Meaning
甚而 is a formal literary conjunction meaning 'even' or 'and even more so,' used to escalate or intensify a statement. It suggests going beyond what was just mentioned to an even greater degree. This is primarily found in written Chinese and formal contexts.
Usage
This is a literary and formal expression rarely used in everyday spoken Mandarin. It appears in written reports, essays, and formal speeches to emphasize progression or intensification. More commonly, speakers use 甚至 (shènzhì) in both speech and writing, while 甚而 is reserved for more elevated or classical-sounding prose.
Examples
- 01他不仅忘记了约定，甚而连道歉也没有。, .He not only forgot the appointment, but didn't even apologize.
- 02这种现象不仅影响了当地经济，甚而威胁到整个地区的稳定。, .This phenomenon not only affected the local economy, but even threatened the stability of the entire region.
Characters
Common collocations
- 甚而至于even to the point that
Origin
Both characters have classical origins. 甚 means 'extreme/very' and 而 is a classical conjunction meaning 'and/but/furthermore.' Together they form a literary intensifier that has been used in formal Chinese for centuries.