Even (连...都/也)

连...都 (or 连...也) is the Chinese way to say "even." It highlights an extreme case to make a point. If you say 连他都不知道 (Even he doesn't know), you are implying that he is the person most likely to know, so if even he doesn't, then surely nobody does.

The structure places 连 before the emphasized element and 都 or 也 before the verb. 连 literally means "connect / including," so you can think of the pattern as "including even [this extreme case], [all/also] do something." Both 都 and 也 work, though 都 is more common.

The emphasized element after 连 can be a noun, a verb phrase, or even a clause: 他连饭都没吃就走了 — "He left without even eating" (literally: even food he didn't eat, then left). This is a powerful pattern for expressing surprise, complaints, or strong emphasis.

In negative sentences, 连...都不/没 expresses "not even": 我连他的名字都不知道 — "I don't even know his name." This pattern is very expressive and frequently appears in both spoken and written Chinese.