The structure 不要说…只要…
"Not to mention..., even..."
The structure indicates that someone has to choose an action, and that the best option doesn’t necessarily need to be chosen. Choosing a simple option is enough to get a positive outcome.
Scheme
不要说
the best option
只要
acceptable option
result
Examples
不要说得冠军,只要进入决赛,我们很满意了
Even if we make it to the finals, not to mention winning the championship, we’ll be happy
bú yào shuō dé guànjūn, zhǐyào jìnrù juésài, wǒmen jiù hěn mǎnyì le
不要说做什么工作,只要对社会有贡献,有出息
It’s not even about doing the job. If you just make a contribution to society, you would have already shown potential
bú yào shuō zuò shénme gōngzuò, zhǐyào duì shèhuì yǒu gòngxiàn, jiù yǒu chūxī
In this construction, 不要说 can be replaced with : 别说…只要…就….
Examples
别说在外国,只要在国内旅行行了
Don’t even talk about travelling abroad. Travelling within the country is good as well
bié shuō zài wàiguó, zhǐyào zài guónèi lǚ háng jiù xíng le
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