甚至

shènzhì
adverb HSK 4 #470

Meanings

  1. 1 even; so much so that
  2. 2 going as far as to

Characters

Extremely to the point — going so far as to reach something unexpected.

Examples

Tā hěn cōngming, shènzhì huì shuō wǔ zhǒng yǔyán.
He's very smart — he even speaks five languages.
Tiānqì lěng de hěn, shènzhì xià xuě le.
The weather is very cold; it even snowed.
Tā máng de shènzhì méiyǒu shíjiān chīfàn.
He's so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat.

Tips

grammar
甚至 introduces something surprising or extreme that builds on the previous statement. Pattern: A, 甚至 B — where B goes further than A. Example: 甚至起来 (He's so tired he can't even stand up).
usage
甚至 is more emphatic than ... (lián...dōu, even). They can be combined for maximum emphasis: 甚至名字记得 (He can't even remember his name).

Stroke Order

shèn
zhì