HSK 7-9
……不说，还……
...bù shuō, hái...
Not only..., but also...
Structure
A + 不说，还 + B
How it works
This structure is used to emphasize that besides a certain situation or fact, there is an additional (often more significant) situation. It functions similarly to '不仅……而且……' but is more common in spoken or informal written Chinese to highlight multiple surprising or problematic factors.
Examples
他丢了钱包不说，还把护照给弄丢了。
Tā diūle qiánbāo bù shuō, hái bǎ hùzhào gěi nòng diū le.
Not only did he lose his wallet, but he also lost his passport.
这件衣服价格贵不说，质量还特别差。
Zhè jiàn yīfu jiàgé guì bù shuō, zhìliàng hái tèbié chà.
Not only is this piece of clothing expensive, but the quality is also very poor.
他经常迟到不说，还在会议上睡觉。
Tā jīngcháng chídào bù shuō, hái zài huìyì shàng shuìjiào.
Not only is he often late, but he even sleeps during meetings.
Common mistakes
Mixing this up with '别说', which is used for 'let alone' in a negative comparison (e.g., He can't even walk, let alone run). '不说' focuses on adding one fact to another.
Tip
Think of '不说' as 'to say nothing of A' or 'not even mentioning A'; it implies that A is already established as true, and B is an additional factor.
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See ……不说，还…… in real Chinese
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