题目

What is odd is that they have perhaps most benefited from ambition—if not always their own then that of their parents and grandparents.
哪位强人能帮我分析一下这里破折号之后If引导的从句啊?好难啊,根本找不到语法点
这句话是考研英语2000年TEXT5第一段的一句话，翻译出来是：“奇怪的是也许已经从雄心壮志中获益最多的正是他们——如果不是他们自己的雄心，那么就是他们父母的和祖父母的。”if not always their own then that of their parents and grandparents这句是固定搭配吗？用普通语法讲不通啊！

提问时间：2020-11-26

答案

if (the ambition) is not always their own then (the ambition is) that of their parents and grandparents
省略了一些主语以免重复,所以会感觉缺了成分