更)何况…（递进反问）

何况: 'let alone / much less', a stronger case follows

HSK5

Formation

连…都/也…，(更)何况…（递进反问）

Explanation

何况 (hékuàng), often 更何况, introduces a stronger, more obvious case in a rhetorical progression: if even the lesser thing is true, then all the more so this. The first clause usually has 连…都/也…. It reinforces the argument.

Examples

大人都搬不动，何况孩子呢？
dàrén dōu bān bu dòng, hékuàng háizi ne?
Even adults can't move it, let alone children.
平时都很忙，更何况现在是年底。
píngshí dōu hěn máng, gèng hékuàng xiànzài shì niándǐ.
It's busy even normally, much less now at year-end.

Note

更何况 is more emphatic than 何况. Rhetorical, needs no answer.

FAQ

何况 — what does it mean and how is it used?

何况: 'let alone / much less', a stronger case follows. 何况 (hékuàng), often 更何况, introduces a stronger, more obvious case in a rhetorical progression: if even the lesser thing is true, then all the more so this. The first clause usually has 连…都/也…. It reinforces the argument.

何况 — how do you form it?

连…都/也…，(更)何况…（递进反问）

何况 — any usage notes?

更何况 is more emphatic than 何况. Rhetorical, needs no answer.

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