Even… let alone… (尚且…何况…)

Structure Extreme case + 尚且 + verb，何况 + more obvious case

尚且…何况… (shàngqiě… hékuàng…) is the full, literary a-fortiori frame: 尚且 presents the extreme case ("even X…") and 何况 draws the conclusion about the more obvious case ("let alone Y"). 圣人尚且会犯错，何况我们普通人 = "if even sages make mistakes, let alone ordinary people like us". 尚且 carries the nuance "even this hard case already holds"; it is more cultured and self-contained than the colloquial 连…都 that 何况 can also follow.

Examples

圣shèng人rén尚shàng且qiě会huì犯fàn错cuò，何hé况kuàng我wǒ们men普pǔ通tōng人rén。
If even sages make mistakes, let alone ordinary people like us.
大dà事shì尚shàng且qiě如rú此cǐ谨jǐn慎shèn，何hé况kuàng关guān乎hū性xìng命mìng的de决jué定dìng。
If even major matters are handled with such caution, all the more a decision that bears on one's life.
母mǔ语yǔ者zhě尚shàng且qiě常cháng常cháng用yòng错cuò，何hé况kuàng初chū学xué者zhě。
If even native speakers often get it wrong, let alone a beginner.

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