Meaning of 甚至
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- even; so much so that
How to use 甚至
甚至 usually comes before the verb or before the most extreme item, and it often pairs with 都 (dōu) or 也 (yě). It can also link two clauses to mean so much so that. Example: 他忙得甚至没时间吃饭。(Tā máng de shènzhì méi shíjiān chīfàn.) He is so busy that he does not even have time to eat.
甚 (shèn) means extreme or very, and 至 (zhì) means to reach. Together 甚至 is reaching the extreme point, so it introduces the most surprising item in a list: even.
Common mistake: Learners often place 甚至 at the end of a sentence like English even, but in Chinese it must come before the word or phrase it stresses. Also do not confuse 至 (zhì) with 到 (dào) in writing; they share a meaning but are not interchangeable in this word.
甚至 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
甚 shén · considerably · 9 strokes
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至 zhì · to arrive · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 甚至.
| 至少 | zhìshǎo | at least; (to say the) least |
| 至今 | zhìjīn | so far; to this day |
| 至于 | zhìyú | as for; as to |
| 不至于 | bùzhìyú | unlikely to go so far as to; not as bad as |
| 截至 | jiézhì | up to (a time); by (a time) |
| 直至 | zhízhì | lasting until; up till (the present) |
| 以至于 | yǐzhìyú | down to; up to |
| 至关重要 | zhìguān-zhòngyào | extremely important; vital |
| 至此 | zhìcǐ | up until now; so far |
| 乃至 | nǎizhì | and even; to go so far as to |
| 自始至终 | zìshǐ-zhìzhōng | from start to finish (idiom) |
| 甚至于 | shènzhìyú | so much (that); even (to the extent that) |
Questions about 甚至
What does 甚至 mean?
甚至 (shènzhì) means "even; so much so that" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 甚至?
甚至 is made of 2 characters: 甚 (9 strokes), 至 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 甚至 an HSK word?
Yes. 甚至 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 甚至 and 连...都?
Both express even. 连...都 (lián...dōu) frames a single noun or item, as in 连孩子都知道 (even kids know). 甚至 is more flexible and can introduce a whole clause, and the two are often combined: 甚至连他都不知道 (even he did not know).
Can 甚至 be used in casual speech?
Yes, it is common in both speech and writing, though it sounds slightly more formal than 连...都. In everyday talk people also say 甚至于 (shènzhìyú) with the same meaning in more formal contexts.