乃至【nǎizhì】

and even, up to, extending to, as far as, naizhi

Extends a list or a range to a wider or more extreme item, "and even" or "up to". It joins nouns and phrases in written Chinese: is "China and even the whole world".

HSK 5

AI-generated

Structure

[noun] + 乃至 + [noun]

[noun]、[noun]，乃至 + [noun]

[number] + 乃至 + [number]

Description

乃至 adds a last item that goes further than the ones before it: "and even", "up to". It joins nouns or noun-like phrases, and the item after it is the wider or more extreme one. It is written Chinese – reports, essays, news.

。

This discovery matters for China, and indeed for the whole world.

、，。

A habit like this can affect a person's studies, their work, even their whole life.

The items climb a scale: a city, then a province, then the country; a year, then a decade.

With numbers

Between two numbers, 乃至 marks how high the figure can reach.

。

The match drew hundreds, even over a thousand, spectators.

。

Mastering a foreign language takes years, even decades.

乃至 or 甚至

甚至 is an adverb as well as a linking word, so it can go straight before a verb: 他甚至忘了 "he even forgot". 乃至 only joins items in a series and can't stand before a verb that way.

× 他乃至忘了自己的生日 → 他甚至忘了自己的生日

The item after 乃至 has to be bigger in scope. Reversed, the sentence makes no sense.

× 全世界乃至中国 → 中国乃至全世界

Examples

。

This discovery matters for China, and indeed for the whole world.

。

This song is popular with young people, and even with the elderly.

，。

One small mistake can affect a whole department, or even the whole company.

、，。

A habit like this can affect a person's studies, their work, even their whole life.

。

This technology has changed the way people live in the cities, and even in the countryside.

。

Reading can shape a person's thinking, and even their character.

。

The affair attracted attention from every part of society, and even from foreign media.

。

He is well known in his own province, and even across the whole country.

。

Pollution affects our health, and even that of future generations.

。

The match drew hundreds, even over a thousand, spectators.

。

Mastering a foreign language takes years, even decades.

。

This little shop's pastries are famous all over town, and even further afield.

乃

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